Study: Tattoos Increasingly Accepted in the Workplace

Good news for tattoo aficionados!  According to a new study conducted by the University of Miami School of Business Administration, having a tattoo has no impact on an individual’s employment or earnings.

After accounting for personal traits (i.e., education, behavioral choices, human capital, lifestyle factors, etc.) the researchers found no significant difference in the way people with tattoos are treated in the workplace than those without tattoos. The study, in the February issue of the Southern Economic Journal, is the first to rigorously investigate whether having a tattoo is significantly associated with employment or earnings.

The researchers explain that differences in employment and earnings can occur for a number of reasons, including productivity differences, employee signaling (i.e., information potential employees may reveal about their likes and dislikes), and in some cases, discrimination by either the employer or customers on the basis of having a tattoo. But, when the researchers controlled for a large set of factors that have been shown to affect employment and earnings, the negative impact of having a tattoo becomes small and non-significant.

This result may be partially explained by the fact that some industries, such as music and entertainment, professional sports, fashion, bars and nightclubs, styling, etc., actually welcome employees with tattoos.

“Qualitative research shows that tattoos are definitely becoming less taboo and somewhat accepted even in traditional workplaces, especially among younger employees,” said Michael T. French, professor of health sector management and policy at the University of Miami School of Business Administration, who conducted the study along with Philip K. Robins, professor of economics at the School. “If someone’s main concern about getting tattooed is whether body art will make them less employable or limit their earnings, this research suggests it should not be a major deterrent.”

“We believe it would be interesting in our future research to explore whether prominent tattoos (on the face or neck, for example), multiple tattoos, provocative images, or large tattoos, are significantly related to employment and/or earnings,” said Robins.

Stay tuned…

SOURCE University of Miami School of Business Administration

Study: Tattoos Increasingly Accepted in the Workplace

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Can you ask employees to cover a cultural tattoo?

Allegations of discrimination strike fear into the hearts of every HR professional so asking an employee to cover up a cultural tattoo can be a daunting prospect – but is it legally allowed?
“Generally, employers have significant latitude to set guidelines on their employees’ appearance,” says leading employment lawyer Brian Nathan.

From uniform and work attire to hair colour or body piercings, company policies dictating their appropriateness are legal and remain commonplace in many workplaces.

“As an employer, you have the right to determine how you wish to present your business in the best manner to attract and maintain customers,” stresses Nathan.

So what about tattoos? Well, according to the Nelson-based lawyer, this is where the waters becoming somewhat murky.

“Legally speaking, discrimination only occurs when the treatment the person is complaining of is because of one of the 13 protected grounds of discrimination, set out in the Human Rights Act,” says leading employment lawyer Brian Nathan.

The thirteen protected grounds are: gender, marital status, religious belief, ethical belief, colour, race, ethnicity, disability, age, political opinion, employment status, family status and sexual orientation.

“The request to cover up a tattoo which has cultural significance by reason of the employee’s religion or ethnicity could be discriminatory as these are prohibited grounds,” warns Nathan.

“For example, asking an employee to cover up a culturally significant Maori tattoo such as a moko could be discriminatory,” he explains. “On the flip-side, a tattoo of a cartoon character or a flower would not be.”

While there’s potential for discrimination, not every case is cut-and-dry and a recent Human Rights Review Tribunal proved that employers do have some discretion.

The case centred on a woman of Maori descent who was asked to wear a long sleeved shirt to cover the moko on her forearm while working at a corporate event.

The tribunal acknowledged that the moko was indeed of ethnic significance to the employee but found that the employer’s request was not discriminatory. Here’s why:

• There was no discriminatory intent from the employer


• The company had a rational business-related reason for the request


• The request to wear a long sleeved shirt was an effective way of dealing with the company’s concern


• The employee did not make the employer aware she was unhappy with the request and therefore its need to consider alternative means for dealing with its concerns


• The request was only for one function so any discriminatory effect was limited

While the tribunal sided with the employer in this instance, Nathan says HR managers should remain vigilant when it comes to possible discrimination.

“As part of your wider duty as an employer, it is important that employees are treated fairly and are not unreasonably singled out,” he says.

“So in future to ensure all employees are clear about the company’s expectations in relation to presentation for public appearances, especially if these differ from the day to day standards, it would be advisable to send out an email prior to the event outlining the dress expectations and the business reasons for them to avoid any complaints or concerns,” he advises.

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Can you ask employees to cover a cultural tattoo?

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No, My Tattoos and Piercings Do Not Make Me a "Bad Mom"

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I grew up in a family without tattoos. Without piercings. Without body modifications. Sure, my mother, grandmother, and many of my female cousins had pierced ears, but none of the men. I didn’t have an uncle with a Sailor Jerry-style tat on his chest. I didn’t have an aunt with a nose ring, or lower lip stud. And my parents and grandparents … well, their skin was pristine. Pockmarked and freckled, blemished and stretched, but otherwise intact. Otherwise “perfect.” 

