Tattoos and the workplace

[PackMan]

I'm an engineer (Civil) and notice that visible tattoos are a little more common.

I'm really wanting a pin up on my forearm, but i am still debating whether i should or not. I can always cover with long sleeves and in the small city i work, i don't think it would be a big deal. My worry is if i ever wanted to work for a big corporation it might hinder my opportunities.

[str8shuutr45]

I'm an engineer (Civil) and notice that visible tattoos are a little more common.

I'm really wanting a pin up on my forearm, but i am still debating whether i should or not. I can always cover with long sleeves and in the small city i work, i don't think it would be a big deal. My worry is if i ever wanted to work for a big corporation it might hinder my opportunities.

As long as you wear long sleeved shirts in the office and button the gauntlet buttons , no one will notice (unless you show them then all bets are off). In the field you could probably get away with rolling up your sleeves with no issue. You will most likely only meet with Sr. Management or clients in a suit anyway. Incidentally, it's not the size of the company that will give you problems, it's the corporate culture. If you work for a stuck up, ultra "moral" company then you will have issue- big or small. It has been my experience that the culture and mandates of small companies are discriminatory in many ways but can't really be challenged because of their size. Large companies have to be careful because even though they have deep pockets, the one that ends up going after them has the deepest pockets of all - the government.

Screw it, get the pin-up and find a company that will hire you for your skills not your lack of ink.

[PackMan]

Thanks for the info str8. Luckily most of the work I do is managing construction projects and the majority of the people I deal with aren't very uptight. It's just a big step I've got to ponder.

[TrixieFaux]

You'll find you will be judged on your professionalism @TrixieFaux rather than your tattoos. I completely understand the testing of waters though.

I had a Nurse Unit Manager say to me the other day....the staff love it when you come on to the Wards Mick. Now they know you and have attended your training, they're no longer scared, they think it's cool when you bounce the Wards, talk and laugh with them and just be yourself.

On the flip but, I pick my kids up from the extra curricular activities from school rockin jeans and singlets, all the parents avoid me like I'm the plague. Until recently, a couple of them started striking conversations and shit. One mother asked me last week...so Mick, what is it you do for work. I said...oh, I work for the Qld Govt, look after mandatory compliance to assist in National accreditation reviews for 5 major Metro Hospitals. The look on their dials were like pure shock. I love that shit. Yeah, not just some no hoping, tattooed Harley riding thug you envisioned hey. I love educating the straights that we might have a brain too.

Well last year, at my other school I would just pull my sleeves up to my elbows, so tattoos would peek out all the time. Nobody judged me on my professionalism, I had a really good rapport with the parents of my students. But, as I've said before those parents were almost all tattooed (a lot of scratcher stuff). At my new school, there are also a lot of tattooed parents, higher quality work for the most part. This is Hollywood, so things are different here. I'm sure some would judge me, but I'm just trying to gauge how many haha.... and if it would bother my boss. I kind of feel like if my boss is cool with it, so be it, I'll pull up my sleeves from time to time when it's 109 freakin' degrees outside. We are in the worst heat wave of the year right now.

If you came to Hollywood, you would not get that type of avoidance! Most people would be just fine with you and wouldn't be surprised that you had a good job.

[Pugilist]

I agree with @Mick Weder's reflections - there is no dress code in my line of work, and no one would ever say I can't show tattoos as a prof. One of my colleagues has some crappy tattoo on her bicep and she'll wear tank tops in the summer and expose it, so not everyone is as uptight as I am about it. But I feel like even though most of my colleagues think they don't judge a book by its cover, and if asked most would probably say that they don't care I'm tattooed, I am already a young-looking woman in a profession where you typically imagine people with my job to be old white dudes in tweed. I already do a lot to "convince" people to take me seriously professionally, like dressing more formally than many of my colleagues, insisting on using my fancy titles more, etc. And I feel like if I showed my tattoos, it would not help people's general perception of me of not being "professor-like" and that would affect how I'm treated, even if no one explicitly cared about the tattoos. (Maybe it would help my students be more scared of me? Haha.)

I remember that in grad school, the prof who led my doctoral seminar had a tattoo on her wrist. At the time I was stunned to see a professor with a very visible tattoo, especially at my very old school university. But she was older, and she was a pretty huge name in her field, so I think she could pull that shit off by virtue of being so on top of her game that there was no question as to her reputation or competence. I joke a lot that I'll go super visible as a post-tenure gift to myself, haha. :)

But as I've said before, I work at a small conservative university, where many of my colleagues are like, nuns. Literally. At bigger, more progressive universities, I would probably be making very different decisions. So I feel you, @TrixieFaux, in terms of how contextual these decisions are. It's totally a matter of figuring out whether or not the culture of your particular new workplace would have people judging you, explicitly or implicitly, even if your job hasn't changed.

