Have your hair cut! That's an order by the company!

A Japanese company has ordered all 2,700 of its employees to get identical hairstyles - to help save energy.

Tokyo-based Maeda Corporation announced the move as part of a national campaign to reduce energy consumption in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in March.

Men are expected to sport a short back-and-sides, slightly longer on the top, while women have been asked to wear a 'cute' bob with a fringe that can be swept to one side.

Chizuru Inoue, a spokesman for Maeda Corp, told the Daily Telegraph: "Our company is very keen on protecting the environment and we encourage our staff to adopt many environment-friendly actions. We are not sure of the data yet, but we believe if people have short hair they do not need to use their hair driers for so long and they will use less water."

There is another advantage for employees of the construction firm, Ms Inoue added, as it is easier to make short hair neat again after staff have been wearing hard hats.