I was looking at the posts on a Facebook group called Tattoo Acceptance in the Workplace. It got me wondering and so I thought I’d pose some questions to you, dear ModBlog readers. Are you tattooed? If so, are any of them visible? Are tattoos accepted in your workplace? What industry do you work in? Where in the world do you live?
I thought it might be interesting to see where visible tattoos are more accepted and where they are completely frowned upon.
I’m throwing in this sick (I hear that’s what kids these days call cool) and totally unrelated tattoo of Davy Jones, submitted by Gotter and inked by Jade Campos out of Arte Sagrado in Peru.
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175 responses to “Survey says…”
I’m Daniela from São Paulo, Brazil. I’m 17 years and 363 days old and I still have no tattoos, but this month I’m getting my first… Kind of visible. I also have facial piercings… I work at a high level brazilian handcraft and art store and I do take off/hide my piercings when I’m working.
But I don’t have plans of working there too much longer… I want to find a job at a tattoo shop… Hopefully I will. As a art student and BME lover, it’s my dream to become a tattoo artist.
I am a photographer and photographer’s assistant in Miami (I wont name any clients but I mainly work on advertisements and magazine assignments) and I’m quite heavily modded. As far as visible stuff goes, I have a sleeve (including my hand,) and my chest which comes up onto my neck a little, stretched ears, a septum, and a tongue split. I have no plans to stop, I’ll probably start my other sleeve and my neck this year.
In my line of work, people usually hire you for the work that you do, without every meeting you face to face first. Alot of times, I never actually meet the client. Sometimes I do get some strange looks at first, but people tend to get over it pretty quickly once I start working.
I live in Norway and work as an assistant at a kindergarden. I’ve got four tattoos(/a half finished sleeve) on my right hand. My most visible tattoo is a clowns head with a banner underneath it. It is placed on my wrist with the banner ending at the top of my hand. The kids at the kindergarden love and is fascinated by my tattoos and my co-workers seems interested and them too fascinated in my love for bodymodification.
I’ve also got 1″ stretched lobes wich the kids loves to pull and the grown ups loves to get grosed out of 😛
I don’t have any tattoos, but I have quite a few visible piercings (ear lobes are stretched, snake bites and microdermals). My current job has no problem with the modifications, and there are a few other employees that have tattoos. I work at a public library so I do get a lot of patrons asking “Did that hurt?” “How’s it go in there?” “Do those go all the way through your chest and out your back?” (I actually got that last question once.)
For the most part, they are just curious. I’ve had some parents give me dirty looks, and one even tried to lecture me once. But the library is much better than my last job at Starbucks. I had to take out my lip piercings and my microdermals could not show. I really hope all these “dress code” rules change soon!
I am a shift manager at a McDonald’s. I have several visible tattoos, and several ear piercings, and a lip piercing. When we were owned by the corporation, officially, I was not supposed to have visible tattoos or piercings, but no one really cared at my store. I was met with quite a bit of hostility from management at other stores, who told me that they would fire me on the spot if I worked for them. When our store was purchased by a private owner, his stance on modifications was a lot more strict than the corporation’s. I was told I would have to cover all of my visible tattoos, and remove all jewelry from my piercings. I have never done so. I take out the jewelry in my lip and my lobes on a daily basis, but that is it. Oddly enough, my store owner complains more about me violating the makeup and jewelry policies, with comments like, “It says in the handbook you are allowed to wear neutral colored makeup. Lime green isn’t neutral.” or “The health department says the only jewelry that doesn’t pose a contamination risk is a wedding ring. Unless you are married to six different men, a couple of which couldn’t afford good jewelry, you’ll need to take off those rings”.
I worked at a summer camp for girls a couple years ago, and I was given very conflicting messages about my mods then. When I got hired, I asked the camp director if I had to cover up my tattoos and piercings. Her exact words were “We empower girls, not oppress them. this includes our staff. You can look however you want.” My direct supervisor, however, has a different feeling. I did not cover my tattoos or piercings, and sometimes, the children would ask about them. Since the organization I worked for was a Christian organization, and many of the parents were very conservative, instead of answering, I carried a waterproof marker, and I’d ask the kid if they wanted me to draw them one. My direct supervisor told me that I was to tell all the children that “I can’t tell you about that, because tattoos and piercings are bad and wrong.” Mind you, I worked with children from the ages of 4 to 17. Some of my campers had tattoos and piercings, and I had several who were the children of tattoo artists, or otherwise heavily modded parents. I refused to say what my supervisor asked me to, and I only worked three sessions. The camp director asked me to work winter sessions during holiday break, but I declined.
