By: Abby D.
I had originally planned to write about the third and final presidential debate, but after fumbling about and seeing how many other posts on the blog were about the candidates, I figured I’d add a little something new.
With the increasingly popular addition of tattoos on young people’s bodies, a certain question arises to the more intelligent and ambitious minds: Will this affect a possible career someday? Unfortunately, in some cases, the answer is a strict yes. There are certain companies that maintain a strict policy against visible tattoos; mostly companies that deal with the public.
According to Human Resources managers, when questioned about the subject of a possible employee with visible tattoos versus a possible employee with no visible tattoos, almost every single HR would choose the more clean cut applicant.
Tattoos have an interesting history, as shown in a bulleted list below, according to an article on "Business Tips" by Burleson Consulting.
- 1850 - 1900 - Tattoos used to be the bastion of carnival freak shows, with people flocking to the circus to see the amazing tattooed Lady.
- 1900 - 1950 - Tattoos in the early 20th century indicated a Sailor or Marine. In these cases, they did not have any social stigma, except that tattoos were generally indicative of enlisted men. Few Navy or Marine officers dared to draw on their body.
- 1950 - 1960 - In the early 1950's, tattoos became popular with the criminal element, mostly outlaw bikers, social outcasts and the mentally ill. It was during this time tattoos took on a more ominous reputation.
- 1960 - 1990 - This was the age of "prison tats" where having a tattoo indicated to some people that you were a tough, ignorant, convicted felon.
- 1990-2008 - Today we see hordes of low-class young people drawing on themselves with free abandon, (almost 30% of people in the 1980's). These people do not understand that a tattoo may effectively prohibit them from pursuing a professional career, regardless of their other qualifications.
The man who wrote this article obviously has a biased opinion, one that does not approve of tattoos, but it still gives an interesting background of how tattoos came to be popular. When it comes to smaller businesses, visible tattoos are usually more accepted, probably due to the more informal work environment and friendlier atmosphere. Some well known companies with strict guidelines on visible tattoos are Geico Insurance, U. S. Postal Service, Starwood Hotels and Dennys restaurants.
Though the first amendment of the Constitution states freedom of expression, speech, and the press, companies still have a right to ban employees with tattoos in the workplace. It is argued that tattoos can have a negative impact on the image of the company, so it’s legal to ban them.
So this is my question to you, what do you think?
I think that this is a true statement about tattoos. If I were a manager that was about to hire some person, I would want the more clean person. I have nothing against tattoos but they do make the person look a little more unprofessional looking when they are on the job. So all in all tattoos will be affecting the outcome of whether you are going to get the job or not.
ReplyDeleteDaniel Wettstein
I think that it makes sense that companies can ban people from jobs because of tattoos because it is offensive to some people/customers. I do think however that if they are hidden while on the job, they shouldn't be resigned or denied. I agree with Daniel that I don't have a problem, but if it is visible, it's not professional.
ReplyDeleteShannon Douglas
I do agree with companies who state that having visible tattoos makes the person seem less professional and may have a form of intimidation. Even though I believe the business should be strict on appearance, it seems like more and more people are getting tattoos to where it is becoming normal. I believe that it is also unconstitutional to not hire someone who is expressing their views.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I would like to thank you for posting something other than politics. I am getting pretty tired of all of it. I think it is ridiculous that companies would not hire someone with tattoos, even if said person is well qualified for the job. Just because a person chose to express themselves on their own body, doesn't automatically make them a thug. We should all have the right to do with our bodies what we want. If you can conceal the tattoos under clothing, I don't see what the issue is.
ReplyDeleteAbby Rae,
ReplyDeleteGreat job of picking a creative new topic, that still relates to the constitution. Of course, we, the people of America have the right of freedom, speech, press and etc, so why should tattoos cause such a stir?
To be honest, I am indifferent about tattoos. I see both sides and understand peoples reasoning. The first side states tattoos are a distraction and look unprofessional when it comes to the work force. Depending on what kind of tattoo you have and where it is placed, I agree that it can be distracting- especially during job interviews, or working with costumers. Some tattoos are incredibly gaudy and outrageous and in my mind randomly put; especially when they cannot be hidden. The site http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=720623 states “tattoos are considered unprofessional in more conservative companies/geographic areas
Then there is the other side – the side where tattoos have meaning and express peoples personality and feelings. I know of a girl who lost her mom and had the “mother” tattooed on her back in Chinese. This was symbolic and special to my friend and meant that she will never forget her mom and hold a special place in her heart. When it has such a sentimental reason, I feel it is more understandable to have one. I, along with many bosses and people in business, most likely agree that if people are going to have a tattoo, it should be put somewhere that it can be hidden with clothing or something.
In general, this is a great topic to discuss. Good Job Abby!
-Molly Hilgart
Abby,
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I just wanted to state that I liked how you picked such a unique, interesting subject that is highly discussed amongst others. Tattoos are looked at differently from different perspectives. I know that when my older brother, Somy got his first tattoo my parents shunned him. They disowned him and thought that it was the worst decision he could make in his life. Little did they know that his tattoos had meanings to them and I think that's what people now a days don't understand. Like you listed in your article above tattoos had many different meanings, but times have changed. Today, people get a tattoo that resembles something. People don't know that every tattoo has a meaning behind it.
