Cousins! A teenage girl says that she was sent home in the middle of her shift while working at Chick-Fil-A due to her hairstyle after being told that she violated the company’s dress policy!
16-year-old Autumn Williams has come forward in saying that her manager directly advised her that her braids were an “unnatural” color and was asked to go home. The teen says that she was advised to return to work only after she was able to wear her natural hair color.
“She was like, ‘Hey, one of our supervisors came by and said they noticed blond in your hair, and he asked that you leave and come back when it’s taken out since it’s an unnatural color to you,’” Amber told WJZY-TV.
Amber says she has been an employee at the Harrisburg location for the last three months. The teen has expressed she feels singled out and embarrassed seeing how her natural hair is blonde but the braids that she had in were a light brown color.
“And the guy, when I had orientation, he never said anything about my hair color or it being an issue,” says Amber.
Atlanta Black Star reports that according to the Chick-Fil-A handbook shared online employees are required to comply with health department regulations surrounding their hair and nails. However it doesn’t mention which colors can be deemed unnatural.
“Hair must be clean and worn in good taste so as not to be distracting to guests or fellow team members. Hairstyles must be neat and professional in appearance. Unnatural hair colors or eccentric styles (e.g., Mohawks, shaven designs, etc.) are not permitted.”
Sources state that Amber quit following the bizzare ordeal and that she has since filed a complaint with the Equap Employment Opportunity Comission.
“I was glad that I didn’t have to change myself to fit into someone else’s … image of what it’s like to be a Chick-fil-A worker,” said Amber.
“I was just glad that I was able to just stay true to myself and move on and find somewhere else to work that’s fine with how I look.”
Chick-fil-A says that an “operator reached out to (Autumn) Williams today and had a good conversation.”
“In further detail, the operator explained that the policy was misinterpreted and said Williams was not terminated and she’s more than welcome to come back and work at the restaurant.”
Amber’s mother Nina Burch says that her daughter’s hairstyle and color were professional for work. She also says that the fast food chain should conduct sensitivity training.
“There was nothing eccentric about the color that was in her hair,” said Nina. “So I think maybe there needs to be some sensitivity training about what people can and cannot look like. But that just sounds so crazy to say because who’s to say what anybody can look like based on their race?”