Tattoos In The Workplace Discrimination

Tattoo Friendly Industries And Occupations

Overall, industries and professions across the board are becoming more accepting and open to visible tattoos in the workplace. Still, some workplaces are more lenient when it comes to visible tattoos at work. If youre looking to work in an industry thats accepting and even welcoming of body art, youve come to the right place.

Weve rounded up the top 6 careers and industries most accepting of visible tattoos in the workplace.

Laws On Tattoos At The Workplace

Tattoos in the workplace is a difficult topic for a business to approach and can be a taboo subject to speak about. Having body art which the general public can see could produce a negative business image. But can employers legally ask employees to keep their tattoos out of sight when at work?

There is no law about tattoos. Its well within your rights to provide rules on how to dress, act and look inside the office. Companies should use their own discretion whether they ask individuals to cover tattoos.

Tattoos And Discrimination In The Workplace

Tattoos promote individuality and self-expression. According to Indeed, industries such as design can actually benefit from hiring individuals with tattoos, because they can appeal to clientele and demonstrates a sense of aesthetics.

Allowing tattoos in the workplace also promote diversity by being inclusive of cultures and a variety of backgrounds. Organizations that allow visible tattoos promote creativity, attract a variety of applicants, and foster workplace friendships.

Its also important to preserve diversity within the workplace. Data shows that racial minorities in the United States are more likely to have tattoos versus Caucasians. The figures from a 2006 study show that 38% of US Hispanics, 28% of African Americans, and 22% of Caucasians have tattoos . Therefore, tattoo discrimination can in part reduce ethnic and racial diversity within the workplace.

Also Check: Does The Bible Say Tattoos Are A Sin

Can You Be Turned Down For A Job Because Of Tattoos

In shortyes, because, for the moment, observations on tattoos and employment law in the US show no regulations that protect tattooed individuals from discrimination. So, most companies and institutions are free to promote a no-tattoo policy.

However, these trends are decreasing, and today, tattoos and job interviews data shows that the chances for tattooed professionals to land a job are influenced by the number of tattoos, their visibility, and the overall physical appearance, including other adornments like piercings or facial hair asbeard statisticsshow.

How To Handle Tattoos In The Workplace

With over 40% of millennials having tattoos nowadays, many individuals in the workforce will have tattoos on some part of their bodies. Employers rarely care about a tattoo unless they can see it.

Nearly every person can avoid this discrimination simply by avoiding visible body art. For people already covered in tattoos, this can be easier said than done. If possible, make sure to cover as many of your tattoos as possible during the hiring process and when inside the workplace.

Many businesses believe that tattoos are still a sign of unprofessionalism and refuse to hire people with visible ones.

Recommended Reading: Walk In Tattoo Shops Milwaukee

The Future Of Tattoos In The Workplace

The future of tattoos in the workplace is bright. Accepting tattoos as a norm vs a taboo will in turn increase a corporations diversity, creativity, and enrich the company culture. Removery is proud to provide an inclusive, diverse, and non-judgmental environment for our employees and clients. We celebrate tattoos and encourage those who have them to work with us! If youre interested in starting a career in tattoo removal, check out our careers page. Want to join one of the industries mentioned in this article? Read more about tattoo policies.

Have a tattoo that needs to be removed? learn more about tattoo removal cost and book a free consultation with one of our expert technicians today.

Can An Employee Be Fired Because They Have A Tattoo

As is often the case in employment law, the answer is that it depends. If there is a workplace rule against offensive tattoos, and if that rule is deemed to be reasonable in the circumstances, then there might be cause for discipline and, ultimately, dismissal. However, that is far from guaranteed. That said, most workers do not have job security and can be let go at any time, as long as they receive the notice or pay to which they are entitled. So they could be dismissed without cause, though they would be entitled to some notice or compensation.

The other aspect is the risk of discrimination.

Are employers rejecting candidates because they have tattoos? Almost undoubtedly, at least in some areas. Is that unlawful? In most cases, no, because discrimination is only unlawful when it is based on a ground protected by human rights legislation, such as gender, religion, or disability. If the tattoo was a religious requirement, then the discussion would be very different, and the individual would have a stronger case.

Employers need to ensure that any policy they put in place doesnt overstep. If youre an employer that wants to create a dress code policy that includes body art, we can help you understand what the courts are willing to allow.

If youre an employee who has been asked to cover up body art by your employer, you may not have to.

Email us at or call our office at 416-864-8500 to learn more about your rights in the workplace.

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If Your Boss Told You To Cover Your Tattoos Remove Your Piercings Or Find Another Job What Would You Do What Are Employers And Employees Legal Rights An Employment Attorney And An Hr Pro Have The Answers

Can an employer require employees to cover up visible tattoos or remove piercings while on the job?

