Tattoos in the Work Place

Amber Stankich

Mrs. Priskorn

English 12B

10/21/16

Tattoos in the Workplace

Should tattoos be allowed in a place of business? Precisely how controversial is it? Today, there are not many people you see without a tattoo. The controversy is whether tattoos should remain hidden while at work, and how should businesses address them when it comes to their clients’ opinions. Depending on work code regulations, whether an individual agrees with body art or not, there still may be a dress code that needs to be followed. Today’s debate about tattoos have been fought for many reasons, such as their health benefits of having tattoos; whether there are places that allow tattoos in the place of work, and the cons of having body art in a formal place of business.

Since tattoos have been around, there has always been a disagreement as to whether they should be allowed in the place of work. “A study conducted by CareerBuilder.com found that 37 percent of HR managers cite tattoos as the third physical attribute most likely to limit career potential," says Haberfeld (Lombardo, 2016). While many more people these days may have tattoos, it is safe to say that image still matters in getting and keeping a job. The key to succeeding is getting a sense for the culture of a workplace. When it comes to the issue of whether ink will affect their livelihood it, in fact, depends on where you hope to work. Workplaces that tend to allow tattoos are industries such as auto, military, construction, design, film, music, digital media, styling, and athletics (Lombardo, 2016^[a]). There are many instances, where having an individual, artistic expression on their body is common. But there are still many offices where body art is not so acceptable. If a person is looking to work in business, government, education, medicine, law (Lombardo, 2016). Ink can often send the wrong message to employers and clients. Each employer is going to vary with their perspective when it comes to tolerance for body art, so a good rule is to keep tattoos covered in interviews and even during the first few weeks in your job until you get a sense for the culture of the workplace. Even though a couple of places of work do not prefer tattoos, tattoos have positive health benefits.

New research has shown getting multiple tattoos comes with an unexpected bonus.  "Among the participants who had their first tattoo, the escalating cortisol levels caused a huge decrease in immunoglobulin A," Tech Times reported. "But for those with multiple tattoos, they had only slight drops in immunoglobulin ‘A' levels before and after the sessions. Researchers suggested this could be due to a stronger immune response." The University of Alabama has found getting multiple tattoo^[b]s comes with a wonderful bonus (Bernish, 2016). There is a significant boost to the immune system. According to researchers, who studied volunteers receiving their first or multiple inking’s by artists in shops in Leeds and Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the benefits occur after the subject receives their second tattoo. Measuring the participants’ levels of the antibody immunoglobulin A, as well as the presence of the stress hormone cortisol, (Bernish, 2016). Meaning, immune systems are stronger when it comes to fighting off infectious germs. While tattoos have become acceptable to an extent, there is a degree of social stigma associated with them.

Although there are health benefits of having tattoos, there are still cons around having them in the place of business. Thirty-six percent of “Gen Nexters”, who are 18 to 25, and 40 percent of Gen Xers, 26 to 40, have a tattoo somewhere on their bodies, according to a 2012 study by the Pew Research Center and, 70 percent of Millennials, who have one or more tattoos said that their body art normally is not visible, additionally according to the Pew Research Center (Lombardo, 2016). While tattoos have become acceptable to an extent, there is a degree of social stigma associated with it. Not everyone looks at tattoos as something desirable. A few people are still wary of those who sport tattoos, especially the large ones that are visible. Tattoos are not acceptable at many companies. There are codes in workplaces everywhere to have no tattoo or ^[c]very little body art. Even those who favor tattoos realize the ink can be disadvantageous in interpersonal and professional relations, but few individuals have had positive outcomes with no embarrassment or shame with the body art at from their career.

In the medical field, most employee handbooks have a section regarding tattoos and piercings. In rare cases, hospital jobs are only available to people with no body ink. In general, however, most medical facilities apply minor restrictions that only prohibit excessive and/or offensive tattoos (Linkov, 2016) .While tattoos are becoming more widely accepted, it is furthermore true that not every employer welcomes their presence. The healthcare field is far more liberal in that regard, at least compared to corporate America. Yet prejudice still exists and the law is undoubtedly on the side of the employer. The percentage of tattooed adu^[d]lts in the US is 42% and rising (Linkov, 2016). Considering they are a form of personal expression which should technically be protected by the First Amendment, proponents of tattoos find it odd that they are not federally protected in the workplace. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), an employer can establish a dress code and presentation policies as long as they don’t discriminate against a person on the basis of their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetic information (Linkov, 2016). There is currently no nationally accepted policy concerning tattoos and piercings in the workplace. This being said, formal restrictions and unwritten rules vary greatly from hospital to hospital. Most medical institutions are okay with a bit of visible body ink, as long as it is not offensive.