So where my love for body modification came from I am not so sure; all I do know is that I was asking for a belly-button piercing by time I was 12, I wanted to dye my hair “crazy colors” shortly after I turned 13, and a tattoo? Well, I started doodling on my skin with gel pens during sophomore science class, and I never stopped. I never looked back. 

I was young and impulsive. I couldn’t wait, I wouldn’t wait; and the day I turned 18 I decided to mark the occasion the only way I knew how: with a “passionate” tattoo.

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And while my mother let me get a second hole in my ear and small diamond studs in my cartilage (for my sixteenth birthday) that was as far as she was going. Everything else had to wait until I was 18. Until I was out on my own. 

But I was young and impulsive. I couldn’t wait, I wouldn’t wait; and the day I turned 18 I decided to mark the occasion the only way I knew how: with a “passionate” tattoo. A spur-of-the-moment, “look, I’m an adult now” tattoo. A rebellious tattoo. A stupid, stupid tattoo.

Make no mistake, I love my tattoos — and my ear piercings, my navel piercing, my nostril piercing … and yes, my nipple piercings. But I didn’t get my first tattoo because I loved modifications or appreciated art. I didn’t get my first tattoo because it was meaningful or empowering. I got my first tattoo because I said I would. I got my first tattoo because I could. I got my first tattoo because I loved pissing off my mom. (Sorry, Mom!) 

Since that tattoo, I have become something of a body modification aficionado – I have 14 body piercings, a rib tattoo, a thigh tattoo, an inner wrist tattoo, two “tramp stamps” (and, yes, both were acquired when I was 18), and a full sleeve. In fact, I have more tattoos than I can count, since most of my pieces meld right into the next. But you know what? My piercings don’t make me masochistic, a degenerate, or some sort of delinquent. My tattoos don’t make unemployable. And my body modifications definitely do not make me a “bad mom.”

You see, I’ve heard it all:

What does your mother think?

Oh, Kimberly, what will other people will think? 

Are they permanent? 

What will you do about your tattoos when you get older? 

Why did you get your tattoos? I mean, you were so pretty; you were so smart.

But after my daughter was born, I heard a slew of new questions:

Will you get any more tattoos, now that you are a mom?

Do you regret your tattoos, now that you’re a mom?

How do you explain your tattoos to other moms?

How are you going to explain your tattoos to Amelia when she’s old enough?

I’ve always remained confused by these questions for the same reasons. But namely this: What exactly do I have to explain here? What precisely do I have to tell her? That her mother has a penchant for art and loves self-expression? That I am “different” and “unique” and damn proud of it? That my tattoos make me feel feminine, sexy, and beautiful? That my modifications make me me, and it’s for that very reason I am not sorry, and I will never be sorry?

My modifications don’t make me a bad mom nor a better mom. They are but a part of who I am. They are but a part of the woman I am.

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I know tattoos and piercings aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. And that’s cool. (Totally cool.) But that doesn’t mean tattoos are wrong. That doesn’t mean piercings are bad. And that doesn’t mean those who sport body modifications are “scary,” dangerous, uneducated, or downright stupid. (Hi; college grad here — one who left with 3.9 GPA, and top honors.)

Because here’s the thing: My modifications don’t make me a bad mom nor a better mom. They are but a part of who I am. They are but a part of the woman I am. As such, I don’t identify as a “pierced woman,” a “tattooed woman,” or a “modified woman,” I identity as a strong woman. A smart woman. A fierce woman. I am a writer, a runner, a feminist, a mental health advocate, and a mom. Not Modified Mom, but just Mom. A mom who loves her daughter intensely, yet gently. A mom who holds her daughter closely, yet also gives her the space to learn, to thrive, to grow.

I am a mom who cries with her daughter, and in front of her. A woman who is as sensitive as she is strong. I am mom who encourages courteous behavior, a mom who acknowledges the importance of words like “please” and “thank you.” A mom who is teaching her daughter how to ask for help.

I am teaching her it’s okay to ask for help.

But I am also an active mom, a fun mom. Most afternoons, we sing songs in her tent every morning, we run through the park — chasing ducks and little boys. And we go for an “ice cream date” every Tuesday because, well, because it is BOGO day, and I cannot resist a free sundae. We read together. We sing and dance together. We laugh together. 

Because I am a mom — a mom with piercings and tattoos, bright pink hair and a half-shaven head. A mom who loves her daughter.

Fiercely, endlessly, and unconditionally.

Article Posted 12 hours Ago

No, My Tattoos and Piercings Do Not Make Me a "Bad Mom"