Visible hickeys are inappropriate in professional setting

THE EDITOR, Madam:

The Clerk to the Houses of Parliament has recently come under much public scrutiny for a leaked internal memo she issued to the parliamentary staff. In the memo, she noted the frequent occurrence of staff attending work with visible love bites or “hickeys” on their skin. She stated that it was unprofessional, inappropriate and that, if staff members attend at work with a visible hickey, they would be sent home.

In the memo, she referenced the Public Service Staff Orders relating to dress code as support for her position. While the Staff Orders do not specifically reference love bites, it states “officers should be appropriately dressed for work at all times in a manner which demonstrates professionalism, decency and respect for colleagues, clients and the general public”.

I do not believe that there needs to be a rule in any dress code or workplace policy for people to understand the inappropriate nature of clearly visible love marks on a worker in the professional setting. Yes, consenting adults have sex. However, it can potentially be very distracting to customers and even other staff to notice hickeys on a person they are interacting with for a professional purpose. The sensible and appropriate thing any person should do if they find that they have a hickey is to make some effort to conceal it, whether by clothing or with make-up, before attending work. It is important to maintain a high standard of decorum in public institutions, lest we descend into tolerance and acceptance for the indecent and distasteful.

I have heard the question asked that, if a visible hickey is inappropriate in the workplace, then isn’t also a clearly pregnant female worker? My response would be that leather and milk both come from a cow but most people know better than to serve shoes for breakfast.

PP