Happy Lunar New Year

One of my favorite photos I took at the Muttart Conservatory while admiring the Chinese New Year display.

Tattoos in the Workplace

It really wasn't so long ago that a person with tattoos was asked, "How will you get a job when you have tattoos?" or "Nobody will hire you if you have tattoos." Due to the rapid rise in tattoo acceptance and social approval, I thought that stigma had faded already. But quite recently while at a job training course that prepares unemployed people for upcoming interviews, one of the Do’s and Don’ts was to hide the tattoos and piercings. As I saw this statement in the presentation, I wondered if this material was outdated, or still a fact in the workforce. Especially considering the last person to interview me had inked arm sleeves on both of her arms and lots of facial tattoos. Yes, this was corporate. 

Instead of arguing what I felt needed to be the updated reality of our times, I decided to do a little digging to see what I would find. Therefore, the next day I went to a Summer Job Fair that was being held at the UofA in the Dinwoodie Lounge building. There were about thirty tables hosting different companies and the representatives who welcomed the job seeker. The companies ranged from the government, transportation, sales, research, military, security, education, health & wellness, children’s programs, hospitality, and restaurants. From a bird's eye view, I knew the diversity of employers would give me a great range of possibilities which allowed my inquiry to have a generous outcome of possibilities. 

                                     

With my survey and pen in hand, I approached the tables. “If someone with tattoos and body piercings applied for a job with your company, would you consider hiring them, or would you turn them away.”

The results were quite surprising.

Due to Media Regulations bound to the companies, the representatives did not have permission for comment release and were not able to allow me to take photos. Having said that, they did allow me to take quotes and blanket the companies under sub-types. Fair enough. I’ll take that. 

 Although sailors and war heroes were some of the first to embrace tattoos, surprisingly, I found it was the navy, military and security type positions that seemed to have the most regulations when it came to ink and piercings.

One man said, “Our military career counselors when they do a military interview during the application process, they ask for pictures of any tattoos so there can be nothing offensive, vulgar, pornographic, nothing on the hands, or above the neck. It’s the Department of National Defence policy. Piercing for women are like gold studs, nothing bigger. No facial piercing.” He continued to say, “ It’s not a problem. I have friends who have tattoos and continue to get tattoos.”

Another military type person added, “As an equal opportunity employer, we cannot discriminate against tattoos unless they are offensive.”

A woman at the Security booth said employees were “only allowed one visual tattoo”.  I noticed both she and the other person accompanying her had their quota of ink. 

When it came to the companies that work with children, it was thumbs up all-round. Some of the representatives had visible tattoos. One young woman said, “Companies or careers services that advise candidates or people looking for jobs that having lots of tattoos or piercings is unprofessional and to cover them up or take them out, no one is going to hire you ….that idea is obsolete. I think our world is changing, lots of people have tattoos, lots of people have piercings, and I think depending on the job and the employer those things should not prohibit someone from working a job.”

Helen from the City of Spruce Grove felt that times have changed and referred to tattoo people as  “the more diverse they are the more they can relate to the children”. Yes, you read that correctly. Diverse.  I noticed this idea that having tattoos and piercings was now considered a part of being diverse. It was becoming a collective agreement. I noticed many of the people who I spoke with considered the idea of people having tattoos and piercings were to be amongst the  “diversity opportunities”. 

“In the railway business, pretty much most of the field employees have a tattoo.” answered a railway representative. 

“The way someone looks does not determine their ability to do the job.” said a representative in the service industry.

“In the field of research, most employees are working behind the scenes, so it is not relevant for their job.” said a research company employee. 

By the end of my investigation, it was an unanimous response. Every company representative that I had asked “would you hire a person with tattoos or piercings” all agreed that they would hire the person as long as the tattoos were not offensive or vulgar, and of course, the person needed to be qualified for the job. 

End.

#tattoos  #tattoosintheworkplace  #diversity