The presence of tattoos in the workplace

Photo by Matt G. Borowick, via flickr 

Stephanie Piedrahita/Contributing Writer 

The first time I saw a tattoo up front, it was on the arm of the young cashier in Forever 21 back in middle school. It was a little music note placed carefully at the end of her wrist, right below where her thumb ended. It was rather small—no bigger than a dime—and was etched neatly on her skin. It was a nice little piece and it definitely added some character to the girl in front of me.

My mother on the other hand, couldn’t stop talking about how visible it was. She ranted on about how disrespectful it was to have it out in the open and how easy it would have been to cover it up with a bit of foundation if she hadn’t been “lazy before clocking in.”

I can understand why some people dislike tattoos. Some have tattoos put on their body with the full intention of it being distasteful or maybe even by accident after a few drinks. Some tattoos just come out really bad to be honest. This was just a small music note that did not offend me or anyone else (unless you hate music and other nice things) so I didn’t see what was so wrong with this little display of individualism. Ultimately, I stood by the fact that I thought it was perfectly acceptable for someone to have their tattoos visible while working.

Tattoos have had a bad reputation for years, but as time passes they seem to have become more socially accepted than ever before. I started working in the mall this past summer and made a few friends during my lunch breaks who would tell me how “chill” their managers were with their tattoos. Stores like Hot Topic, Tillys and Quiksilver even encouraged showing off their ink in order to draw in the right kind of crowd. Cool tattoos, cool workers, cool products. Just like that, your tattoo could now make you more hirable compared to a few years back. The down side is that out of the whole mall, only like around 5 stores have staff who are tatted up like that and consider tattoos a tool instead of a crutch.

So why hasn’t this caught on?

It comes down to whether or not the employer considers tattoos as a deal breaker in the hiring process.

Personally, I don’t think ink on skin directly affects how good or bad of a worker someone can be in the workplace. If they are helpful, polite and help me find everything I need and still stay within my college student budget, then they can be covered up in tribal print from their feet to the top of their head for all I care. Half of my co-workers have tattoos and they do their jobs exceptionally well, regardless that they’re showing them or not.

As long as you’re meeting sales goals and maintain a good image by having a good attitude towards the customers, you can get hired anywhere…unless you have a spider web tattooed on your face. Just being realistic.

opinion@fiusm.com