WINNIPEG—When Stephanie Lozinski learned her uncle was dying of cancer, she shaved off her hair as a sign of support.

But her bald head cost her a waitressing job at a Winnipeg restaurant, she says, and her attempt to file a complaint with the Manitoba Human Rights Commission has been rebuffed.

“I finished my shift on Sunday night, and at the end, (the manager) handed me my last paycheque and said her husband (and co-manager) had seen my head the night before and that it was inappropriate for the restaurant and that I shouldn’t come in for my shift the next day,” Lozinski, a 21-year-old university student, said Thursday.

“I was just really shocked.”

Lozinski had been wearing either a wig or a silk scarf for two weeks before she was let go, but in the end it wasn’t good enough for her bosses at Sawatdee Thai restaurant, she said.

There was no answer at the restaurant Thursday and messages to voice mail were not returned.

Lozinski tried to take her case to the Manitoba Human Rights Commission this week but was told she didn’t qualify for a hearing because she had shaved her head voluntarily.

The commission’s executive director, Dianna Scarth, couldn’t comment specifically on the case, but said in general bosses have the right to set standards for appearance.

“Dress-code issues are generally within an employer’s discretion, but there are some exceptions,” Scarth said.

“For example, if a person is undergoing chemotherapy and shaves their head, that would be a special need based on a disability, so that would be where the person would be entitled to be accommodated in the workplace.”

Scarth said a waitress could file a human rights complaint if her male counterparts were allowed to shave their heads while females were not. Lozinski hinted she may take that route because she believes she wouldn’t have been fired if she were a man.

One thing she won’t pursue is her job at the restaurant.

“I’m sure I’ll find another job. And I won’t be eating there any time soon.”

Disputes such as this are rare, according to the group that represents Manitoba restaurant owners.

“I’ve been here for four years and it’s the first time I’ve heard of it,” said Scott Jocelyn, executive-director of the Manitoba Restaurant and Food Services Association.

Jocelyn advises owners of any business to set down clear rules for employees when they are hired.

“I think it’s important that you lay down the groundwork on issues like this so that people understand there’s an expectation, and if something happens to change that, I guess you’re always hopeful that people can come to some kind of compromise that would work well for both sides.”

In 2008, Stacey Fearnall, a waitress in Owen Sound, Ont., was told to take a leave of absence after she shaved her head for a cancer fundraiser.

Fearnall, 36, had refused to wear a wig after shaving off her hair to raise $2,700 for cancer research.

The move caused a public uproar, and Fearnall’s boss later apologized.