I live in Ohio and work part-time at both Burger King and Travel Centers of America (truck stop/gas station).
Burger King (as far as i can tell) some of them ask you to wear long sleeves but generally as long as you arent tattoo’d on your hands/neck/face you’re fine… actually I know a lot of people with facial tattoos who cover them with bandaids. as far as piercings they arent accepted…. unfortunately. so also retainers or bandaids.
the TA has a rule about facial or dangling earings, but large lobes are accepted and many of my co-workers have hand/neck tattoos.
at both jobs I keep a 0g septum plug in (it goes unnoticed) I have to take out my liprings but that’s fine as they’re 5 years old and i can go 6mo easily without them in.
I am currently trying to join the navy though and I had to let my 3/4″ earlobes close small enough that no light is visible through them, that only took 3 days or so (if i had to guess they’re about a 4ga now but nobody even has a clue they were stretched.) I’m hoping that my septum wont be an issue when it comes to enlisting since it’s a fairly large size and I’m not sure it will ever be completely closed…. not that i want it to be. I was told to keep my face, neck, hands and forearms clear for the navy, quite a disappointment since the military has such deep roots in the tattoo industry.
^ forgot to mention, scarification and any kind of heavy mod is strictly forbidden, i’m not allowed to have any scars larger than an inch or i’m ineligible for the service. ugh.
i live in vancouver, bc and have a bunch of visible tattoos. my knuckles, the sides of my hands, my wrists, my forearm, my neck and ears, and they’re accepted in most places.
I live in Calgary, AB and I worked as IT for a downtown consulting company. I worked at the same company for 6 years and was constantly called the top consultant by all our clients. After getting a lip ring, my boss quit calling me in for work, and effectively let me go. Needless to say the company tanked within months of me leaving. Since then I will only work at places that I feel have accepting environments, as negativity doesn’t help either party. I have since worked in publishing and healthcare (both as IT) and when my tattoos do show (leg, shoulder) I get compliments.
Work for a large food production company.
Have a tattoo, but not visible in work attire. A few piercings.
Visible piercings are not welcome. I work in the UK head office, certain roles would not be very forthcoming with visible piercings and tattoos, but for the most part accepted.
🙂
(I should clarify, visible piercings not welcome in production environment)
I have several tattoos, some of them more visible than others. I run my own business as a Kosher caterer. I was asked by my clients to take out some of the more out there piercings I had (vert. labret and a medusa) but they don’t mind the tattoos or crazy colored hair or other piercings I have. I live in St. Cloud MN and work mostly in St. Lewis Park, MN.
I have tattoos. The stars on my forearms are all blatantly visible and I have never had an issue with them at work. I work in the UK, at a supermarket. Many of the managers have the odd tattoo, and most are OK, again, as long as the tatts are non offensive and ‘non intrusive’ whatever that means.
However they do get snippy about piercings sometimes, particularly anything facial, under the guise of health and safety, although I do not handle raw food or anything like that.
A few years ago, I was given hell about my stretched ears, and I have since shrunk my lobes down to 16mm, almost 2/3 what they were, simply due to irritated ears. No other reason.
Last week, they hired a girl as a Team Leader (my role) with full sleeves and the same size ears as me! I am amazed and pleased that they have seen past her tatts, however also a little pissed that they made my life so hard over the ears, to the point where they put a letter on my file and threatened further disciplinary action.
Funny old world
(By the way the new girl is really good, so they did the right thing!!)
Yes i am tattooed, im currently a student at Stockholm university but i have been working at a home for the elderly in the past (among other things). having written an essay on the topic of discrimination due to modifications i can seriously say that its about 50/50 in sweden. most of the bans against modifications are due to personal preferences from managers etc. certain occupations have limitations due to risks associated with modifications and the work environment, this mostly covers bodypiercing and not tattoos.
my tattoos are pretty much all visible, i tattooed my face twice before i started working with the elderly, i have several piercings in my facial area, all stretched.
I work for a Multinational Insurance company, in the UK, which has a relatively conservative smart/casual dress code, in our office at least. No comments are made on a day to day basis but when Shareholders visit we are encouraged to cover-up and smarten-up. On Fridays we can ‘dress down but not down-and-out’.
