Tattoos are a permanent form of body art that has been around for many years. According to McFadden (2019) the oldest physical proof of tattoos goes all the way back to an ancient mummy from the Alps, called Otzi which dates back around the fourth millennium BC. There are many reasons why people got tattoos. The Egyptian and Indian cultures used tattoos as a form of healing, religious worship and social status McFadden (2019). There were also the Greeks and the Romans who put tattoos on their slaves and criminals so they could identify them easily.
At this time in history tattoos were looked upon more positively, but after Christianity came about tattoos were looked upon in a more negative light until around the 1960s. For many years being able to wear your tattoo in the workplace has been very controversial. Depending on the type of job a person wants, having a tattoo can really affect their chances of getting that job if they have tattoos.
This literature review will look some pros and cons of having tattoos in the workplace, jobs that accept and don’t accept tattoos, workplace policies on tattoos and why do people get tattoos.
Dr. Andrew Timming in a study at the University of St Andrews found that having a tattoo can help people looking for certain jobs. Akyler Alvord maintains with evidence that our society has shifted toward a more positive attitude when it comes to their acceptance in the workplace.
Will Whalen refers to those who can’t see the contributions that people with tattoos can make as self-righteous, but that this notion is slowly fading. This article mentions the high number of college students who are getting tattoos either before graduation or after graduation. A study from statisticbrain.com in 2012, where 14 percent of Americans have at least one tattoo. Forbes reports are mentioned as to their finding on tattoos in the workplace. Tolerance of the tattooed younger generation in corporate, educational and medical industries are changing. Millennials are defined here as the generation who feels that having permanent markings on the body is not such a big deal. Because of the obvious attitude changes, Whalen argues rather aggressively, that those who disagree with tattoos should step back and let the millennials take over. It is clear from Whalen’s report that tattoos are here to stay and everyone involved should accept it.
Accepting this idea is great, but one must not forget that there are a lot of attitudes that have not changed with the times. Many employers with older customers ae not as positive about applicants with tattoos. Timmings research presented both sides. Other research did show that the companies who are becoming more diverse do not see that having a tattoo implies that you are rebellious or irresponsible, Alvord (2018). There was a Harris Poll referenced in several articles which revealed that three in ten Americans have tattoos. This number has doubled since 2008.
The biggest reason some companies are less accepting of tattoos in their workplace is because their business is a consumer-facing business and they want to be considerate to all of their customers. Especially the ones who still think tattoos represent something negative. Research shows that the laws tend to support businesses when it comes to their appearance codes Burd (2016). The biggest reason seems to be like other research, if the job includes face-time with its customers, the employee needs to realize that many people are offended by their body art. And if they have to look at someone with tattoos all over, then they want come to that business. This research does make note that because there are so many younger people with tattoos, that attitudes will probably change over time.
There were many studies that are receptive to tattoos but not all tattoos. For example, negative art that depicts sexual images, images related to drugs, gangs and violence are not tolerated.
Michael Burd’s research comes from the United Kingdom, where he has worked for many years. The information in this resource like many others, reports that tattoos are much more common place with younger adults with one in five having tattoos. This research has similar statistics as Alvord (2018).
John Hyman admits that he does not have any tattoos. But recognizes that there are a lot of folks who do have them. They are on the rise. A survey is referenced here which shows that 47% of millennials have a tattoo, compared to 36% of gen Xers, and only 13% baby boomers.
Bartenders would be a good example of someone wearing tattoos. They could attract younger customers which is good for business. There was an example given of a manager of a skateboarding company and a pub in the Timming study that admitted that they have paid some of their employees to get tattoos as an incentive. That’s how much they feel that a person with tattoos would attract more young people to this business. There are a number of companies like Google, UPS and Target that are more accepting of tattoos in their workplace. Allstate Insurance and Bank of America have no problem with hiring people with tattoos. Tattoos are being seen on people in a wide range of professions, like teachers, doctors and judges (Hyman 2018). Even though many companies are more excepting of tattoos, Alvord (2019) lists other companies that aren’t as accepting of tattoos in the workplace. Some companies named were AMC Theaters, Ross, Denny’s and Home Depot. Burd found that the companies think these visible tattoos in the workplace take away from the professional image that is desired by this company. Hyman urges business owners who want to present a certain image to the public, before you refuse to hire someone because they have a tattoo make sure you are not crossing the line and discriminating against them. This article had several examples of how people with tattoos had been discriminated against. There was a case of a practitioner of Kemeticism (a religion which began long ago in Egypt) who had tattoos on his wrist, that referred to the sun god Ra. This was clearly a religious tattoo that could not be covered. There was another case of an African American who was denied a promotion and fired by a white supervisor who bore a confederate flag tattoo. These cases were filed in court, but settled before trial because there was obvious discrimination here. All businesses need to recognize the laws and try to accommodate employees along with their choice of self-expression.
