Harrah’s sets appearance standards

Phil Levine

Thursday, May 11, 2000 | 11:27 a.m.

Harrah's Entertainment Inc. of Las Vegas calls it a gift to employees.

The Culinary Union see it as a heavy-handed, Big Brother-like violation of employees' personal choice.

At issue is Harrah's new Beverage Department Image Transformation Initiative, a program requiring some employees to maintain personal appearance standards.

Under the program, the gaming giant's beverage employees -- mainly cocktail servers and bartenders -- will be required to maintain appearance standards established during company-sponsored personal improvement clinics and makeover sessions.

Harrah's spokesman Gary Thompson said the move to standardize employees' appearances is a necessary ingredient in the company's efforts to establish consistency at its properties nationwide.

"We've acquired a number of properties over the last few years, and we see this effort as an important step in branding ourselves as a corporation," said Thompson.

"We want to make sure our customers can expect a consistent level and quality of service at all of our properties."

The makeover initiative will be gradually rolled out to 15 Harrah's-branded properties; the Rio Suites hotel-casino is not currently included in the program, although the initiative may eventually include Harrah's Showboat-brand casinos.

The program establishes "personal best" appearance guidelines for each beverage department employee, and requires them to maintain those standards for the duration of their employment.

Thompson estimates the program will affect about 1,400 Harrah's employees nationwide, including "a few hundred" employees at Harrah's Las Vegas hotel-casino.

No specific date has been set for initiation of the program in Las Vegas.

D. Taylor, staff director for Las Vegas' Culinary Workers Local 226, criticized the program, labelling it "intrusive and an invasion of individual choice."

"The idea that the company thinks it can impose an image is outrageous," he said. "Their new corporate (image) policy is tantamount to saying working mothers need not apply."

Taylor strongly objected to a requirement in the program that women returning from 12-week maternity leave fit into their old uniforms.

"Under our union contract, women would have 18 months maternity leave," he said.

"We would hope the company would consider changing this policy before they bring it to Las Vegas."

Taylor said about 1,500 employees at Harrah's Las Vegas are unionized; employees at Harrah's Rio Suites hotel-casino are not.

Thompson said that, if required, the post-maternity 12-week appearance policy could be extended by an additional month.

Promoting "personal best" appearances among Harrah's employees will not be cheap.

The projected cost of the makeover initiative is expected to be about $3,000 per employee. Included in that cost will be uniforms and personalized image consulting advice for each employee.

Thompson likened the standardized appearance requirements to those found in the fast food industry.

"It's not unlike (the consistency) you would expect at McDonald's," he said. "You wouldn't want burgers and fries served to you by somebody who hasn't washed in weeks."

Taylor disagreed with the analogy.

"People are individuals, not McDonald's hamburgers," he said. "We expect our members to be treated as the individual employees that they are."

In Nevada, Harrah's Lake Tahoe and Laughlin hotel-casinos have already completed the image enhancement program.

"Although some employees expressed some trepidation when they first learned of the initiative, they quickly realized we aren't looking to make them into movie stars," said Harrah's Lake Tahoe spokesman John Packer.

"We always had standards for grooming and appearance, but this program allows the company to improve our standards from good to excellent. We simply want to help people look and feel as good as they can."

Reimi Marden echoes that view.

Marden, a Las Vegas-based consultant with Winning Edge Image Consultants, is heading up the makeover project. She said many Harrah's employees view the clinics as "a gift to them."

"We're not out to put people through cookie cutters, that's not the goal," she said. "And by the end of the first class people begin to realize this, relax, and gain self-help information.

"But this program isn't just about clothes or makeup. It's about teaching people how to slow down and take better care of themselves."

Marden began working with Harrah's in early February, and since then has been completing the program at the rate of about one property per week. Her previous experience includes work as an image consultant for several major Las Vegas casinos.

"I conducted a professional image class for all 9,000 employees of the Bellagio prior to its opening," she said. "I've also done similar classes for employees at the Mansions at the MGM Grand, and certain employees at the Rio."

Marden said about one month before she -- along with a cadre of freelance clinicians and makeup consultants -- arrive at a property, beverage managers provide written outlines of the program to their employees.

"When we begin, we hold personal clinics and image sessions that go beyond just things like makeup," she said.

"For men, we offer men's grooming clinics that look at issues such as hairstyling and maintaining proper care of their nails and hands."

Image guidelines for male beverage employees also deal with topics such as facial hair and proper footwear.

All told, beverage employees receive between four to six hours of image consultation.

A "personal best" photo is taken upon completion of the program; supervisors monitor employees progress after the program is over.

However, the self-improvement initiative doesn't end with completion of the consultation process.

"Every quarter after completion of the program, (beverage) employees at each property are required to choose a personal development topic to help them with their self-improvement," said Marden.

Beverage managers at each Harrah's hotel survey their employees, and then choose one specific development area for their property.

"For example, employees at our Laughlin hotel chose poise and posture as their development area, while our Lake Tahoe employees chose fitness and nutrition training," she said.

"This is not just a quick shot in the arm, but rather a long-term commitment to help employees better themselves."