Tattoos and work

ItsCasey

I think appearance has a lot to do with work ethic. I don't think tattoos necessarily indicate a substandard work ethic, but some matters of appearance definitely do.

Regardless, it's not about what society judges as acceptable or unacceptable. It's about the image a company is trying to portray and how that image serves the company's brand and marketing strategy. A lot of corporations don't want employees with visible tattoos because their clientele may be mostly of a demographic that frowns on body art, piercings, etc. I worked for an estate planning firm right out of college, and we did a lot of living trusts, mostly for elderly clients. I dare say most of them wouldn't have allowed a tatted up, pierced to high heaven trust salesman into their home, which is precisely why any employee with tats had to keep them covered and any employee with visible piercings had to remove them while on the job.

ilookthetype

If they hire you knowing you have tattoos, they cannot legally fire you for them. If you hid them while interviewing and tattoos are against company policy, they can let you go.

Wow...didn't realize there were still places out there that are so uptight!

I work in DC, welcome to the land of picky.

And, it's their right. Tattoos don't look professional to most of the working world. I have a tattoo, I got it some place where it wouldn't show at work.

You chose to get the tattoos; your mother and everyone else in the world probably told you you'll never get hired anywhere because of them. Suck it up and apply somewhere else, lots of tech places/mechanic shops/intranet/website kinds of places are beyond laid back and chill about tattoos/dress code.

Phera

I work in a very conservative environment with clients from all over the world. No visible tattoos ever. A large back tattoo will be my reward when I lose the weight but no one needs to know about it except me and probably my husband as he's usually pretty observant.

ilookthetype

I work in a very conservative environment with clients from all over the world. No visible tattoos ever. A large back tattoo will be my reward when I lose the weight but no one needs to know about it except me and probably my husband as he's usually pretty observant.

:laugh: I hope he wouldn't miss that....

voluptas63

I have tattoos on my wrists and they're very colorful and you're going to notice them. I didn't do it to prove/make a point. I did it because that's what I wanted.

On the other hand though, I wouldn't expect ANYBODY to just deal with them. I thought long and hard about the placement of my tattoos and how this would affect me in my future business/personal life. So far, it's more than welcomed:) But I would not be offended if I was asked to cover them. I do cover them (on my own will) for large meetings and other business gatherings.

clairegreen1974

I guess from a legal standpoint, it depends where you live in the world. technically in the UK its illegal for an employer to discriminate on various grounds, age, sex, race, religious views and so on, it does not implicitly cover tattoos and body mods, although an employer would never tell you they are not hiring you becasue of them, and open themselves up to potential litigation (its a headache whether its valid or not!)

I am in the UK, I have the top part of my back covered in a large tattoo piece, I can, and have shown it off at work, No one has ever pulled me up about it - I work for the Police. More specificaly, I work within Forensics, for the most part, i do tend to keep it covered up, but i refuse to wear huge tops if the sun is beating down - i'll wear what everyone else does.

I think in a way because im well liked, known as a bit of a nutter and they see me as their own little bonkers Abby Scuito from NCIS that i get away with it!!

I say, if you want one, get one, and roll your eyes at anyone who comes out with that age old boring line of "but what happens when you get old and wrinkly?!" Answer: i'll be old, wrinkly and tattooed! :bigsmile:

ladybg81

As a hiring manager, if I see tattoos, forget it; next contestant please. I expect my employees to be extremely professional. If you like tattoos, whatever, but be smart enough to put them some place you can cover them easily.

voluptas63

As a hiring manager, if I see tattoos, forget it; next contestant please. I expect my employees to be extremely professional. If you like tattoos, whatever, but be smart enough to put them some place you can cover them easily.

Well that's intense.

clairegreen1974

Can i jusy ask... as a Hiring Manager - what is it about the tattoo that would make you say forget it, (and im not in any way being 'funny' here) but is it some kind of stereotypical knuckle dragging uneducated rude beer drinker that pops to mind? I say this as it seems to be the image a lot of people associate

On the QT, I would say i have a respectable job (see above) I am a BA (Hons) graduate and i dont drink alcohol - at all!

sulugirl

Our world isn't quite as laid back as some of us wish it to be. I am tattooed. I'm a legal assistant and I have a tattoo on my neck and on my foot, quite visable. I haven't had any complaints just yet but I do my best to cover them up majority of the time. If someone were to approach me about it, I would definitely make more of an effort to hide them. Work isn't exactly the place to "be yourself" so to speak - you're there to work. If you have a job where you can truly be yourself, cherish it. There's not a lot of places like that out there.

