UPS Employees Can Now Have Beards

UPS is now No Shave November friendly, as the company plans to drop its employee beard ban along with a number of other rigid dress code guidelines.

In an attempt to loosen up its image, the company has announced it will remove a number of strict dress and grooming restrictions, the Wall Street Journal reported. In addition to lifting a facial hair ban that prohibited employees from sporting anything more than short mustaches and sideburns, UPS will also loosen restrictions against natural and Black hairstyles such as Afros and braids.

“These changes reflect our values and desire to have all UPS employees feel comfortable, genuine and authentic while providing service to our customers and interacting with the general public,” UPS told the New York Post in a statement.

The company said the move is the result of feedback from employees who said a looser dress code “would make them more likely to recommend UPS as an employer.”

The Atlanta-based company’s rigid appearance guidelines also reportedly included rules requiring men to keep their hair at or above their collars and forcing all employees to keep tattoos covered. The company said its new, looser policy will dispense with any gendered guidelines.

Meanwhile, UPS says beards are now “definitely acceptable as long as they are worn in a businesslike manner and don’t create a safety concern,” according to the Wall Street Journal. What exactly makes a beard “businesslike” remains unclear, but congrats to the bearded and businesslike deliverymen of UPS.