“Phone Topic Tuesday”: Tattoo Acceptance In The Workplace!

I am lucky in the fact that I'm in a career that doesn't seem to care too much about me having over 60 tattoos and multiple body piercings.  Working for a rock station, allows me as much freedom in my appearance as the artists that I play on the air.   Not everyone is so lucky.  I have a friend who works for a major cell phone carrier at their corporate store.  He is a very hygenic, clean looking fellow who happens to have two full sleeves and a backpiece filled with beautiful art.  Corporate policy for him is that all tattoos must be covered.  So when it's 95 degrees outside, and pretty warm in his store as well, he is wearing long sleeves.  That's the choice he's made.

I saw on the news the other night that that 4-in-10 people between the ages of 18 and 29 have at least one tattoo. But will those tattoos mean problems when it comes to employment? While many more people these days may have tattoos, it is safe to say that image still matters in getting and keeping a job -- perhaps more than ever.

"A study conducted by CareerBuilder.com found that 37 percent of HR managers cite tattoos as the third physical attribute most likely to limit career potential,"  (Obvious, non-ear piercings topped the list, followed by bad breath.)

The key to succeeding is getting a feel for the culture of a workplace. When it comes to the issue of whether ink will affect your livelihood, it really depends on where you hope to get work.

There seems to be many jobs and careers where tattoos are acceptable: auto, military, construction, design, film, music, digital media, styling, athletics, etc

But there are still many offices where body art isn't so acceptable. If you are looking to work in business, government, education, medicine, law --ink can often send the wrong message to employers and clients: that you are trying to rebel.

Today on "Phone Topic Tuesday" I'd like to hear from you on this subject.   Has having body art kept you from getting a job?   Do you have tattoos you have to hide at work?  Or, are you like me and work in a gig where it's not only accepted, but perhaps expected.  Call me after 2pm today to chime in at 1-888-900-WGBF.

Here a couple of facebook pages on this subject. Tattoo Acceptance and Tattoo Acceptance In The Workplace.