[taaarro]

@Pugilist I also teach at a university and your comment really resonated with me. I'm not young but I'm perceived to be. I'm actually more concerned at this point about hiding my tattoos from my students than colleagues because I don't want the students, many of whom have tattoos, to see me as their peer. And I also fantasize about getting a very visible tattoo--my son's name on my neck by Freddy Corbin--once I'm tenured. Ha.

[OutOfIdeas]

Yup. As a trucker, my tattoos are not an issue. When I went to company orientation, I wore long sleeves to cover up; one of the staff had tattoos, so I sort of whispered to her "can I take this damn long sleeve off??" She just laughed at me. The staff had nothing but positive to say.

Sometimes I have a hard time telling the difference between the truckers and the homeless at the truck stops. I may go a bit longer than I should without shaving, but on the whole I present a pretty professional appearance compared to most truckers. In jeans and a t-shirt!

[DJDeepFried]

I would think the quality of the tattoos counts for something as well as the subject matter. A flower or a mandala is bound to be seen differently than a shrieking zombie dripping with blood and gore -- especially for a schoolteacher. Don't want to scare the kids.

[hogg]

I would think the quality of the tattoos counts for something as well as the subject matter. A flower or a mandala is bound to be seen differently than a shrieking zombie dripping with blood and gore -- especially for a schoolteacher. Don't want to scare the kids.

I respectfully disagree. To non-initiates, a tattoo's a tattoo. They just see that someone is tattooed--not what they have. I have to remind myself of that from time to time. I once asked a non-tattooed coworker to describe 3 of my tattoos. This was a job where I wore T-shirts every day, and he and I were friends. He remembered my kid's name, but admitted that he was stumped beyond that.

[Pugilist]

@Pugilist I also teach at a university and your comment really resonated with me. I'm not young but I'm perceived to be. I'm actually more concerned at this point about hiding my tattoos from my students than colleagues because I don't want the students, many of whom have tattoos, to see me as their peer. And I also fantasize about getting a very visible tattoo--my son's name on my neck by Freddy Corbin--once I'm tenured. Ha.

OMG yes! Tenure necktat club!

[Graeme]

I respectfully disagree. To non-initiates, a tattoo's a tattoo. They just see that someone is tattooed--not what they have. I have to remind myself of that from time to time. I once asked a non-tattooed coworker to describe 3 of my tattoos. This was a job where I wore T-shirts every day, and he and I were friends. He remembered my kid's name, but admitted that he was stumped beyond that.

This isn't work-related, but on that point, when me and @Pugilist were flying to Spain earlier this year I had the misfortune of having my seat next to this uptight, middle-aged woman who couldn't stop fidgeting in her seat for the entire length of the flight. Anyway, I wore long sleeves onto the plane, but when I was settled in, I rolled my sleeves up because we were crammed in economy and it was warm in there. It didn't really matter that I have nice tattoos (or that I was wearing a nice shirt at the time either), that lady saw a guy with long hair, a long beard, and tattoos on his forearms and it made her uncomfortable to the point that when she got up to go to the bathroom during the flight she took her purse and ipad with her, presumably because somebody who looks like me is going to steal her stuff. On a flight. And whatever, I don't really give a shit because a) I've made a choice about how I look, and part of that is understanding that some people associate that look with unsavoury characters (as if the real crooks aren't the ones with the expensive suits and haircuts); b) I like that tattoos still scare at least some people, and I hope this is always the case. But basically the point I'm trying to make here is that for people who aren't interested in tattoos, they're not going to notice artistry and craftsmanship. A tattoo is a tattoo to them.

[marley mission]

honestly i assume everyone is trying to steal my unattended stuff :)

maybe its a northeast thing

[Mick Weder]

Agree with all of the above. When a person decides they're going to be that closed off and judge solely on the overall appearance, design and craftsmanship, ya right doesn't weigh in as a factor.

Mind you, to a point but, I think we're all still quite conscious that what we may drill onto our hands and neck has to be very particular as opposed to what we may choose for placement in an area that can be covered when we choose yeah?

Like, I love old time wizardry symbolism as much as I might love a deaths head design. Not that the deaths head is an exact representation of a certain political belief, believe me, it ain't that deep for me, although, placement I think is important because we're all right on one level here, the GP or PC brigade can't fathom why to begin with, so that narrow minded perception is going to be quite relevant to a point. So, I would choose quite particularly that the wizard slams the neck pipe, the Deaths Head somewhere a little more private. In a fucked up, early morning kind of way, I think I get what @DJDeepFried is saying here.

Anyway, fuck this. I'm skipping work today. It's Spring, a slight N Wester is breezing, and I'm chasing the wind today with some brothers. The wind in our face, sun on our backs, chasing a dream...that should be in the awesome thread

[Knitrocks]

I work in a group home for people with disabilities. Almost all of my coworkers are tattooed. The tattoos are never an issue. Except among some of our clients older family members :) In Norway I think tattoos are very common and highly accepted.

