Tattoo/piercing policy at your work?

What's the policy at your work (or in most workplaces)? Hidden tattoos shouldn't be a problem right?

I want a tattoo on my forearm and because I always wear long sleeve shirts at work I can't imagine a concealed tattoo could hurt my reputation, what do you think?

My biggest fear would be say bumping into my boss outside of work while I'm wearing a short sleeve shirt. I know, I know, everyone's first idea would be "well genius don't get a tattoo", but I'd like to think times have changed and a boss would have no right to terminate your position for a HIDDEN tattoo?

Any thoughts?

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Comments

jarjar

The issue I see is not "can they terminate me for a tattoo", but "will it be a stigma in their mind when they think about me". Whether it be conscience or not, will they hold it against me? Of course we can't go through life completely restricting our every decision on what others think of us, but I personally think that I must temper my desire for personal expression when it comes down to my career. Is it right? No. But this is not a fight I can afford to lose. But this is just my experience and opinion.

And whatever you do, don't get curse words on your knuckles.....

jovan88

jarjar wrote:

don't get curse words on your knuckles.....

haha but its so coool

you're right they probably wouldn't FIRE me, but their opinion of me could change, i guess whatever i do i just gotta hide it well and look respectable

Slowhand

Honestly, a hidden tattoo won't be a problem in a rational company. As long as it's not a tarantula inked across your face or "LOVE/HATE" across your knuckles, you should be more than alright. If you're thinking of getting something on your arm, and a shirt covers it, it's your business and not theirs. A company that would have a reaction to you having a conceiled tattoo, especially if it was found out about outside of work, is not only a company that you may want to get away from, but one that will find itself in legal hot water sooner than later.

My recommendation, check your employee handbook or company policy to see what their stance on tattoos is. If you can't figure it out, I'd suggest a private meeting with your HR manager and ask the question flat-out. Don't act like you're doing anything wrong, simply ask as matter-of-factly as you can what the policy of tattoos, piercings, etc. are at work, hidden or otherwise. In this day and age, it's common enough that almost all companies have some sort of written policy on the subject. In reality, though, I highly doubt that you'd get in trouble from the scenario you've described.

jarjar

jovan88 wrote:

jarjar wrote:

don't get curse words on your knuckles.....

haha but its so coool

you're right they probably wouldn't FIRE me, but their opinion of me could change, i guess whatever i do i just gotta hide it well and look respectable

The reason I said that was a job I had in Florida (Fark does give it its own tag...). A guy got the eff bomb on one set of knuckles and the word "you" on the other set. It was one of the funniest things ever...but not for him.

I do have a young coworker (26...oh FSM, I am getting old) who has some awesome tattoos on his arms and legs. He keeps them well hidden at work.

vCole

One of my three tattoos is on my right inner wrist. I do wear short sleeves & no one has a problem with it.

LarryDaMan

I want to get one of those tattoos on my face that indicate that I may have killed someone. I need to command a little more respect in the workplace.

dynamik

I was actually wondering when a thread like this would pop up. The sales reps have nothing visible, but there's no restrictions back in the shop/production area.

You could always just move it to your upper arm. That would help minimize exposure (which might defeat the purpose), and you could still show it off at the gym, beach, etc.

As far as piercings go, there's plenty you can get that aren't visible. If you're not man enough to go that route, they must not be that important to you.

No, I'm not talking about your belly button. That's gross.

oo_snoopy

I'm thinking I should get a Perl 4 Lyfe on my knuckles to show all the other programmers that I mean business.

networker050184

I have tattoos on my arms and I have never gotten any grief about it. Times have changed and a lot of the younger people coming up in IT are not your average looking business person anymore. I wouldn't get anything that would show in a suit or a long sleeve shirt though.

As far as piercings go, a lot of places I have seen are pretty open on earrings as long as they are not too large of a gauge, but I wouldn't get any other piercing that would be visible in normal work attire.

If you go into something that is very client facing focused you will be stuck in the long sleeves all the time though.

/usr

I have tattoos and they have never been an issue where I work. I think networker hit the nail on the head. Tattoos are becoming much, much more commonplace and accepted than they once were.

I have actually had many "older" people see my tattoos, then quickly show me theirs. I'm 25...so by older, I'm talking like 40's.

If I go someplace that I consider important, I will wear a long sleeve shirt.

I think that as long as you're responsible (again, like networker said, don't get anything that couldn't be covered with minimal clothing, such as a long sleeve shirt and jeans).

laidbackfreak

/usr wrote:

I have actually had many "older" .

oi less of that you young whipper snapper.......

i celebrated my 40th this year.... and currently have 6 tattoo's.....

all custom work and the only one that can be seen when im wearing short's n t-shirt is a small triskell on the inside of my left wrist.... thats usally covered by my watch in the work place...

the others include a full back-piece soon to be a 3/4 body suit when i get the work down the backs of my thights done.....

ive also got a couple of piercings but none that show publicly...... id get arrested for other offences if they were on show....

like others have said as long as there covered its not usually an issue.....
most folks around me know I have them, but my customer base dont ever see them......

certainly never been an issue for me and most people are surprised to find out I have any.... but then my work and social persona's are different..... and I keep it that way

Technowiz

oo_snoopy wrote:

I'm thinking I should get a Perl 4 Lyfe on my knuckles to show all the other programmers that I mean business.

I know a guy that has a keyboard tattooed on his forearm. Actually looks pretty cool! If you ever go to something like Defcon you will see plenty of folks who have piercings, tattoos, and pretty eccentric fashion sense. And many of those same people are well respected experts in the Infosec field. I have to think that this kind of appearance works against you in the corporate world especially among the older generation that you will probably be working for. But being exceptionally good at what you do can overcome a lot of that.