Though my tattoos are not visible, there are several (some quite heavily tattooed) people in the office who do have theirs on show. I and several others have facial, surface and micro dermal piercings and stretched lobes. Again, never commented on except for innocent curiosity and aesthetic appreciation.
Obviously none of this has stopped anyone getting a job in my department and no one is openly disrespected or disciplined due to their mods. However, despite being mostly 25+ (and some well/very well educated) we all pretty much fall into the ‘Monkey Work’ roles and so far, no one has progressed to Management roles. None of us have never been invited to meet clients or higher Management. Potentially this is circumstantial only.
There has been recent suggestion of upcoming client meets for the relevant teams but whether I and my modded colleagues will be invited to attend and/or cover-up remains to be seen. I am hopeful for a positive and non-prejudiced outcome but I’m certainly not holding my breath.
i am tattooed, i have stars like Kat Von D on my left temple and i also have two large roses covering the backs of my hands, i also have finger tattoos…. i am not employed because tattoo’s “are not part of a work uniform”.
my search continues!
Widely accepted in my workplace: a hotrod shop. My boss has more tattoos than I have, and all are visible. Every single employee has at least one tattoo.
I live in Ohio, and , yes, I am tattooed and one is visible nearly every day because it is on my inner left wrist. I work in the property preservation industry and am in the office all day behind a computer, never seeing our clients (the major banks). Tattoos and piercings are shockingly accepted without question. Then again, our company doesn’t drug test either, so, yeah. For a company that profits nearly $800 mil + a year, I’m really surprised that they don’t care. Even when we have clients making special visits, they tell us to wear business dress, but they have never mentioned anything about removing piercings. This is probably one of the few things I actually like about my job! I definitely need to get my nose pierced prior to leaving so that it can heal, in case I need to wear a retainer at whatever job I end up working next..
I work as an account manager at a health insurance company in The Netherlands. They’re quite acceptant of my tattoos. I have 4 of them. Added 3 while working there, including a 3/4 sleeve on my right arm (completed in feb this year). 2 of them are never visible due to their placement (abdomen and between shoulder). In the 5 years I’ve worked there I’ve never had 1 bad reaction. Of course I get curious or surprised looks, especially when the 3/4 sleeve is showing. The only comments I get are very positive. People want to see it, are genuinely interested.
I do acknowledge that tattoos are still not 100% accepted in business and when I have meetings with my suppliers (is that the correct word?) my tattoos are never visible. It’s a tad ignorant to think that tattoos are acceptable at all times. That’s not how it works in the business world, unfortunately. As first impressions often count, I, for instance, can’t run the risk of losing a contract for my company.
The funny thing is that I’ve heard from colleagues that other colleagues hold me as a positive example. They felt they had to hide their tattoos at all times and seeing me sporting my sleeve made them feel assured they don’t have to (while working in the office). Even a guy who felt pressed to wear suits at his department said he shouldn’t worry about that if I’m brave enough to show my tattoos, haha. I don’t feel brave, I just do it. 🙂
Nice to read everyone’s experiences!
I have too largish tattoos, about 20 hrs of work in total, but i can cover them up if needed. I work part time as a waitress and the tats aren’t allowed to show, but the bosses didn’t mind them in any way. However i study a bit of this and that in university, and to gain experience have had different types of desk jobs as well, and though my bosses might’ve been ok with me having tattoos or showing them in workplace (they were really old fashion corporate types though so i didn’t test my luck 😀 ), but it didn’t even cross my mind to come to an interview with them showing. As far as other people i know, i think pretty various mods are accepted, if you already have the job, no matter what type, but mods still have a stigma as far as first impressions go, at least to a degree.
I teach outdoor science at a nature center in California. I have a small dung beetle tattoo on the inside of my wrist. It is my only tattoo and it is always visible, since I seem to have lost my watch. My nostril is also pierced. All pretty vanilla stuff, and nobody seems to care. I have coworkers with far more visible ink, and they’re not bothered either. When I worked for the Department of Education, though, it was a problem.
The only time it ever comes up is when students (aged 5 to 12) notice the mods. “Is that a REAL tattoo?” “Yup.” “Did it hurt?” “Yup.” “Why did you do that?” “Because I really like dung beetles.” and that’s the end of it. A few years ago, the kids noticed the nostril, but I think it’s become so mainstream that they’ve stopped caring.