That was the question from Sal, who manages a health and fitness spa in the Pacific Northwest. Frazzled, he called my office, explaining:

After conducting several Zoom sessions for a receptionist, Bonnie stood out as professional, personable and competent. During the in-person interview she was a home-run, with one of the most pleasant appearances and demeanors weve seen among applicants.

She got the job, but needed one week to wrap up a number of personal matters, which we agreed to on the condition that she spend one day meeting our staff and learning about her duties.

But when arriving for work for that day, we could not believe our eyes!

Her short-sleeved shirt revealed large, vulgar, ugly tattoos! She had piercings in her lips and nose!It was as if a different person showed up! No one said a word Bonnie left happy, saying she would be back in a week, ready to work.

Her appearance is scary and completely out of character with our spa. Can we require that she cover up the tattoos, remove the piercings, and if she refuses, terminate her on the spot?

I ran my readers question by friends of this column, Southern California-based employment attorney Jay Rosenlieb and human resources consultant Marinor Ifurung. Could Sal legally tell Bonnie, You cant come here dressed that way?

Discrimination And Tattoos In The Workplace

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New research by Acas suggests that employees with visible tattoos continue to face discrimination in the workplace. The study found that negative attitudes towards people with tattoos can influence the recruitment process, with employers concerned about how visible tattoos will be perceived by clients and customers.

Almost one in three young people have a tattoo, with Acas warning that companies could be missing out on talented employees. This could also affect employee attraction and career progression, and could potentially result in legal claims against businesses.

The Equality Act 2010 does not provide specific protection for individuals with body art and employers have considerable discretion as to how they deal with employees or the recruitment of those with tattoos. However, employees do have the right not to be discriminated against on the grounds of a protected characteristic . Therefore a tattoo in some cases which involves religious iconography could trigger protection from discrimination.

Whether a dismissal for reasons relating to appearance will be fair will depend on the circumstances and whether the employer acted reasonably.

For example, if an employer has a clear dress code policy which bans visible tattoos and has an employee who works in a customer-facing role and gets a facial tattoo, dismissal for failure to follow a reasonable instruction is likely to be justifiable.

After implementation dress codes should be enforced consistently.

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More Than Half Of The General Population Considers That Tattooed People Lack Seriousness

A survey including 5,000 people in 2014, revealed that 49% of the general public had no prejudice about tattooed people in terms of taking them seriously, whereas 51% of the surveyed said that they did make this distinction.

In detail, 22% stated that they take tattooed people less seriously than non-tattooed people, 18.6% said that their judgment depended upon the situation, and 9.9% said that it all depends on the number of tattoos. And yet, roughly 40% of people between the age of 18 and 34 have a tattoo.

Are Workplace Tattoos Acceptable

Tattoos are generally accepted in the workplace as long as theyre not offensive, unprofessional or distracting. In fact, nearly 3 out of 4 employers say they dont mind hiring tattooed workers.

However, visible tattoos are not appropriate for every profession and may not match your companys vision. Even if your company gives the green light on body art, you may find that customers or coworkers discriminate against tattooed employees.

Workers may avoid body art even if its not banned because they fear harassment or feel like they wont fit in at their job. That may explain why less than 10% of government employees have tattoos or piercings despite ink-friendly leniency in workplace policies.

Recommended Reading: Getting A Tattoo On Blood Thinners

Top Remote Jobs For People With Tattoos

Since the spread of the Coronavirus, many employers have chosen to increase their number of remote positions, a trend which has been inevitably positive for members of the tattooed community. Whether youre writing articles for a blog, making sales calls, or designing websites, working at home offers the freedom to sport your visible tattoos 24/7. Check out the list below for some perfect remote jobs for tattooed people.

Top Remote Jobs for Tattooed People:Copywriter, Editor, Social Media Manager, Digital Marketing Manager, Sales Assistant, Video Game Designer, Computer Programmer, Software Developer, Virtual Assistant, Human Resources, UX/UI Designer

Foo dog tattoo by Juankar #Juankar#foodog#shishi#japanese#color#irezumi

Turning Over A New Leaf

In a turn of events, the company said it would review its corporate dress code policy including its policy against visible tattoos. After a petition asking to put an end to the tattoo policy gathered around 23,000 signatures, the coffee chain sent an internal email to its employees stating that it was reviewing its dress code.

In the years since, the company has updated its dress code policy to allow visible tattoos, but not on the face or neck. Also, hateful or lewd tattoos are not allowed.

Many employers may want to consider the internal culture they want to foster. If they are looking to recruit talented employees, perhaps allowing a flash of tattoo would open up the candidate pool and make employees feel that they work at a pretty hip place.

This Employment Law News blog is intended for market awareness only, it is not to be used for legal advice or counsel.

Keep Informedwith GovDocs Employment Law News

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Tattoos In Dress Code Policy

The rules about tattoos should be clear in the dress code policy. If there is no dress code in place, then you should consider introducing one. In the policy you can include information about what employees can and cannot wear and their overall appearance at work.

