Publix has allowed some employees to grow short beards despite a decades-long ban on facial hair except for conservative mustaches.
The grocery chain loosened grooming standards for some stores in Jacksonville and select stores in South Carolina.
The Orlando Sentinel reports that changing cultural standards, employee pressure, and a shortage of workers led to the policy reevaluation.
Since 2015, a petition to change the store’s facial hair policy has gained more than 20,000 signatures.
Signees cited several reasons for wanting the grooming policy changed including personal expression and skin irritation from shaving.
A spokesman for Publix said the new facial hair policy continues to be tested.