I’m a chick, by the way, and I’m fairly sure that if my tattoo was of a flower or something else traditionally girly, the kids wouldn’t even blink at it. But it’s a dung beetle, which usually requires some explaining.
I’m currently a Computer Engineering Technician student, where almost all of the guys (I’m the only girl) are tattooed, a few have piercings, and a couple prof’s have visible tattoos and so do some of the co-ops that work in one lab.
I’m visibly tattooed, full sleeves, knuckles, behind my ears, and my one other heavily tattooed guy asked if they cared about tattoos in this industry. Our prof said nobody really gives a fuck, we’ll be working behind the scenes. (Out of my class of 30 technicians, only 8 of us are Computer Engineers, the rest are Electrical). We do have to wear pants (no shorts, skirts, etc) and eye protection in labs because of the equipment we use. When I did call center work, nobody cared as long as you were business casual. For food service, I wore long sleeves, more to cover (self injury) scars than tattoos. Behind the scenes work at factories and stuff, nobody cared, as long as you had certified steel toe boots.
Are you tattooed? Yes, I have one tattoo. I also have visible dermal anchors at my clavicles.
If so, are any of them visible? Yes, unless I wear long sleeves or a large bracelet.
Are tattoos accepted in your workplace? Somewhat, other coworkers at the office I’m a summer intern at have visible tattoos. They aren’t approved of but aren’t forbidden.
What industry do you work in? I’m a summer intern at a mortgage insurance company [corporate office building]
Where in the world do you live? Philadelphia, PA.
I plan on eventually working in psychology research and potentially as a psych professor once I attain my Ph.D, and so far as I know as long as my mods are somewhat concealable they should not prevent me from that.
I work in PHX and it’s hot as balls right now. Unfortunately for me I have to wear long pants because my legs are about 70% covered. I work in banking, and though my company has no official policy on visible tattoos, I realize that wearing a skirt and showing my heavily tattooed legs really isn’t appropriate right now for working with older, high profile customers. But it was a decision I made knowing that tattoos are not 100% acceptable still in most workplaces. I have my ears stretched to a 0 right now, and most people don’t notice it at all and the ones who do usually just comment about how pretty my jewelry is 🙂
There are a few people with visible tattoos, such as a small wrist or ankle tattoo, and it’s not really looked down upon, but I do realize what I have is much different than that, so I keep it covered up in order to avoid any possible conflict.
I’m tattooed, the only thing I have visible at the moment is a small tattoo on my wrist, no one seems to care, I’ve just been asked about it before out of curiosity. I also have an inner conch piercing I keep in everyday and no one says anything about it either.
I have seen people at work with sleeves but they’re in a very different line of work. I work as a software engineer at a nuclear facility in the southeast.
I think in general technical fields are more lenient on such things, but I’d probably still wear a long sleeve shirt if I was meeting with a customer just to avoid culture clash.
I have a full (unfinished) sleeve on my right arm, 1/2″ stretched lobes and my lip and nostril pierced. I show them off at work, but I’m employed as the opinion editor of a campus newspaper. I’m the only person on staff with piercings or tattoos, but it’s not a big deal at all. The “joke question” at my job interview was what member of staff I would get tattooed on my body in order to represent the paper.
I’m not sure how accepting the journalism industry as a whole will be when I get there, but we’ll see what happens when I get there.
yes im visibly pierced, though not at all heavily so, and my tattoos are easily hidden by normal clothing (purposely). i have 7/8″ lobes, 4ga lobes, and 8ga tragus piercings in both ears, along with nostril piercings (which i wear hand made jewelry in, that is rather large and obvious), and a 4ga septum i currently wear a plug in. i currently work at Value Village, where our dress code (black or khaki pants/shorts/skits, no thin strapped shirts) covers all but my small white ink wrist tattoos (which NO ONE has ever noticed, unless i point them out). no one has ever complained about my piercings, and i sometimes get asked curious questions, or get compliments while on the sales floor. pretty much they dont care, as long as you look ‘clean and groomed’ and follow the dress code (which was not in place when i was hired). it might also help i live in a navy town, and tattoos arent unusual, and piercings arent that uncommon either.
my last two jobs were also totally fine with my mods, being one was a small company, and the other was a fine art bronze foundry, full of artists and creative types. im usually the oddest person wherever i work though, and pretty much the only modded person aside from a tattoo, or ear piercings.
