It seems as though trendy clothing retailer, Abercrombie & Fitch, has always been known for its strict employee dress code. Just last week, however, the company finally agreed to modify the company’s “Look Policy”, after being faced with an employee discrimination lawsuit. The company fired Hani Khan from a store in San Mateo, California, after she insisted on wearing a head scarf because of her Muslim beliefs. Feeling discriminated, Khan brought the case to court, and the court ruled that the company “violated anti-discrimination laws”. In response to this lawsuit, hijabs, or head scarves, are now permitted for employees, a change to the policy. In addition, Abercrombie & Fitch will also “submit biannual reports to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for the next three years regarding the new policies”. The company said in a statement that they are “happy to have settled these cases and to have put these very old matters behind [them]”. This case highlights marketing and company ethics butting heads at Abercrombie & Fitch. Having employers look trendy and dress a certain way is a part of the company’s marketing methods – they want customers to view them in a certain image. However, Khan being fired for insisting on wearing her headscarf shows that there was a flaw of discrimination in the employee’s “Look Policy”. I am happy to see that the company did take steps to modify the employee dress code, and hope they are taking a step in the right direction in continuing to assure that their dress code and the freedom of their employees’ beliefs align.
Articles:
http://www.businessinsider.com/abercrombie-and-fitch-changes-look-policy-2013-9
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