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Stop Discrimination Against People With
Tattoos & Piercings In The Workplace. They say every civilian has freedom of
expression, but what happens when that is overlooked in the
workplace?
People who are sporting tattoos/piercings/ and body
modifications, are immediately judged and typically obligated to
hide their tattoos, remove their piercings, essentially hiding
who they are, in order to put food on the table. Does
Anyone Else See Something Wrong?
A 2006 a study done by the Journal of the American
Academy of Dermatology found that 24% of
Americans between 18 and
50 are tattooed; that's almost one in four. And the
survey showed that about
36% of Americans age 18
to 29 have at least one tattoo!
Make no mistake about it, the tattoo industry is hot
property. There are an estimated 20,000+ parlors operating in
the United States, according to a U.S. News & World Report
article, which said, on the average, an establishment is being
added in the country every day.
The article ranked tattooing as the sixth fastest
growing retail venture of the 1990s, right behind Internet,
paging services, bagels, computer and cellular phone service
In July of 2002 "tattoos"
reached its highest ranking ever, coming in as the number two
most requested search term on the internet. "Tattoos"
was requested more often than Britney Spears, marijuana or Kazaa,
illustrating that skin ink is more popular than "sex,
drugs and rock n' roll!"
LA fashion week reminds us once again that trends come and
go. But, while the Devil may wear Prada, Search Engine
Ask.com reveals that
tattoos have been stealing the scene as the #1 searched beauty term
since 2003. No longer taboo, the popularity of
tattoos prove that skin is always in.
Many employers have a cookie cutter
mentality of how their workers should dress and be perceived.
Surprisingly, Starbucks, the McDonald’s of the
coffee world, doesn’t allow their baristas to show tats or
piercings; all tats must be covered up and piercings removed.
They’re going for the crisp, clean look and want to let their
coffee — rather than the worker’s appearance—do the talking.
If you don’t like the Starbucks
policy, you might try using a smaller, local coffeehouse.
One of our Members wrote - I had an interview
with a heating and air conditioning company (CoolRay
Heating and Air) They are based out in Georgia.
Basically they couldn't hire me because of my appearance! I have
tattoos and my ears are pierced! I was denied a job even though
i was highly qualified and passed there test for experience.
At the other end of the spectrum, some
companies are embracing visibly tattooed employees who they
believe may help them project a hipper atmosphere, as well as
attract younger workers who may not feel welcome in more
conservative environments.
The Times Are Changing
While some employers cringe at bodywork and piercings, others
are embracing it. If you choose a position where you don’t
interact with clients, or are pursuing an artistic career,
you’re more likely not to have a problem at work. Here is the
official policy of some employers at the time of this writing:
• The nation’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart, doesn’t allow facial
piercings (i.e. eyebrow, nose or lip). They do allow tattoos
that aren’t offensive; ‘offensive’ tattoos must be covered up.
• Borders, one of the nation’s largest book sellers, views body
art and piercings as something that makes a worker more
interesting and a definite plus.
• Ford Motor Company allows everyone from Senior Executives on
down to have tattoos and piercings. The only exception is that
factory workers are asked to refrain from piercings that could
endanger factory settings and/or worker safety.
• Wahoo’s, a California-based chain of fish taco restaurants,
allows their employees to strut their tattoos in the restaurants
and in the corporate office (specifically graphic designers, and
even the owner).
• Bank of America. A spokesman for the
company verified its policy: “A tattoo is not a factor in hiring
a skilled professional who is the right person for the job.”
• Whole
Foods Market, based in Austin, Texas, allows its
individual store team leaders to write their own dress codes.
For example, one store allows its employees to have tattoos,
providing the images aren't offensive.
• Cross Country Automotive Services, provides
emergency roadside assistance to drivers all over America. They
have three call centers, and they do NOT discriminate against
their Customer Service Representatives when it comes to body
art.
Tattoos are increasingly accepted in certain
fields, such as entertainment, high-tech and some niche retail
areas. Drilled Nation will be listing scores of employers
who hire people with visible tattoos and piercings.
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@ Gold Coast Convention Centre
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British Airways Employee in Trouble for Tattoo Discrimination
Good
Charlotte rocker Joel Madden was forced to cover up the many
tattoos on his arms before boarding a plane in London the other
day. Within hours, word of this got out in the media, and
British Airways, the company with which Madden flew, issued a
statement saying that the employee to enforce such a regulation
would be reprimanded for the sole reason that it does not exist,
TMZ informs.
The strange occurrence took place as Madden was about to get on
a plane to the US. He was told by a British Airways employee
that he could not board the plane in the sleeveless t-shirt he
was wearing, presumably because he might have caused fear and
suspicion in the other passengers. Consequently, he was asked to
cover up – which he inevitably did, as paparazzi photos show him
at the airport, about to get on the plane, dressed in a hoodie
with sleeves.
Now, the airline company is saying that, whatever measures the
employee took to ensure the safety of the passengers, they were
completely inappropriate and uncalled for since there are no
regulations in place in this sense. Consequently, the employee,
whose name has not been made public for the media, is being
reprimanded for being overzealous and for what celebrity
magazines have branded as “tattoo discrimination.”
“We don’t understand
why the employee took it upon himself to enforce regulations
that don’t exist.” British Airways is telling TMZ in an official
statement regarding the so-called measure the employee took on
the spot by telling Madden to cover up. Nevertheless, the
company does not mention the kind of punishment that awaits the
overzealous employee, or whether it plans to issue an official
apology to Madden for the incident.
The rocker, on his part, took to his Twitter account to speak
out about it, saying that he was extremely embarrassed about it,
especially as “all the people were staring and laughing.”
Moreover, he hints, he should not have been put in this
situation since all his tattoos have a religious or sentimental
value, as Nicole Richie revealed a while back as well. Also on
Twitter, Madden says he plans to write to British Airways
regarding the incident, so keep an eye on this space to see how
this turns out.