ive tried to keep my mods limited as i dont know what direction my life may go, as far as work goes, and i dont want to be limited if i can help it. my nostrils are easy to minimize by wearing tiny gems, and my hair covers my ears, and people havent seemed to notice anything during job interviews. i have been to three interviews recently for jobs at the local shipyard, hoping to get in there, where i will be able to do whatever i want essentially, and learn a trade at the same time…but no luck so far, though not due to my mods, as far as i know. its just a really hard time for anyone to find a job. i dont think i would ever do well in a dressy ‘professional’ type environment, as my personality is just not very well suited for it, and i thrive in creative workplaces/jobs, but i try not to make things harder if i can help it.
it does seem like tattoos are more accepted than piercings, especially stretched ears. i get complimented on my tattoos when they happen to be visible, and the occasional question about my ‘gauges’, and nostrils. people dont seem to comment if they have negative opinions.
i live in WA state, across the puget sound from Seattle, in Bremerton…
I work at Ikea in the Netherlands, and as long as it’s clean it’s allowed. So visual tattoos, piercings, I even work there sometimes with a full mohawk (when i’m too lazy to shave my head for a couple of months that is).
A colleague of mine is a very religious Muslim, and has a pretty impressive beard. It’s all allowed as long as it’s clean and groomed. That’s the only rule there is.
AMAZINGLY today my new supervisor questioned me about a tattoo on my left arm, he thought it was “interesting” and that was all he said to me, the ENTIRE day.I know he’s super strict and religious so I hope I don’t get Harped on for things I’ve had for years now. I was hired with my tattoos and piercings I better not get the can because of them they’re not lewd by any means, the only word visible is “love” and the artwork consists of stars and doves so… Eh
Yay for Australia being (mostly) open:)
Have (almost) complete left leg, two scarrifications, brandings, facial piercings, stretched lobes, chest piece, left arm sleeve (ie, all very visable). I’ve worked in hospitality for the past 6 years now (mostly cafes), but also as a personal carer, fruit picking, sheering sheds…. and a nanny in Germany:)
I’m usually met with curiosity rather than hostility from customers, and employers have absolutely never asked me to change.
If I’ve ever been met with criticism, its usually been from drunk males when I’m out, if i head into the city for a night out I’ve come to expect at least a few nasty comments….
To be fair, I’ve never applied for jobs where I thought the employer would have problems with me, nor jobs that have dress codes- I just don’t enjoy closed work places.
Funnily enough, I get more comments from customers about my bright hair colours than any body modification:P
I work at a benefits company in Canada that deals with businesses, however, client interaction is minimal. Visible I have stretched lobes, tattoo on my forearms and a dermal anchor on my arm. All of which weren’t noticed by co-workers for months! My boss and fellow workers are always curious about them. The company rule is that the only facial piercing allowed is the nostril, earrings should be ‘tasteful’ and that body art should be discreet. They are okay with my mods, especially in my department, however, they do prefer I wear plugs over tunnels so as to not see through them. My hair is long and worn down, so it won’t be a problem as I continue to stretch 🙂
I live in Austin, TX and currently, I work super-part time as a hairstylist, and the rest of the week am a stay at home mom. I’m fairly heavily tattooed; full sleeves, hand tattoos, heavy leg coverage, chest, etc. I’m not much for piercings, though. Just 0 gauge lobes and a standard nostril. I have worked a variety of jobs in Austin (law office, market research, admin), and have never had anything but positive experiences. I did have one job at a mgmt company where they asked that I cover some of my tattoos just to tone it down a bit. So I wore 3/4 length sleeves and long pants everyday. My tattooed feet, hands and lower part of arms were still visible…so I thought that was pretty reasonable. It was a professional job, so really slacks and a cardigan or button down were the correct attire anyway. Since becoming a hairstylist several years ago, I have obviously had no problems.
I think in any decent sized city, you will always see tons of heavily modded hairstylists. I have always found Austin to very mod-friendly city, however, I will say that since I had my daughter (she’s currently 6 months old), in certain conservative pockets of town, I do tend to get some looks when I’m out with her. You see LOTS of modded parents around the city, but there are some more suburban areas where apparently that is a bit of a sight.
Overall, I’ve been very lucky. I’ve always been surrounded (since childhood) by modified people, and my family and friends have always been down with mods.
I work as an office Manager in upscale jewelry store.
