The best course of action for this company would have been to just say no we're not going to hire you. How is that beneficial for the employer or the potential

The best course of action for this company would have been to just say no we're not going to hire you. How is that beneficial for the employer or the potential employee? > Because having long hair in no way affects a candidate's ability to do this (or virtually any) job But it does affect how the company is perceived, and that's not a result of the company but the people who use it. I don't have a problem with dreadlocks, but I honestly understand why someone might be a little weary of hiring someone to come into their home and move all their stuff if they look radically different to them. > then maybe they should be allowed to require men to be clean-shaven; Yes. > maybe they should be allowed to require women to wear skirts; Yes. You should be able to define the uniform you wish your employees to wear. > maybe they should be allowed to prefer men for certain positions Yes. You should also be allowed to prefer women for certain positions. Here's what I don't get. One, you don't have to be hired. You're not entitled to every job you apply for. You're also not entitled to the job you have. Two, certain requirements, such as shaving or your hair style are things that you can change. Perhaps that conflicts with your religion, but that's something you have to deal with. That's your decision. You can still be a Rastafarian and not have dreadlocks, be Muslim and not wear a hijab, and be a Christian and work on Sunday. At what point do you stop accommodating irrationally held religious beliefs and start treating people as if they are adults responsible for their own decisions? Three, employers are responsible for who they hire. If they don't feel comfortable having that person represent their company, they should be able to not hire them. These laws remove some of that responsibility, but still place all the blame for the actions of that individual with the company.