Some businesses have no formal policies about tattoos in the workplace. But they should have a plan to cover any issues that may arise. According to the American Bar Association employers’ have the right to set the boundaries and policies on how much body art an employee may display. There are some companies with policies like Geico Insurance, U.S. Postal Service, Starwood Hotels and Denny’s. They won’t hire you if your tattoo is visible. (Barrie Gross, 2015) reports that we live in a global marketplace. Employers should make sure that their work environment is welcoming to all types of people. They need to make it clear to all of their employees that they are valued and appreciated. Many businesses have policies that do not allow visible tattoos. It really depends on the employer’s business and the type of job that you perform there. Gross gives an example of this. Two people may work at a hotel. One may be a concierge and one may be a dishwasher. The hotel may not be as concerned about the visible tattoos on the dishwasher as much as the concierge who is in constant contact with the customers. In this case the hotel should have a written policy that explains the difference in the jobs thus, letting the employees know what’s appropriate and not appropriate. When a company drafts its policy, they need to stay focused on the business issues and not value judge a potential employee.
There are many complicated issues which businesses must take into consideration when drafting a tattoo policy. Employers can develop policies that require their employees to wear clothing that covers visible tattoos or simply refuse to hire them. These policies are legal as long as the company is fair across the board. Gross gives several examples. Employers cannot consider gender or religion when making their policy. If a male has a tattoo on his arm and a female has a tattoo on her arm, you can’t have a policy of no visible tattoos for the female and not do the same for the male. They are also not allowed to have a no visible tattoo if it includes covering up a sincerely held religious belief or practice Gross (2015).
Employers need to work with their human resources department to draft a policy which is reasonable and can be explained to employees and enforced consistently. Even though you have a policy written down, there will still be times when a business will have to decline an applicant. It really depends on the nature of your business. Regardless of the nature of your business, to avoid any legal action against your company, review your policy with your workers. And it would be even better to have the employee sign a contract to avoid any misunderstandings.
What makes a person decide to get a tattoo? (Vinita Mehta, 2019), research found a recent study conducted by Luzelle Naude of the University of the Free State in South Africa. Naude gave college students a questionnaire about tattoos. The questions asked if students had tattoos and how many. They also asked why they got them if they had one or why had they not gotten one. They were also questioned as to their opinions about tattooed individuals. Seventy-Eight percent of the participants did not have a tattoo, but seventy-four percent of their friends had tattoos. The research revealed that at least forty-seven per cent of the participants were thinking about getting a tattoo. The biggest reason the students gave, that had a tattoo, was that it meant something personal to them, like honoring someone or maybe something they were going through. Some even said the tattoos were an expression of who they were. When the students were asked how they felt about tattoos, (54%) had positive opinions, (18%) had mixed feelings, (13%) had negative opinions, and (15%) didn’t really care Mehta (2019). Jodie Michalak (2019) lists five reasons people get tattooed.
There are many reasons a person gets a tattoo. But regardless of its intent the end result will always be the same. It’s permanent Michalak (2019).
It is quite evident from this research that tattoos have become an integral part of today’s society. They have managed to seep into every age, class and gender. Dana Wilkie (2018) along with most of today’s research shows that there are a variety of different conclusions on what employers look at when it comes to hiring new people to the workforce. Some research from the University of Miami and the University of Western Australia reported that tattoos made no difference in whether you get hired for a job. This study was co-authored by Dr. Timming. But a study by the professors at Colorado State and California State universities found that there are biases against people with tattoos. There are many reasons why people get tattoos. Most of the time it’s to express themselves, for art or for religious reasons. It’s a good thing to recognize that tattoos are more popular than in the past. The hope is that all businesses will get smarter and open up more jobs to everyone whether you have a tattoo or not. We do not overlook the facts that there are tattoos that are offensive and distasteful, but if the art is real and meaningful, it should not be a reason not to hire the best person for the job.
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