Tag Archives: workplace

Tattoos In WorkPlace Or No

Worst-case scenario, you are working at a high profile job, you’re already hired, but you were hired in the middle of the winter. Once summer starts to roll in, your clothing is still professional however it covers less. Now the tattoo that been on your arm, legs, wrist, neck, or even back, is now visible and someone in your work place reported it to your boss. Your boss then tells you it’s not appropriate to display your tattoos or fires you because of the ink that you probably had since you was seventeen.

         A lot of people would believe that what the boss did was a correct thing to do. They classify people with tattoos or body piercings as people who are “no good” and should not be allowed to represent their company. This is an injustice act because a person’s ability to work in a company shouldn’t be judged by their body art.

Body art have evolved over time. Before, people use to think that those with tattoos or piercings were just people in the carnival or circuses. Now people think only low-class young invidiuals get tattoos without thinking about their careers in the future. In an article by Burleson Consulting, the editor talks about how prejudice exists in the workplace of America on tattoos. He said that “over 42 percent of mangers said their opinion of someone would be lowered by that person’s visible body art…three out of four respondents believe that visible tattoos are unprofessional”. Industries have the right to ban their workers from showing any tattoos in the workplace. This is because they say it sends the wrong kind of message. The message that is said to be sent was “ignorant, low-income, that you have or had bad taste and maybe even a criminal record”. How would me having my sister’s name on my shoulder be display as me being ignorant, or me having my track team that I ran for, for four years show that I am low-income. Better yet, having my mother’s name with the words “R.I.P” and the breast cancer symbol on my leg be a sign of me having criminal record? I haven’t the slightness clue but in company’s eyes, this is what I portray.  “I’ve seen cases where an employee reveals a tattoo at a company softball game, the horror and disgust of their manager, who, in turn, finds other reasons to terminate the employee.  If you live in an employment ‘at will’ state, remember that you can be fired for no reason at all.” (Consulting) This is not an environment I will like to work in if my art is problem outside of the workplace.

On a forum site called Above Top Secret, an anonymous man explains how he was laid off from his job, when he went looking for work he was only receiving temporary jobs, when he did get an interview at a proper firm, the management told him that he was the right person for the job and that he would hear from them shortly, before leaving the interview the manger ask him would he be okay covering up his tattoos on his arms, he reply say “I have absolutely ZERO problem doing this, sure it may be hot in the summer, but a job is a job. Covering up my tattoos on my hands would seem the least I could do to procure employment”, the manger even reviled that he himself have a couple of tattoos but not nearly as many as this man. The man left the interview excited, thinking that once he meet with the head director and if that interview went well (which it did) he would have a job. However, two weeks past and he didn’t hear no calls form the company, so he called, he ask them if they were still hiring, the manger reply yes we are still hiring I cant hire you because of your tattoos. The manger said, “…that it is against corporate policy to have tattoos.” But I thought the manger also has tattoos, so is it that the manger is still working? Why is that he keep working at the company and this man can’t even get chance in working.

This man is now out of work and unable to provide for his family because of discrimination. It is understood if this man had sort of criminal record, failed a background check or wasn’t skilled worker, it was none of those he was unable to work because he had tattoos. What do tattoos have to do with his with his ability to work? Apparently everything, companies are thinking about their company’s image. If you have a bunch of tattoos, the industries looking at your companies, look at you, and what ever you show them, is what they think of the company, “first impression are everything” unfortunately it’s the worst thing sometimes.

 

 

 

 

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