I started there with minimal visible mods, and now have facial piercings (septum and philtrum) and visible tattoos (forearm, leg, wrists). I work mostly behind the scenes, but do cover the sales floor when we are short staffed/busy. I have not been asked to cover or remove any of my modifications, and view it as having earned the respect for being there for 5 years. I don’t think I would have been hired as I am. Co-workers have mentioned that they don’t even think about the tattoos and the clientele, mostly because of how well I do my job- and therefore it isn’t an issue.
Although we are upscale, we are located in the Bay Area (Oakland, CA), which also may have something to do with it.
I’m 48, soon to be 49, and I have one tattoo, and I’ve had up to 30 piercings at one time, none of them particularly visible. I looked “normal” in my white collar (nursing) job. Even though I’m retired, I’m very active working with the “old ladies” at church, so I keep a plug in my septum, and I have a few ear cartilage piercings that can be seen. I live in Redondo Beach, Ca.
I wanted to add that my 55 y/o husband has no tattoos but his ears are stretched to 00g and they are very mod-friendly there
I’m about 40% covered but you couldn’t tell if I wear real clothes. Considering my job entitles me to wear a bathing suit 24/7, my body art is visible. Unless you couldn’t figure it out I am a lifeguard/pool supervisor. My tattoos and my lone piercing (nose stud) have not been a problem in my “work”. Patrons ask more questions then give me dirty looks though I have had someone pray for me due to tattoos while working. My summer job doesn’t condole visible piercings but I’ve gotten away with it so far.
I hope the world evolves faster.
But I do love it when old fashion-old people compliment my art, it makes me smile.
-Morgan from San Antonio,Texas
I’m 28 and a recruitment consultant in Sydney, Australia. I have 19mm lobes, 5mm seconds, a 3 point spiral, an industrial, four nostril piercings and a 4mm septum. I also have tattoos on both inner forearms, the front of both shoulders, the back of my neck, my lower back and my ankle.
While in the office, my mods aren’t a problem at all, and I get curious questions. However, when I’m meeting with candidates or clients, or otherwise representing the business, I make sure I’m covered up. I’ve taken such care with my appearance for this reason – my hair is dyed plain blue-black and cut so that it falls over my ears neatly, all my tattoos are covered by a trouser suit or a skirt suit and opaque stockings, I wear retainers in my nostrils and my septum flipped up, and I’ve retired every other piercing that was harder to obscure. I also think I provide a pretty positive example – it IS possible to be reasonably modded and still hold a serious corporate job, you just have to plan ahead and be prepared to compromise a bit. Some of my colleagues can be a bit sniffy about modded candidates, and I like to note that they wouldn’t even know I had mine but for the fact that I choose not to wear a jacket in the office. Some of my older colleagues still think a “tongue ring” is a sign of a personality deviance, but attitudes are changing. Very slowly.
So yeah, given the above I’m confident in going ahead with the rest of my planned tattoos. Presenting as highly corporate and professional in every other respect gets you a long way.
I’m a makeup artist in Los Angeles, so I mostly work on film sets and occasional photo shoots/live events. I have a few visible tattoos and my ears are stretched, but I’ve never had anybody say anything but nice things to me about them. Most of the time, I get compliments from people I work with. It’s commonplace to have tattoos in the film industry, it seems, since 99% of the time, you’re working entirely behind the camera and nobody really cares what you look like. For days when I first meet people, I always dress up slightly, but I generally still show my tattoos; I’ve never been turned down for a job, so I guess they’re not a problem 🙂
I’m a Sales Coordinator in the Oil & Gas Industry. I didn’t have visible mods when I started working there but got my wrist tattooed without asking their permission first. I did hide it for a couple of weeks before the weather got too hot and I started wearing short sleeved shirts. I don’t see customers on a daily basis but the ones I do see are very important people to our company. My bosses judge me for my capability and not what I look like. I’m always dressed professionally but like my 60 year old boss told me (who in his own words is an “old fuddy duddy”) “”Why pay all that money to get those tattoos done only to hide them?”
Graphic designer in australia. I work full time and free lance. Full time no worries may stop me from advancing into management past art director if I was there for 15 yes but I don’t want to… Want to work for myself which leads to freelance… In an art industry a little bit of eccentricism
goes a long way! My advice is do what you want in borh your job and your appearance if you hide behind long sleeves abs make up in fear you let people judge when they see stuff. If you treat it like it is just the way it is it doesn’t really make an impact past the initial first impressions, which is just social judgement and the 50s that lngers on
Amazing feedback guys. I daresay if someone wanted to write a paper on visible tattoos in the workforce they’d have some reference material right here. It’s really interesting to see all the different stories/situations.
