This week, the devastating story of Rose Marie Counts went viral. Counts, a former Sheetz employee from Circleville, Ohio,
wrote on Facebook that she was forced to leave her job at her local Sheetz because her teeth—many of which are missing because her ex-husband knocked them out of her mouth, she said—violated the convenience store chain’s “smile policy.”
On Wednesday, less than 24 hours after
Jezebel and
Insider reported on Counts’ departure, a Sheetz spokesperson reached out with a heartening update: They’ve scrapped the policy. “Our culture at Sheetz has always been centered on respect and putting our employees, customers and communities first,” Stephanie Doliveira, executive vice president of People and Culture at Sheetz, wrote in a statement. “As a family owned and operated company, nothing is more important than creating an environment that is inclusive and supportive of all of our employees. Recently through employee feedback, we have learned that the smile policy is not aligned with these values from their perspective. We agree. Effective immediately, this policy is discontinued.”
The company’s “smile policy” previously forbid employees from working with “obvious missing, broken, or badly discolored teeth,” unrelated to a disability. Staffers were given just 90 days to make the required amendments. In
an interview with
Insider, Counts recalled that the manager asked her for a detailed timeline showing when the procedures would take place and how much they would cost. Instead, she opted to walk away. Counts was waiting for a permanent denture for her missing and broken teeth—dental work Sheetz insurance would reportedly have partially covered—but until that procedure was to take place, she couldn’t afford temporary dentures.
jezebel.com
