These days it has become increasingly common for it to be acceptable for men to go several days without shaving , even if the man in question does not ordinarily keep a beard.
When I began my professional life back in 2007, while facial hair had become more and more common, being unshaved at work was a big no no.
I am a lawyer, and I remember being told (in London UK) during our introduction that being unshaved was unacceptable for the office, never mind the Courts. These days, I routinely see younger lawyer sport a three-day old stubble while appearing in Courtrs; it would have gotten you told off when I started.
Law is a conservative profession and requires a much higher standard of formality in dress and even here men are going unshaved. (Ok, it is admittedly getting noticed and I have heard some; usually older, lawyers complain).
So gents
-Whats your profession
Is stubble/unshaved acceptable in your profession generally and your workplace.
To what extent
When did it start to become acceptable?
Is your profession and workplace big on formality and or uniformity in dress?
It doesn’t really matter where I work for most of the technical personnel. Even the the general rule about business casual is often ignored.
In general it’s not so much stubble as being totally untrimmed. Unless you have a natural line you start looking seedy, but if you shave in a line people don’t seem to care much.
I cringe uttering these words…Thank-you millennial hipsters!
It’s common for all phases of unshavedness now in my professional world. I often go 3 or 4 days with no worry, confident that I just get progressively damn better looking each day, and the cufflinked suits walking around are doing the same. I haven’t felt this free since the Miami Vice days! Now if only the pastel ankle socks would also come back…
I’m a math professor in a small university. Stubble is fine and no one cares. Overall things are very casual, and as long as you’re not a total slob no one cares. A few of the guys wear khaki or navy shorts. It’s much the same for the ladies; jeans are very common and dresses are also common.
When I’m teaching I either wear jeans or khakis and a decent looking shirt–either a golf shirt or a nice T-shirt. When it’s cold I’ll wear jeans and a long-sleeved hoodie shirt or a sweater. I usually have one day per week with no classes, and I’ll wear shorts on those days if it’s warm (which it usually is here).
Strategic planner at an advertising agency. Stubble / an unshaven look isn’t at all uncommon here; I’d guess that at least half of the men in my office have some form of facial hair.
I’d say that it’s much more common among the “creatives” (writers and art directors), and always has been. The account managers are much more likely to look more like businesspeople, on the whole.
There isn’t much of a dress code at most ad agencies, at least when clients aren’t present. In our office, you’ll see everything from t-shirt + shorts + flip-flops to suits. When you’re meeting with clients, you’re generally expected to look smarter; my default attire for a client meeting is a black t-shirt under a dark blazer, with either dark slacks or jeans.
No one would care if I came to work with a dyed pink mohawk and braided mustache wearing a bathrobe, except on the rare days I am face to face with customers.
I shave about once a week, and wear shorts, tshirt, and flip flops most days. During the coldest of Santa Barbara’s winter (Jan 4-Jan 11), I wear jeans, tshirt, and flip flops.
Government law office. Stubble is OK within the office but disfavored when meeting with the higher-ups, the client offices, or opposing counsel. Certainly not OK in court.
I’m a lawyer. I don’t give a fuck what people think of my stubble. Anyway, they’re probably too busy staring at my worn out shoes and jeans with holes.
I have been shaving less frequently in the last couple of years, usually only 2 or 3 times a week. No one notices or cares and in fact it’s quite common. Had I gone into work in my previous places of employment 20 years ago with a three-day growth people would have suspected I was on a bender.
I like the new, relaxed “rules.” And yeah, 20 years ago a shirt and tie were expected for some positions (like mine) but now jeans and a t-shirt are fine, unless dealing with customers. Even then I’m pretty sure no one would say anything. I guess it’s my self-imposed rule.
Well Water Contractor. I shave on days I’m scheduled to meet customers. If I’m on a site I won’t be seeing a homeowner or am working in my office or logistics I’ll skip shaving that day. Most I ever tend to go is 4 days without shaving. If someone calls me out for an emergency their concerns generally aren’t my appearance, they’ll take anyone that will give them running water.
No one cares about shaving. I wear a full beard, but don’t trim my neckline every day. It’s been that way for at least the ten years I’ve worked here and likely longer.
Dress is fairly casual, particularly at nights or on weekends. Our office rarely gets visitors from other agencies (Police, EMS, Fire) and pretty much never from the general public.
The public care if we can get emergency services dispatched in a timely manner. Not once have I had any caller express the slightest concern about our dress code.
#1:
former construction foreman; next year beginning as a HS teacher
no for safety reasons; beards yes, stubble tends to get poked fun at
you get told to go home and shave; you could be one of the ZZ Top
since people discovered that beards were a safety problem; since forever
neither one is very formal. In the school, excessive formality is understood to mean “bad pun ahead, you’ve been warned”
#2:
controller (international) for an engineering firm
both are ok
always has been; the origin of the owner’s money is in alfalfa and they have been known to drive to work on a tractor
For a while he’d shave twice a week, but one day he kissed The Niece and said “I shaved this morning, see, soft!” and she said “not soft! scratchy! :mad:” His girlfriend dissolved into giggles, thanked The Niece and informed him that yes, indeed, he gets scratchy after just a few hours. His beard is light-colored but thick. Now he shaves daily.
A friend who is a university professor actually needed to get a doctor’s note from his dermatologist years ago, as he’s got very delicate skin. So yep, a doctor’s note saying “Mr. Myfriend should not shave more than once a week.” He usually does it right before his first lab of the week. Beards are also a big no-no, in laboratory environments.
I’m a graveyard shift manager in a grocery store. When I got hired on five years ago, men weren’t allowed to have any facial hair other than a mustache extending not more than 1/2 inch from the edges of the lip.
They’ve since relaxed that policy substantially. Stubble is fine and beards are allowed as long as they aren’t excessively long; if you work in the meat or deli department, though, you have to wear a beard cover (basically a hairnet for your chin) while working.
Engineering (you could probably guess that from my user name…)
Twenty years ago, engineers were expected to be clean-shaven or have a neatly trimmed beard, basically a neat and professional appearance. We were also expected to wear the “engineer’s uniform”, which was dress pants, a button-up shirt, and a tie, no jacket. Pocket protector optional. Basically, we dressed like Dilbert used to.
Things have gotten a lot more casual over the past couple of decades. Engineers who regularly interface with customers are expected to have a more professional appearance, but slobs like me who spend their time in equipment labs don’t have any expectations placed upon them. If someone comes in all stubbly and looking like a bum, no one cares.
One exception is when I go into certain chemical plants. The safety regulations there specify that you can’t have any facial hair (you have to be able to wear a gas mask and have it seal properly in the event of a chemical spill). I have a goatee, so I have to shave that off when I go into one of these plants. If you come in all stubbly, they won’t let you in through the door.
When you’re in a plant, the basic “uniform” is jeans, steel toe work boots, safety glasses, and a hard hat, and you wear clothes that you expect to get dirty. If you dress up, people will look at you funny.
Financial industry. People who have to meet important clients would undoubtedly get told off for being sloppy, but trimmed facial hair is fine as far as I know. In my experience, most people at work who start growing a beard begin on vacation so that it’s relatively advanced by the time they get back to the office.
Government engineering office. Nobody cares how you wear your facial hair or if you have any. Generally it’s casual wear, most in khakis or dress pants but jeans are not unheard of. Women generally dress like slobs going to the beach in the summer, otherwise mostly dress pants or jeans. Personally, I stay clean shaven as it would be such a waste to cover up my face.
