Unethical Behavior in the Realm of Cosmetology

            As with all professional fields, the field of cosmetology has some ethical issues involved in its operations. When being employed or owning a business, it is crucial to maintain a high ethical standard. By doing so, a business is able to uphold its legal standard as well as provide for the high quality and service that their customers are expecting to receive. When a business fails to fill this requirement, they are not only letting their customers down, but putting their business at a higher risk of being put out of business. They can be held legally accountable were the ethical problems of the business to put people in danger of sickness, injury, or the like. What many people do not recognize is that ethical standard is not limited to just health codes and integrity in regards to the business. A large portion of ethics is also directed toward correct treatment toward other coworkers and the customers that come into the business. The largest issue in cosmetology today is in regards to the service of its customers. It is very common for cosmetologists to show up late to appointments and not provide for what their customers desires.

            Justification of this behavior is common. Because all areas I the field of cosmetology are related to some form of relaxation and not being stressed, cosmetologists feel it is acceptable to show up late to their appointments. Cosmetologists can view this behavior as a way to keep their relaxed stature in order to properly present this service to their client. The cosmetologist is then able to proceed with the appointment in a calm, cool, and collected manner. They then continue with the appointment, proceeding to fulfill the request of the visitor in a way that will best fit them. Whether it be a hairstyle or makeup, this is not always specifically what the customer requested. So long as the customer is happy, they view this as acceptable.

            On the contrary, this behavior is completely unacceptable. Any professional has the obligation of fulfilling their duties justly for the clients that they see. They are being paid to do exactly that, and it has become a common problem in many fields. By showing up late, a cosmetologist reflects a lack of care in their own field. For any customer, this would come back to resemble the concept that the employee did not care about their customer in the least bit. As well as this, the cosmetologist not doing exactly what the customer desires does not reflect ethical behavior. In a business providing a service it can be difficult to define these lines, but it is no different than a company sending a different product than a customer ordered. Unethical behavior like this reflects negatively on both the business and the workers in the business. It starts by creating a bad reputation for that location and can slowly make its way to presenting the entire field of cosmetology as an unethical practice over a long period of time. This is very disappointing to see, and unfortunately is not uncommon in this field. It is important to recognize situations such as this to not only help improve other businesses but to remain ethical in one’s own field of practice as well.