Tattoos : A Debate Of Body Art In The Workplace

Tattoos have been around for quite some time now, and they have always been a symbol of belonging, cultural expression or for religion. These days, individuals choose to tattoo themselves because it is part of their lifestyle or personal image. While continuing to grow in popularity and becoming a lifestyle, people are facing issues with having visible tattoos in the workforce. Although it is a form of free expression, employers have a right to enforce certain rules about tattoos in their company because they have a public image to uphold. How you present yourself to the public is solely important, which is why tattoos should not be allowed to be seen in the workplace, since it may appear offensive or unconservative.

To begin, Leanne Padowski has personal experience with this area. According to the article, "Our company's policy states that anyone who works in customer service cannot have a visible tattoo." Ms. Padowski deals first hand with the restrictions of visible tattoos, and therefore, this is a credible piece of evidence to support her argument. Mr. Johnson, on the other hand, is bias since

Most companies’ customer services’ employers cannot have a visible tattoo. Many believe it is not a professional appearance for their employers. A recent study showed that 31 percent of the employers did not get a promotion due to having a visible tattoo. An ultimatum is made by the employees; either they wear long-sleeve to cover their tattoos on their arm or get the tattoos removed. Tattoo

Imagine a young boy in his late teens walking down a busy street with numerous piercing on his face and his hands, and neck covered in countless tattoos. The very first thoughts that pop up tend to be "Uneducated" or "scary", society is quick to judge. There is always a lot of controversy when it comes to body modifications. Most people instantly have an opinion of them; they either love them or hate them. What is not realized is the fact that there is a ton of time and effort put into the design and or locations of the tattoo/body piercing. People get body modifications as a way of self-expression and being set free from their boring lives. Unfortunately, in the business world, most executives do not believe there is such a thing as an “acceptable” body modification and see them as a sign of rebellion. Employers may argue that tattoos/piercings in the workplace are inappropriate, unprofessional, and even distracting. Although tattoos and body piercings are not respected by certain demographics and may portray negative images that may be

Tattoos are becoming very popular amongst the people of my generation, but now they seem to be creating more buzz than ever when it comes to today’s job market. Jon Kelly and Rachel Hennessey wrote articles covering this topic presenting the views of employers and their policies against tattoos. In both articles, they discuss how employers frown upon the art of employees inking. The biggest reason is because, some employers feel that tattoos deliver an unprofessional look to the customer and that can ruin the image built and portrayed by their prosperous companies.

Rachel Hennessey, her article, Tattoos: no longer a kiss of death in the workplace, tattoos have become accepted with employers, tattoos do not affect the performance or some very skilled employees. A lot of companies

While tattoos have become more and more acceptable over the years, the question still lies on whether tattoos or any other kind of body modifications in the workplace should be allowed. It's beyond easy to make cases showing the negative impacts of discrimination against tattoos and piercings in the workplace. Plastic surgery, drawing on your eyebrows, getting fake nails, and coloring your hair are also examples of body modifications. Though not everyone agrees with or thinks they’re beautiful, employees are not told to cover up these modifications. Tattoos and piercings are purely another form of beautification and what makes each person their own unique individual. Beauty is personal.

Introduction: Is there anyone here that does not like tattoos or likes them, but would never think of getting one? Today, tattoos are a growing in popularity when before tattoos were only seen on people in a circus as an act or on military veterans who wanted to display their troop proudly. Even though there is this growing popularity of tattoos, entry-level jobs require strict dress code policies disapproving the sight of tattoos while at work.

People argue that tattoos should never be shown in a professional setting. Most places of employment even have a dress code that requires you to cover them while working. Employers, in some settings, say that tattoos would or could be offensive or obscene. It was hard to find any article that was against tattoos in the workplace. After a while of searching the internet and databases, I found an article titled “Tattoos in the Workplace: The Research Forbes Was Too Lazy To Do” by Annie Singer. Written on February 26, 2016 and updated February 26, 2017, Singer’s research found that “consumers showed a preference for non-tattooed front-line staff.” She also found that “visible tattoos had a predominantly negative effect on employment selection, driven by the hiring manager’s

This leaves possible employers in a situation requiring them to decide whether or not to allow tattoos. More and more employers are seeing past the typical views on tattoos and allowing their employees to

The art of tattoos has been prevalent in many ancient cultures and represented many different things. In the more recent past times, tattoos were seen in a very negative light; mainly associated with circus freak shows, bikers or outlaws. Even though there are more Americans getting tattoos these days, there is still a disapproving view on tattoos in the workplace. Tattoos are continuously becoming more popular with each generation and more often have some personal meaning. Many companies that have recently started to accept appropriate body art in the workplace have seen positive benefits related to their new policy changes. This debate has also led people to file discrimination lawsuits against their employer. There are occasions that the subject matter or the placement of a tattoo on the body may not be professional for certain types of jobs. With the growing number of people that have body art, the more personal meaning behind it and younger demographics of both people working for and being served by many companies these days, having visible tattoos should no longer be damaging among many careers today. The debate needs to be evaluated by each company, and often each individual situation, to determine if body art can be accepted.

A recent poll on tattoos in the workplace has reported that “70% of respondents thought that people with tattoos need to be ready to cover them up in the office, 23% thought tattoos should always be covered in the office, and 7% felt that all tattoos should be allowed in the office” (Caraher). The fact that a poll on tattoos in the workplace is even conducted is a good illustration that there are more people with tattoos than ever before in mainstream society. The presence of tattoos in the workplace is becoming the norm. However, there are still many who think they have no place. Seventy percent of people polled thought that it was okay, but they must be covered. While there may still be situations that covering up the tattoos may be the best, such as when having negotiations internationally, most instances intra-office situations should allow people to display tattoos. It won’t harm anyone and may improve relationships between people in the office allowing for improved

This paper focuses on the subject of whether or not tattoos and piercings should be allowed in the workplace. There are a lot of resources arguing that they should not be allowed, but this research maintains the point that they should be more accepted in the workplace these days. This paper concludes by discussing how tattoos and piercings are much more of an artistic expression rather than a form of rebellion as it was once considered.

There are many employers that have the opinion that having visible tattoos is unacceptable for the professional work environment. Someone with a tattoo is seen as uneducated and possible dangerous. However, there is no solid evidence to support either of those beliefs. The stigma of sporting a visible tattoo has no validity. A person with tattoos is just as knowledgeable and capable of working as a non-tattooed person. Tattoos, whether visible or covered, do not change a person’s individual work ethic or how educated they are.

Many people applying for jobs have body art or tattoos that are visible. As the law stands now, an employer has the right to discriminate against an individual who is adorned with any body modifications. Business professors of law from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Elzweig and Peeples, point out that, “Tattoos and piercings are considered to be mutable (alterable) characteristics; therefore, they do not automatically receive any special legal protection’” (Elzweig and Peeples 14). They also note that “the number of people who have tattoos has increased significantly and continues to rise” (13). Since tattoos and other body modifications, such as piercings, are becoming more commonplace, companies will have to be more specific when it comes to dress codes when applicants are going through the hiring process. Their research states “while courts consistently uphold dress codes that include limiting tattoos and body piercings, limitations may be harder to enforce as these practices become more mainstream” (19). A question asked by Forbes Magazine contributing author, Rachel Hennessey, inquires “as the number of inked America grows, is the traditional assumption that tattoos and jobs don’t mix really true in 2013?” (Hennessey). If this trend of having body art and modification continues to be more widely accepted, then our country should have an amendment to the current laws offering