Qantas relaxes uniform rules, with flat shoes, make-up and long hair an option for everyone

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Qantas relaxes uniform rules, with flat shoes, make-up and long hair an option for everyone

Australia's national airline, Qantas, has announced it will scrap its gender-based uniform guidelines.

Male staff will be allowed to wear make-up and female staff will have the option of ditching their high heels.

Qantas says it has overhauled its guidelines to better reflect modern expectations and to make uniforms more comfortable for staff from "diverse cultural backgrounds".

The airline has drawn attention for its fastidious style guidelines in the past which banned handlebar moustaches, policed the length of sideburns, and specified the ideal shades of eyeliner.

Unions a big driver of change

The changes have come at the insistence of labour unions, which have urged Qantas to scrap rules including that female staff must wear make-up.

"Fashions change and so have our style guidelines over the years," the airline said in a statement.

"Our uniform standards have always been reflective of the times."

Qantas says the new "style and grooming guidelines" will ditch the previous "male" and "female" uniform categories.

So what are the new rules?

Now staff can choose whether to wear make-up, opt for flat shoes, and have long hair — as long as it is in a ponytail or bun.

Cornrows are also an acceptable hairstyle for all staff except for flight crew members due to safety reasons.

Diamond earrings are now allowed, and strict rules governing the size and style of watches that can be worn have been dumped.

Employees are still, however, required to conceal tattoos.

Overall, there are no changes to the uniform which was introduced in 2016 and is the 10th design since 1938.

Stockings remain compulsory to pair with dresses or skirts.

However, uniform "capsules", which state which uniform pieces can be worn together, along with grooming and make-up requirements, now replace previously designated "male" and "female" uniform sets.

Will other airlines follow suit?
Qantas' budget airline, Jetstar, will also take on the new rules.

Virgin Australia has responded by saying it will continue to review its uniform guidelines in collaboration with its frontline team.

Other airlines around the world have also made changes to their style guides in recent years.

Last year, British Airways announced all its cabin crew could wear make-up, face stubble, piercings, jewellery and nail polish with their uniforms.

A first in 20 years, the airline also launched new uniforms, featuring a modern jumpsuit, a tunic and a hijab option.

In the same year, UK-headquartered Virgin Atlantic introduced gender-neutral uniforms, dropping specific "male" and "female" outfits.

The changes came as a bid to "champion individuality" of staff, following the end of compulsory make-up and the need for tattoos to be covered up.

In 2019, Air New Zealand also ceased a ban on staff having visible tattoos, to allow "employees to express their individuality and cultural heritage".

Some New Zealanders of Māori heritage have tattoos known as Tā moko reflecting their ancestry and personal history.

How will the changes impact staff?

Gender equality and organisational behaviour expert Miriam Yates is applauding the policy change at Qantas.

Qantas is a huge company and has huge market share, so from a reputational perspective, they're leading by example," Dr Yates says.

"By changing their guidelines for how employees come to work and how they meet the professionalism standards, Qantas is allowing employees to bring their full selves to work."

She says being able to show up to work authentically is a "core element of creating psychologically safe workplaces".

Dr Yates believes moving away from gendered uniform guidelines will result in better employee performance and overall organisational performance.

Federal secretary of the Flight Attendants Association of Australia Teri O'Toole says the association has fought for many years to drop the requirement for staff to wear heels.

"So it's great [women] can wear low shoes [and] … also choose not to wear make-up," she said.

Ms O'Toole welcomes the change more for its cost-of-living benefits.

"Make-up isn't cheap when you've got to wear it every single time you go to work, so this would be an enormous cost saving," she said.

Is the change enough to promote inclusivity?
Ms O'Toole says Qantas' use of capsule uniforms rather than gendered uniforms will still have some limitations.

"I don't think it's going to be as big a change as everyone is expecting," Ms O'Toole said.

"A traditional male uniform, instead of being called a male uniform, may be called Capsule D.

"The make-up that you can wear is reflective of that uniform type.

"So if you're in a traditionally male uniform you could wear clear nail polish which, of course, no-one would even see.

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