Unfortunately, there are many businesses and jobs out there that want the clean cut look. We are trying to compete with nations like China or Japan to be on top. I mean, I'm not saying that you shouldn't get a tattoo to work at the job you want, but get a tattoo that isn't so visible. They also have white ink tattoos, so that's not really an issue.
All in all, businesses shouldn't really judge a person just because of a tattoo. It's a way of art, a way of expressing yourself, a way of remembering someone/something. During an interview or something the interviewer should ask what that person's tattoo means. Every tattoo has a story behind it.
In the business world, the main objective is to gain money and if you as a manager of your company believe a person with tattoos can hurt them by losing money then I think it is perfectly fine not to hire them. If they are going to hurt the company in a negative way, it is the managers duty to not let that happen.
ReplyDeleteAbby I absolutely love that you chose this article. We recently had a talk about this with Mr. Douglass in our Model UN class. We talked about how now to be hired at Pewaukee you are not allowed to have any visible tattoos on your body. Most of us agreed that we thought that this new rule was very dumb because to some people these tattoos are a form of art for them. Unfortunately people with tattoos have a negative reputation which could ultimately affect your company. This is really unfortunate for some really good people who have tattoos just because it is deemed to be a distraction and not a good influence on the company.
ReplyDeleteAbby thanks for mixing things up by putting in a different blog topic than the usual. I am all for people expressing themselves in whatever way they want, but companies also have the right to express themselves as well. Based on the history you gave, you can see how a negative conotation can be recieved with tattoos, so I think it's perfectly fine for companies to insist that their employees cover up their tattoos while on the job. Appearence means alot these days, and companies need to make sure their employees look profesional and put together in order to make the best first impression on the customer. If companies believe that tattos are not proffesional enough for the office place, then that is their choice.
ReplyDeleteI think that on some levels, it is considered unprofessional to have tattoos. This all depends on what the tattoo looks like and where it is placed on the body. If the tattoo is unexposed on the job, people won’t see it, therefore it’s okay. If your tattoo is pouring out on the job, it’s distracting and unprofessional. People are obviously still going to get tattoos; so they have to be careful of what it looks like and where on the body it’s located. Personally, I think that it would be unfair to not give someone a job because they have a tattoo, it’s just colored skin. Like I mentioned before, the only negative thing about having a tattoo on the job is if the tattoo is being exposed and the message of the tattoo.
ReplyDeleteIn todays society tattoos are looked as to be dirty and something people dont want to see. Its crazy how people judge people just off of little things like that. its been around since the 1850s, thats a very long time. Having a tat could force you not to get a job that you could be very sucessful in..
ReplyDelete-devin
Both sides of the story seem reasonable, however having tattoos should not affect if you get hired or not for a job. Just because someone has tattoos doesn’t mean they should have a change in their career/job. However I do think it’s reasonable for a company to ask their employees to cover up their tattoos because if someone’s tattoos are negatively affecting a company it’s fine for that company to ask them to cover them up.
ReplyDeleteI think that tattoos do, and will always effect ones opinion about a person, no matter what. Especially when it comes to the professional world people don't like to see someone covered in tattoos. Because frankly it just doesn't look professional, although more and more people are getting tattoos I still think everyone is going to think differently about you, especially when you can see the tattoos, and mostly when you are applying for a job.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, the picture of the guy with the tattoos at the top is amazing because with his doctors' jacket on, you would have never even known he has tattoos. The two pictures look completely different and that amazes me. I feel that it’s the companies decision whether or not to hire someone because of their tattoos or not, but, if you dress appropriately for an interview they wouldn’t of known. IF they ask if you have tattoos and base it on your answer of "yes" or "no" and if the answer is yes and say they don’t hire you than i guess that the companies decision. I’d say if you can’t see the tattoos and they are covered up on the job, why not hire the person, there’s no harm done, but if they are showing during work that’s a different story. It’s a good thing for the company you are working for to look clean cut at work.
ReplyDeleteThe picture showing the guy in what he looks like in his career uniform versus the way he looks without it adds a questionable argument to this topic. Personally, I don't think it should matter when being hired for a job if your tattoos are not present on the job. However, I completely understand why businesses do it. Though people call tattoos a form of art and expression, we all have to admit that at one point or another we've judged someone just based on their tattoos. I agree with Anthony when he says it just doesn't look professional. Companies are they're to make money and they hire people who think they will help make that money. In reality, someone who looks clean cut is going to attract more people than someone who has visible tattoos everywhere. When someone makes the decision to get a tattoo, it is a personal decision. Since that has nothing to do with a career path they choose, they should keep it in their personal life. Therefore, one should not be surprised if they don't get hired at a job because of visible tattoos.
ReplyDeleteI think that companies have the right to ban them but that it is stupid to do so. Certain tattoos could have certain meanings to people. The things that are on some people's bodies could have been the difference between life and death for them and no one should be able to say that you cannot show that. You should be proud of who you are and what you have gone through and you shouldn't have to hide those things. If companies are asking you to cover something that has changed your life then maybe that just isn't the right place for you to be.
ReplyDelete