Grooming standards changed

Saw this on the Twitter today!

https://twitter.com/cedarpoint/status/986689842397532161?s=19

I couldn't find the guidelines on the link though, so I'm curious to know what they are. Also, it's probably about time to ease up on the old standards.

Statements like this make it sound like everybody is (or should be) a liberal. Acknowledge that these are not universally held beliefs. Perhaps they are a majority barely, or a minority barely, but certainly not anything near the degree the media would have you believe.

I have no problem with tattoes. But in food service, beards bother me. Have you ever gotten a hair in your food? Sure it could come from the food service person's head (maybe not as easily) and there are myriad other ways which is not the point. Save the strawman arguments. There are so many ways to screw up food and CP has most of the market cornered where that's concerned. Cold food that should be hot. Hard food that should be soft. You name it, they screw it up. That's why I don't eat there. Almost ever. I'm fortunate to have internal fat reserves to weather any storm of horrific CP food.

I disagree with the notion that more inclusion is always better. Sometimes, the rules and standards in society exist for reasons we don't have a historical perspective to understand. If we are to say we inclusiveness is a "good thing" (which I don't always agree) then why don't we think people who shoot up elementary schools deserve to have their thoughts and ideas heard? Why don't people infected with HIV get to draw blood? I know that's hyperbole and not relevant to this topic but wow, I'm so disappointed with almost every word out of the mouth of anyone under 40 these days. Idiots. #I'mOffended.

As my uncle would say... "Kids these days and their music television!" Maybe it's a modern day version of "Get off my lawn!" I don't know. But it's disappointing.

The "tweet" only mentions food service.

I worked at "snack bars" and cafeterias in high school and college.

Food service would,for a variety of reasons,seems to be one of the less desirable areas to work in at C.P.

Maybe they're hoping this will get more applicants.

I also don't have an issue with visible tattoos or colored hair.

Piercings can get can get tricky.

Same with beards.

I am hooked on watching shows like "Chopped", Top Chef", "Cooks vs. Cons", "Cut Throat Kitchen". Many feature contestants with tattoos, piercings, beards (on males of course), long or kinky hair. Rarely have they shown issues with hair or other cleanliness problems, I know the shows are edited. On the other hand, "Worst Cooks in America" shows alot of issues, probably for effect.

That said, there shouldn't be any issues. Fashions & fads evolve over generations. I am thinking about that long haired hippy freak in the song about Signs, Signs, Everywhere there's Signs. In a few years beards & tats will be out of style.

As long as the workers are clean and in uniforms I am fine with it.

Where DO you eat, then?
My straw man argument is that literally everywhere I go I am served by people with tattoos, facial, and head hair.
You make one good point. Cedar Point food service leaves something to be desired. But why is that? Reams have been written, and I’m talking about right here, about abysmal service and food quality at the park. Also about the lack of a willing work force. Surely you remember scenarios where on busy days food stands would be closed, lines would be across the midway, and everyone was miserable. So what’s an employer to do? Refuse to allow young people with ink, piercings, and beards to come to work? I happen to know that those people can and do make good cooks, servers, and customer service advocates. The fact that they are modified in some way in no way determines their conscientiousness on the job.
I personally applaud Cedar Point for taking that slight step out of the dark ages, particularly in the area of food service. Also, notice please, this change apparently so far only applies to food service workers. No mention of ride operation staff, oh no. And maybe that’s because kids are lined up for those jobs. The park is wise to identify areas where their service is suffering and where qualified applicants are being turned away. Maybe you didn’t realize it, but you’ve more than identified that need yourself.

As for your take on inclusion, I’m not sure what to say first. Your comparison to murderers and the disease ridden is laughable. In no way does this change in policy invite those kinds of dangers. And in no way does a tattoo or an earring or a well trimmed beard indicate that those dangers are surely present. Perhaps you should adjust your thinking to know that inclusion is and should be everything in today’s society.

And as for those “young people these days?” (Under 40? Really?) You’re stuck with em. And the older you get the younger they’re gonna get, sorry for that bad news. Call me when you’re laying in the nursing home and look up to see who’s come around to wipe your butt and we’ll talk.

I’ll admit that I’ve been known to lament newer generations’ knowledge and attitudes myself. What’s come along to ease my mind was listening to those high school students in Florida who are trying desperately to affect necessary change. Agree with their politics or not (and I’m not trying to open that discussion), you have to admit that there indeed appears to be at least a segment of that population who are intelligent, outspoken, and eager to take charge for all the right reasons. And clearly, their gender, appearance, orientation, or social class has nothing to do with it. I’m able to relax about it now, and so should you. I know- start small with things like your privileged visits to amusement parks.

MaverickLaunch said:

Statements like this make it sound like everybody is (or should be) a liberal.

Your statement is everything wrong with American culture right now. It's us vs. them, liberal vs. conservative. You're making the ridiculous assertion that others shouldn't comply to their standards because they should comply to yours. Is personal preference of style really indicative of human worth? Is my wife a lesser person because she decided to get blue streaks in her hair for a while, or because she wears a nose ring? What does that have to do with her politics?

