Tattoos, Unprofessional or Discriminated? Tattoos in many professional workplaces are frowned upon, and this situation is nothing but discrimination. No matter what the degree is, or how much experience the potential interviewee has, a great worker is turned down because of what is inked on their skin. People live in a world where unrelated judgements are made, and the moment employers learn how to see through the skin of tattoos, is the moment that great people are no longer skipped over. Employers today are starting to realize this, and to compensate, they give the option of at least covering them up when on the clock. Companies realize that looks are everything to consumers, and they are the main initiative when it comes to hiring new workers. In studies shown by Timming, “Employer prejudice against tattoos is also driven largely by hiring managers’ perceptions of consumer expectations regarding body art in the workplace.” Employers are more concerned with a customer’s views of the tattoo on the other side of the service counter. After all, the customer is always right, and most importantly, the customer brings home the company’s bacon, the whole array of greasy goodness. Customers have all the power when it comes to a company’s decision-making, for all of their wants and needs build their revenue. Employers know that a supposed excellent hiree has enough common sense to stay away from tattoos, “At the same time, young employees also realize that in today’s
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.
Moderation is important when discussing tattooing and piercings. When tattooing, piercings, and body modifications began to alter the overall appearance of the individual, the individual would be considered deviant by majority of society. There are many individuals in the United States that have tattoos and piercings, but majority of the people have tattoos that can be concealed or tattoos and piercings that are not gaudy. An article titled, “Tattoos in the Workplace” discussed that in 2012 a poll was conducted that stated that 21% of adults in the United States had tattoos (Osland, 2013). However, nearly 60% of people that have tattoos, have them in areas that are hidden by clothes (Kesling, 2013). Although this study may not cover every single individual in the United States, it does give a
To begin with Leeanne Padowski talks about how tattooos can affect us in our works." A 2011 study by CareerBuilder shows that 31 percent of survey employers ranked having visible tattoo as the top personal attribute that would stop them from promoting an employee" having visible tattoos can stop employers to promote to a
Many employers try not to hire people with tattoos especially as sales representatives. Studies have showed that people with tattoos that are interested in what is sold would gravitate more towards a sales representative with tattoos. As a female with tattoos, I can say that I have personally seen the difference in the way that people may treat me because of my body modifications. Even with body modifications studies may show that the more tattoos and piercings the more deviant the person. I cannot truly agree with this. Tattoos in the tattoo wearer’s eyes are more of a creative freedom or an art form.
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
Body art in the workplace has been and will continue to be a controversial topic to discuss. Tattoos and piercings do not come even slightly close to affecting the kind of person someone is and how well their work ethic is. It should not affect a person’s likeliness of being hired.
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.
Thesis Statement: The number of people with tattoos is continually growing, but employers are still reluctant to hire those with visible tattoos.
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
In today’s world there are several occupations one may choose from once receiving an education. Whether a person wants to be a doctor, a teacher, or a business person, one should be able to use their education to gain access to that job. Getting a job is no easy task, for there are many people who are also searching for that same job. Employers will interview many people just to find the right one and often times will have many stand-out applications to evaluate. When it comes down to making a decision, something as simple as having a tattoo could ruin every hope one has of getting the job. One may ask, “why does having a tattoo ruin ones chance of getting a job?” A tattoo would ruin one’s chances at getting a job simply because it is
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.
“In some industries, such as software and biotechnology, companies need to attract the most intelligent employees, regardless of what is inked on their skin or dangling from their flesh.” (WONG, 2005) This is a great example because it helps argue my point. A company should be worried about the work that its employee will produce and not worry so much about what is on or in their skin. “The outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas says employers will be forced to become more accepting of body art. "Some employers are already having trouble finding skilled workers -- they are not going to let some body art get in the way of hiring the best-qualified candidate," said John Challenger, chief executive officer of the Chicago-based firm.” (WONG, 2005)