I just read an interesting little piece on tattoos, piercings and corporate dress codes from Randy Dotinga of the Christian Science Monitor.
It describes corporate attitudes towards tattos and piercings, and regrets of some young adults about having permanently altered their bodies in a way that negatively impacts their employability:
Dennis Dwyer, a tattoo artist in Tucson, Ariz., warns his customers about the effects that tattoos may have on their careers.
“Most of the people getting tattoos are in an age group from 18 to 25, and they’re not looking at all the complications that go along with it,” he says. “They don’t care. They flip from one job to another. But the consequences are there. Not everyone is going to approve of tattooing, nor will it ever get to that status.”
Workplace experts agree. Most workplace dress codes have become stricter in recent years, says Diana Saiki, professor of fashion merchandising at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind. Businesses - from retail to healthcare and manufacturing - now ban tattoos.
Personally, I’d limit the restriction to people who would be expected to be relatively formally dressed and/or have extensive customer/client contact with snooty, older folks. Let’s face it, so many people have tattoos these days that it’s not going to freak out most customers.
And as with any form of unlawful discrimination, by relying on prejudices and stereotypes in hiring, an employer that rejects tattooed applicants out-of-hand is likely to be turning away some excellent applicants for irrational reasons (a result not good for business). I know several heavily tattooed people who are great workers and all-around good people.
That said, I’m certainly OK with a rule that requires covering up tattoos when possible and limiting wearing of pierced jewelry. And I’d certainly strongly advise against getting a tattoo in a spot that will not be covered up by normal everyday clothing (actually I’d advise against any tatoos, but if you must . . .).
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