I disagree with the notion that more inclusion is always better. Sometimes, the rules and standards in society exist for reasons we don't have a historical perspective to understand. If we are to say we inclusiveness is a "good thing" (which I don't always agree) then why don't we think people who shoot up elementary schools deserve to have their thoughts and ideas heard?

Because that's cosmically stupid. Inclusiveness arguments aren't about accepting fundamentally immoral behavior, they're about accepting human beings regardless of their gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, etc. That you don't understand the distinction is disturbing.

This is a good move on CP's part as it opens up a larger potential work force. Probably a significant number of people who possibly wanted to work at the park were shut out because of the old grooming guidelines. This allows them to choose from a larger labor pool and possibly increase both the size and quality of the work force.

Why does so much discussion lately degenerate into a liberal or conservative debate? The grooming standards have nothing to do with politics.

I remember as a kid my parents used to tell me to be whoever I wanted to be and do whatever I wanted to do. As long as I wasn't gay, didn't grow long hair, get tattoos, and had "good wholesome friends". And it honestly took me until my 20s to rid myself of that mindset.

My current workplace has some very talented and educated people and yes, many of them have exposed tattoos or non traditional piercings, hair, or other looks. They work with the public every day. They have won awards for their work and are fantastic assets to our community. That anyone (this includes my parents) would write them off because of personal choices they make in regards to how they present themselves just seems absolutely silly to me now. But I did grow up in that environment and it took college and a few years of life to see how closed minded and backwards it was.

Pete said:

Why does so much discussion lately degenerate into a liberal or conservative debate? The grooming standards have nothing to do with politics.

Are you saying there are other forums to discuss politics, other than an amusement park forum? This is groundbreaking news. ;)

This is great news. Anyone who complains can get over it because seriously, it's the 21st century. You're probably old enough to have gone through the 70s fashion era and that was worse than current fashion!

As someone who has worked in Food & Beverage, I am all for a little extra investment in employees with tattoos, piercings, and beards if it means there is a stronger and more organized workforce in that division. Skills, organization, passion, work ethic, efficiency >>> having tattoos, piercings or beards.

I’m shocked that CF is still holding on strong to the facial hair grooming standard in any role. Disney ditched that standard several years back and I thought for sure that CF would follow shortly after. Go out in public and half of all adult males have some sort of facial hair grown out, probably closer to 90% if you count plain ole stubble, but for some reason a ride operator is too important and professional of a position to have a goatee or a few day’s growth beard... right? It’s a completely outdated relic of the 1950s that for some reason some companies are still holding onto.

MaverickLaunch said:

Statements like this make it sound like everybody is (or should be) a liberal. Acknowledge that these are not universally held beliefs. Perhaps they are a majority barely, or a minority barely, but certainly not anything near the degree the media would have you believe.

Jesus, I bet you're fun at parties.

I have no problem with tattoes.

Yeesh. I have a problem with your spelling.

Tattoes!

The annual Cedar Fair softball match was always the highlight of the year...

CPVet said:
I’m shocked that CF is still holding on strong to the facial hair grooming standard in any role. Disney ditched that standard several years back and I thought for sure that CF would follow shortly after. Go out in public and half of all adult males have some sort of facial hair grown out, probably closer to 90% if you count plain ole stubble, but for some reason a ride operator is too important and professional of a position to have a goatee or a few day’s growth beard... right? It’s a completely outdated relic of the 1950s that for some reason some companies are still holding onto.

You must be an old time CP Vet because they changed the facial hair rule for the 2016 season.

From my understanding, the new guidelines include:
Tattoos only must be covered if offensive, or contain a brand. No neck or face tattoos can be visible
Hair can be any color as long as it's solid or moderate highlighting
More nail polish colors acceptable
Small, single nose rings/studs are allowed
Gauges/ear lobe stretching up to a certain size is allowed, must have solid plugs

These standards are in place for every department, including rides. Furthermore, MaverickLaunch I challenge you to do more research before making some of your statements, including the effect of inclusion efforts and its lead to success in companies, but that is another conversation for another forum, just like your post.

Some tips:

Conduct research before you speak, watch your hypocrisy and taking a course in grammar/spelling wouldn't be your worst bet either. But I'm under 40 so I must just be reading your post wrong ;)

As an associate I'm very happy to see these changes. I've always thought it looked bad having people on my crew with bandages and sweat bands on their arms to cover up tattoos. I also believe it restricted many people from applying/getting hired.

If anyone else has real questions over the grooming guidelines I'd be happy to answer to my fullest ability :)

That’s quite a change. For the good.

We have a Waffle House nearby and when we were in there the other day I noticed several of the girls had WH arm covers. I thought maybe they were to keep them from getting burned, or maybe they were so they could carry lots of plates without dropping them or something. I asked our waitress about em and she told me they were tattoo covers. At the damn Waffle House of all places. I’m not sure if such a rule is a nationwide policy but it was at that store.

TwistedWicker77 said:
You must be an old time CP Vet because they changed the facial hair rule for the 2016 season.

Oh! Good to know! Must have missed that on my last visit in 2016. BTW, I worked at the park in ride ops 2006-2010 :)