The key for employers is to have a written policy that employees are required to read and sign. They should then try to enforce that policy consistently. That way, employees are not able to start discriminatory action. The policies should be on sound judgement that is in the best interest of the business.

Tattoo Discrimination In The Workplace

WHY DISCRIMINATION WORKS

The Support Tattoos and Piercings at Work movement realizes there are hundreds of reasons why discrimination works. Here some thoughts when dealing with tattoo discrimination in the workplace.

You’re not the employer’s enemy. Employers are the backbone of every country. They provide economic growth and the ability to put food on the table and provide shelter for yourself and your family. Millions of individuals worldwide with tattoos and piercings in the workplace are actually business owners and employers themselves. Unfortunately, employers occasionally are blamed for discrimination of tattoos in the workplace when the actual cause is not the employer. Here’s an example.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR EMPLOYER

Current or past complaints about tattooed or pierced staff often spooks management. At the end of the day, business owners spend countless hours building their business. Their business is a way to provide for their family and dreams. Many times their business is their dream and passion. Management sometimes doesn’t have skin in the game, no pun intended, and they didn’t create their company to make a social statement. Customer complaints or negative feedback regarding tattoos or piercings isn’t just a threat to a business, it’s a threat to the owner’s passions, dreams and hard work.

LEGAL ACTION

TATTOO RIGHTS

Demand respect by your actions, not your words

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Top Ten Workplace Tattoos Stats And Facts

• Tattoos in the workplace statistics show that 63% of people over 60 dont approve of tattoos in the office.
• More than half of the general population considers tattooed individuals as lacking in seriousness.
• Professional athletes are at the top based on the approval rates in the tattoos and jobs statistics.
• Head, face, and neck tattoos are forbidden in all branches of the military.
• Tattoos in the workplace statistics reveal 70% of millennial parents approve of tattooed professionals in child care.
• Only 23% of employers will employ a professional, regardless of the number and location of their tattoos.
• Tattoos in the workplace statistics show that a bad impact on the professional image is the 4th most common reason for regretting a tattoo.
• Tattoo discrimination statistics reveal that tattooed women are more discriminated against than inked men.
• The type of profession dictates the tolerance for tattoos in the workplace, statistics show.
• Six in ten employers wouldnt hire a candidate with a face tattoo, tattoo discrimination statistics show.

Is There Such A Thing As Tattoos In The Workplace Discrimination

You have probably noticed the rising popularity of tattoos. As millennials have begun entering the workforce, competing for promotions and advancing their careers there has been some whispers about tattoos in the workplace discrimination.

While individuals with tattoos have claimed their body art can interfere with their careers, the legislation does not always agree. As a workplace discrimination attorney, we do not handle these types of cases. And there are a few good reasons for that.

From a legal standpoint not really. A few local governments such as Washington, D.C Urbana, Illinois Santa Cruz, California and Madison, Wisconsin have laws that explicitly prohibit discrimination based on personal appearance. However, these laws do not do much to protect those with body art from being discriminated against.

Laws that protect discrimination against personal appearance still favor the companies. All a company has to prove in court is a reasonable business purpose for discriminating against the individual with tattoos. For instance, an employer can claim that an individual with visible body art may hinder the companys conservative image and practices.

There are certain instances where tattoos in the workplace may be workplace discrimination. However, it would have to be a tattoo required by religion or based on a discriminatory policy such as only male employees being allowed to have tattoos.

Also Check: How To Get Rid Of Permanent Tattoo

Tattoo Acceptance In The Workplace

EMPLOYMENT

If you have tattoos, piercings, long hair, or multicolored hair, dont settle! There are 100s of GOOD companies who hire you based on your character and work ethic. When you’re employed at a company that doesn’t appreciate you, you’ll never appreciate your job. “If you enjoy what you do for a living, you’ll never work a day in your life.”

HOW TO STOP DISCRIMINATION

Be Empathetic: Read the tattoos in the workplace section on how to stop discrimination above entitled Understanding Your Employer.

Prove Yourself: Studies show employers say the most valuable employee qualities are honesty, drive and follow through ability. Statistically, 65% of employees who were hired found tattoo and piercing dress code policies relaxed after 1 – 2 months. When you have your employer’s back, they’ll have your back.

Ask: Sometimes employers have dress code policies out of habit. Several of our followers comment that once they’ve proved their worth at their company, they’ve successfully asked management to change tattoo acceptance in the workplace dress code policies.

Speak Out: The problem is the only customers who voice their opinions are complainers. According to studies 80% of customers who ask for management have negative feedback. As a customer, whenever you see tattooed or pierced staff always ask for management and express thanks for supporting piercing and tattoo acceptance in the workplace. Just remember, complainers already asked for management.