Tattoos at work?
Workplaces often have dress and ‘adornment’ restrictions for workers, but some
dress codes are changing. Tattoos are becoming less taboo in workplaces,
particularly in America, says an article in Washington
Post (November 2, 2015).
One food chain
representative said ‘a little ink is okay as long as it’s tasteful and not on
the face or throat … no sex, drugs or profanity.’ ‘Appropriate’ tattoos are the
policy shift – with even the US Army relaxed its rules on tattoos this year.
A 2010 Pew Research
Centre study found that nearly 40% of young people have tattoos, with almost
half of them having between two and five tattoos. The policy shift could also
be due to the rising number of tattooed people entering the corporate ranks and
thereby increasingly supporting policies that are ink-friendly.
Law professor at Texas
A&M University-Corpus Christi, Brian Elzweig, has studied the legal issues
of tattoos in the workplace. He confirms that the policies are relaxing as more
and more people with tattoos gain management positions. People are becoming
more lenient. However, he thinks many companies, such as food services, feel
that restrictive dress codes is making recruitment of staff more difficult.
Also, workplace petitions inspired changes to the tattoo policy – specifically
related to visible tattoos. However, Olympians, such as the ones photographed,
often get tattooed as a legacy of their achievements.
The University of
Tampa in Florida conducted a survey on tattoos. The researchers found that 86%
of students thought that people with visible tattoos will face more difficulty
when looking for employment. Nearly the same percentage said that if they were
to get a tattoo, they would consider one that is hidden and not visible in the
workplace.
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