Bottom line:
Rules are rules...Laws are laws...
Just because you do not agree with them or think them silly, does not give you the right or privilege to break them...
You DO have the right to work to get them changed...
He was told three times to shave it off...He abused the rule...No matter how trivial the rule may seem, it is still the rule...
It’s exactly like a person thinking a 35 MPH speed limit is too slow, so they go 45 and get a ticket...
If you don’t like the rule, work to change it....
As far as the poster who said he would hire this guy because he thought for himself...That’s all well and good as long as he adheres to company policy...
He is told by his supervisor to accomplish a task...He thinks this task is silly and a waste of time, so he does something else...He did not know any of the deeper reasons for this particular task and ends up costing money...That’s what sometimes “thinking for himself” can get you....