[DJDeepFried]

I respectfully disagree. To non-initiates, a tattoo's a tattoo. They just see that someone is tattooed--not what they have. I have to remind myself of that from time to time. I once asked a non-tattooed coworker to describe 3 of my tattoos. This was a job where I wore T-shirts every day, and he and I were friends. He remembered my kid's name, but admitted that he was stumped beyond that.

That's funny, @hogg, cos I've only met you once and I can name at least three of your tattoos and who did them -- not including your backpiece that I've only seen in a book.

[hogg]

That's funny, @hogg, cos I've only met you once and I can name at least three of your tattoos and who did them -- not including your backpiece that I've only seen in a book.

Ha! The sign of a true initiate (with a very nice dragon half sleeve on your arm).

[Kapolani]

I'm a software engineer.

I often times have to give presentations to high ranking officials within the military on what my software does.

I have decided to start with a half-sleeve. I think I will eventually like to move to a full-sleeve, but want to work my way to it.

I look at it this way: as long as your shit is squared away, it shouldn't matter if you have tattoo's or not.

Monday should be interesting since I often times wear polo shirts and jeans. My polo shirt won't cover the work I got done this weekend.

[Graeme]

Ha! The sign of a true initiate (with a very nice dragon half sleeve on your arm).

I believe it's three quarters.

ROSS HOGG, BANHAMMER THYSELF!

[DJDeepFried]

I believe it's three quarters.

ROSS HOGG, BANHAMMER THYSELF!

S'okay, I give him a reprieve.

[PinkUnicorn]

From the BBC: BBC News - 'I lost a job because of my tattoos'

Readers have been getting in touch about their experiences of terminated job interviews, losing out on promised promotions and leaving jobs because of their tattoos.

It followed a Magazine article which asked whether discrimination against people with tattoos should be banned in the workplace.

Here are some of their stories.

[keepcalm]

A quote from the above BBC link: "Words like 'untidy', 'repugnant' and 'unsavoury' were all used to describe the perception clients were likely to gain of the organisation if someone decorated in this way was hired."

A question I ponder occasionally:

What will it take for the general public to stop seeing tattoos and tattooed folk in such a negative light?

time? a generational shift? both? the publicizing of quality work instead of the often-dumb tattoos celebrities get? ha

The Getty stock photography collection inspired by that "Lean In" book (which I haven't read and don't necessarily regard) has been a cool thing to watch unfold: It would be so cool if more companies started buying and using stock images of tattooed moms and dads, etc., in their advertising. Check the first photo in this article, for ex.

[Pugilist]

If tattooing wasn't perceived as taboo, would people still want tattoos?

[HettyKet]

I'd say so, it's a pretty primal instinct.

[Graeme]

A question I ponder occasionally:

What will it take for the general public to stop seeing tattoos and tattooed folk in such a negative light?

time? a generational shift? both? the publicizing of quality work instead of the often-dumb tattoos celebrities get? ha

The Getty stock photography collection inspired by that "Lean In" book (which I haven't read and don't necessarily regard) has been a cool thing to watch unfold: It would be so cool if more companies started buying and using stock images of tattooed moms and dads, etc., in their advertising. Check the first photo in this article, for ex.

I might be in the minority here in having this opinion, but I hope the general public doesn't stop seeing tattoos and tattooed people in a negative light. I have a hard time having sympathy or patience for people who claim that they're discriminated against because of their tattoos, especially when these people work in shitty low-wage, low-job security jobs. Where I work I saw a guy with a nice neck tattoo have an interview to be a busboy. Guess what? He didn't get the job, because if you're getting your neck tattooed while applying for jobs that pretty much any chump off the street can competently do, you're a dumbass. I probably wouldn't hire you either.

For me, part of getting tattooed and becoming an increasingly heavily tattooed person is accepting and taking on something that most people don't understand and being okay with it. I think that responsibility, that willingness to put yourself at the margins, is an important part of getting tattooed, especially when into getting into less concealable areas.

[asradin]

I might be in the minority here in having this opinion, but I hope the general public doesn't stop seeing tattoos and tattooed people in a negative light. I have a hard time having sympathy or patience for people who claim that they're discriminated against because of their tattoos, especially when these people work in shitty low-wage, low-job security jobs. Where I work I saw a guy with a nice neck tattoo have an interview to be a busboy. Guess what? He didn't get the job, because if you're getting your neck tattooed while applying for jobs that pretty much any chump off the street can competently do, you're a dumbass. I probably wouldn't hire you either.

For me, part of getting tattooed and becoming an increasingly heavily tattooed person is accepting and taking on something that most people don't understand and being okay with it. I think that responsibility, that willingness to put yourself at the margins, is an important part of getting tattooed, especially when into getting into less concealable areas.

Could not agree with this more. It's something a lot of people I speak to don't understand. In the most basic way I can put it, I got tattooed to be different, not accepted by the general public. I don't think my job or someone I don't know should have to accept what I do on my own time and with my body. If they do awesome, if not then it's probably someone/something I wouldn't want to have anything to do with in a personal sence anyway.