I’m a professional fundraiser for national and community-based nonprofit organizations and work in the Washington, DC area. Some of my work has taken place on the infamous K St. (Yes, lobbyist central). I have a full sleeve on one arm and multiple tattoos on the other and, although I wear a suit for some business meetings, I do show my tattoos in the offices in which I work. I was recently hired as Development Director for a national organization with whom I’ve done consultant work. They’d only seen me in a suit so when I went in to discuss turning my freelance work into a fulltime position, I showed my tattoos. My new boss loves them!
I work at a locally owned grocery store. While they’re ok with visible tattoos they are not ok with facial piercings or dyed hair. None of the employees know why, that’s just what the owner told us and they don’t really explain past that.
I work at Lowe’s and am apprenticing at a local tattoo studio, Lowe’s doesn’t mind my somewhat visible tattoos, but no piercings for them. The studio, of course appreciates them. 🙂
here in mexico, if you have tattoos you are a 95% chance of being screwed for life, there is no such thing as a dress code here,even if your tattoos are not visible, they will not hire you, the prejudice against tattoos in here is huge,you can have, lets say… a smiley face in your foot, which obviously usually no one will see,but if they see it before they hire you,(e.g. they usually make you undergo a medical exam which involves being partially naked in some points of it) you will most likely end up losing that job opportunity… piercings are becoming a bit more accepted, but only “regular” piercings such as nostrils and labrets.
If you have tattoos you will likely end up working in a tattoo/piercing related place, or having a street business/store(i dont know how to call that).It is also very common to see people with awful scars caused by them trying to remove their tattoos with cigarettes or different types of acid. Having tattoos or piercings that are not so common, or shocking, can cost you thousands of opportunities, and ultimately leaving you with no chance of living a decent life.
I’m a non-customer facing, 30 sumthing, IT Contractor, living in Australia. I have a full sleeve in colour (L), a B&W half sleeve (R),and chest is dotted with individual ones….I always have shirt sleeves rolled up so my left arm is always visible. No-one says anything cos it seems to be that they won’t let you into oz if yr not inked… 😉 haha
When I first started i kept them hidden as best i could but now I don’t care and work doesn’t seem to mind. there are no others in the office of some 400 people who have any visible ones
Are you tattooed? Yes. I have 8 tattoos.
If so, are any of them visible? My thigh piece, toes, back (between my shoulder blades), back of my thighs (depending upon my wardrobe choices of course).
Are tattoos accepted in your workplace? definitely. There are a few people in my office with visible tattoos (and other modifications). At first I thought that my tattoos may be an issue but everyone that I work with accepts and appreciates me for me! If anything is ever said about them it’s either a question or a compliment. My manager reports directly to our GM and he also has tattoos (covered most of the time though). We are never asked to cover our tattoos, but we do when meeting a client or for a presentation etc.
What industry do you work in? I work for one of Australia’s top insurance companies. I’m a new business administration consultant.
Where in the world do you live? Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
I would also like to add that I love seeing that many of the other Aussies that have posted here work in a similar environment!
High school teacher in Sweden with a few visible tattoos and stretched lobes. No problem. In fact, my students seem to quite happy having an adult around to talk seriously to about body modification and ask questions that will not be sneered or laughed at.
I am tattooed and work as a cashier at WalMart. Only one of my tattoos is visible, the one on my leg, and even so, he’s just a tiny little guy who is only visible when I wear capri pants during the summer. But there are tons and tons of heavily tattooed people who work where I work, some in high-up positions; there’s a stocking manager who has full sleeves and has his neck tattooed, and there’s a customer service supervisor with several large pieces on her arms and legs. A fellow cashier has a half sleeve and a large chest piece, and she previously worked at McDonalds and was fired for refusing to cover up her tattoos.
Given, WalMart’s a pretty shitty place to work, and they throw a fit about piercings and unnatural hair color, but apparently tattoos are ok.
(Oh– I live in Ohio.)
I work in Michigan at a local computer store. Visible tattoos are allowed. Multiple employees have multiple tattoos up and down their arms. Piercings are not allowed, not even simple ear piercings, this is mainly because the owners of the store don’t like them. The owners of the store used to really look down on tattoos and they used to claim you couldn’t have any visible tattoos but they have since stopped caring, mainly because some of our best workers are the ones that are tattooed.