Us alternative folk just need to accept that the world isn't always going to be as accepting and non-judgemental as our generation. Just give it another few decades.

ilookthetype

Our world isn't quite as laid back as some of us wish it to be. I am tattooed. I'm a legal assistant and I have a tattoo on my neck and on my foot, quite visable. I haven't had any complaints just yet but I do my best to cover them up majority of the time. If someone were to approach me about it, I would definitely make more of an effort to hide them. Work isn't exactly the place to "be yourself" so to speak - you're there to work. If you have a job where you can truly be yourself, cherish it. There's not a lot of places like that out there.

Us alternative folk just need to accept that the world isn't always going to be as accepting and non-judgemental as our generation. Just give it another few decades.

YUP! It's what makes us "ALTERNATIVE" we stand out, and mainstream doesn't always like that.

sulugirl

As a hiring manager, if I see tattoos, forget it; next contestant please. I expect my employees to be extremely professional. If you like tattoos, whatever, but be smart enough to put them some place you can cover them easily.

Well that's intense.

I don't see what's wrong with it. It's just how it works. Tattoos visable = non-professional at this point in time within our culture. I don't understand why people complain. They're viewed as casual, not professional, and in most cases - people aren't offended by them, they just don't want to see them. They're distracting.

sulugirl

Us alternative folk just need to accept that the world isn't always going to be as accepting and non-judgemental as our generation. Just give it another few decades.

YUP! It's what makes us "ALTERNATIVE" we stand out, and mainstream doesn't always like that.

Mainstream folk don't like anyone who think outside the box. Unless you're coming up with marketing ideas.

writtenINthestars

Your tattoos are a choice that you make. Where you work is also a choice that you make. If you don't like the results that come from your choices that is your fault and nobody elses.

It's that simple.

I kind of have to agree with this.

If their policy says "no tats"...then no tats it is. At my job, you have to keep them covered because we are putting off a professional business look and atmosphere and the person who pays me has decided he doesn't want tats and piercings visible. Pretty simple.

michis05

Well thanks for the tough love yall. i made a decision and i must go with it. I had never been told anything because of my tats, there's always a first, right? Not the end of the world either. Everyone has different views, some i may not understand, others i will, but hey its..its life..thanks again for your input!

JNick77

I applied for a job as a receptionist for a job, only problem was that the costumers had been complaining about the workers and their tattoos. They recently had to let someone go because of her tats. From what one of the workers told me, its the costumers complaining not the managers, but if they see them on me, they wont hire me. Is this legal? has anyone been in this situation? how did you handle it?

Companies have the right to adopt an employee appearance and dress code policy requiring their employees to keep tatoos covered. Can also apply to facial piercings, hair color, and even hair style. However, you should get this in writing before you start.

Suziq2you

As a hiring manager, if I see tattoos, forget it; next contestant please. I expect my employees to be extremely professional. If you like tattoos, whatever, but be smart enough to put them some place you can cover them easily.

As a hiring manager myself, the last thing that would exclude a person from being hired is a freaking tattoo. Geez.

SueInAz

As a hiring manager, if I see tattoos, forget it; next contestant please. I expect my employees to be extremely professional. If you like tattoos, whatever, but be smart enough to put them some place you can cover them easily.

As a hiring manager myself, the last thing that would exclude a person from being hired is a freaking tattoo. Geez.

Again, it depends on the job for which you're hiring. I used to hire at a call center where anything went. Tattoos, hair color, facial piercings, etc. were fine because I was more concerned with their professional voice and customer service skills. Customers did not see these employees and they were allowed to come to work in completely casual dress, as well. However, if you're hiring employees who will be dealing face-to-face with customers on a daily basis, it can be a completely different story.

JNick77

As a hiring manager, if I see tattoos, forget it; next contestant please. I expect my employees to be extremely professional. If you like tattoos, whatever, but be smart enough to put them some place you can cover them easily.

As a hiring manager myself, the last thing that would exclude a person from being hired is a freaking tattoo. Geez.

It completely depends on the postion being hired for. Creative artissts, designers, game designers, there's more leeway there because you want good creative people to do the work. On the flip-side "nicer" hospitality businesses may not want big ole tattoos on arms, necks, and legs showing. Unfortunately there is a certain stigma and feeling towards tattos in society and businesses have to manage to those stigmas or risk losing business. Flexibility in appearance must be in proportion to the job requirements and target customer base.

KHaverstick

I'm also a hiring manager. I have at least two employees (that I know of) that have tattoos. One of them, I actually did not hire...he was hired before I was manager. The other, I hired. I did not know he had a tattoo before, and I frankly wouldn't have cared. BUT...I expect them both to comply with the dress code policy, which says that they must be covered up. I didn't make the rule, but I do have to enforce it.

We could debate the issue all day, but if an organization/business wants to project a professional image, that's their choice. Plenty of workplace environments would be accepting of visible tattoos. Plenty are not. There are choices.