Chuu

Really depends on where. As a lot of people have said certain tatoos are essentially mainstream these days, others are not. if you're the type of person who wants a tattoo, do you really want to work somewhere, where the corporate culture is so strict that you couldn't get one if you wanted to?

Info-sec is a special case. You're almost expected to have essentricies if you work on the theoretical side of the field. Goes with the category I guess.

pwjohnston

I have 3 and use to have a few things pierced. The visible ones are generally the only issue. But I try to keep them on my upper biceps so I can wear short sleeves. Wearing long sleeves in the hot Philly summer is ridiculous. I think however, it really depends on your work and region. I'm from the Mid-West and the policies were fairly strict out there, but in Philly I've seen tattoos in places I never thought I would have seen in certain settings.

Ples I think the "stigma" of tattoos only really applies to the over 30 er maybe over 40 set. I'm 29 and know very few people without something.

There was a website, I can't find now, listing may major organizations and their policies. Oh well.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/worklife/06/19/too.tattooed.to.work/

http://www.salary.com/advice/layouthtmls/advl_display_nocat_Ser64_Par140.html

pwjohnston

Technowiz wrote:

I know a guy that has a keyboard tattooed on his forearm. Actually looks pretty cool!

That's funny, I saw a guy the other day with a keytar tattoo on his forearm. It looked good, but I still thought was kinda lame.

Kaminsky

jarjar wrote:

... A guy got the eff bomb on one set of knuckles and the word "you" on the other set. It was one of the funniest things ever...

Gonna sound a real kiljoy hear but wth did he expect was going to happen ? How funny is that going to be in 20 years and how much will it have held his career back ?

dynamik wrote:

As far as piercings go, there's plenty you can get that aren't visible. If you're .. man enough

OW OW OW !!!!

jarjar

Kaminsky wrote:

jarjar wrote:

... A guy got the eff bomb on one set of knuckles and the word "you" on the other set. It was one of the funniest things ever...

Gonna sound a real kiljoy hear but wth did he expect was going to happen ? How funny is that going to be in 20 years and how much will it have held his career back ?

I did say it was Florida...

royal

Just don't look like this:

I don't care if people have tattoos as long as it doesn't make them look like a freak.

scheistermeister

Go with glow in the dark only ink...

brad-

jovan88 wrote:

What's the policy at your work (or in most workplaces)?

The bible forbids them, thats all you need to know

laidbackfreak

brad- wrote:

The bible forbids them, thats all you need to know

and what happens if you dont believe in the bible........

Ricka182

I have a tattoo on each of my forearms, one with a little skull and tribal, and the other just some tribal design I drew up.....never had anyone say anything, except for one guy who was busting my ass on them as a joke. It turns out he had full sleeves of tatts...of course, he always wore long sleeve shirts, so it was never a problem.

It comes down to how far the company wants to push on it's moral policies. They technically can't do anything as long as you don't appear unprofessional. Having them covered up is the best way to avoid an issue. And as far as the offsite encounter...again, nothing they can do legally, but yeah some people may change their opinion. Those people are usually stupid.

royal wrote:

Just don't look like this:

I don't care if people have tattoos as long as it doesn't make them look like a freak.

As for this guy, someone should shoot him. I say that because it makes me sick that people actually pay for his appearances. He's no lizard, not even close. He's disgusting, at least IMO....couldn't care less what his supporters or fans say. But hey, it's his body, and being a complete tool makes him happy, then so be it. I'm clearly not a fan of sideshow freaks.....

undomiel

I look at him and think, "Wow, seems like someone's a bit too close to their AD&D module."

(Ha, I called it AD&D, that shows I've been away for a while!)

dynamik

Ricka182 wrote:

As for this guy, someone should shoot him. I say that because it makes me sick that people actually pay for his appearances. He's no lizard, not even close. He's disgusting, at least IMO....couldn't care less what his supporters or fans say. But hey, it's his body, and being a complete tool makes him happy, then so be it. I'm clearly not a fan of sideshow freaks.....

I wouldn't call myself a fan or supporter of his, but that's a really ignorant viewpoint. He's a poster-boy for body mods. That's what he's into. Who cares? There's tons of interviews with him floating around. He doesn't take himself seriously at all and actually seems like a decent guy.

It's easy to make fun of people like him, but remember that the people who originated what are now common piercing and tattoo practices were probably looked down upon in their time too. Who knows? Maybe eyebrow implants will be a common occurrence amongst our great grand-children

Whatever he decides to do doesn't affect anyone else, and therefore it's really none of my business. If I don't want to look at him (which I really don't), I'll go luck at something else. Problem solved.

Ricka182

I'm not a fan of body modding either. Yes I understand that getting a tattoo is a form of body modification; but the whole concept of freedom of expression via being a freak is just plain dumb, in my opinion. It's how I feel, and I don't pay any attention to them. I've seen that guy on TV before too, he does not impress me with what he's done at all. Again, that's just me, and I understand that some people think it's so cool....I just don't see why. Maybe I'm too much of a conformist.....I'm not making fun of him either. I'm far from perfect as are you and anyone else. Perfection can't be acheived without a standard definition, and there will never be a globally accepted definition of perfect. That's the idea of free expression. What I think is completely awful and unneccesary, he think's is great. Good for him. I think he's an idiot, and not that he advertises himself to be a role model; but I'm sure there's at least a few kids who want to grow up and be another lizard man.....yeah, they'll grow out of it maybe but again, it's just a difference in opinion....

dynamik

Saying it's stupid and saying he should be shot are two very different things. I think it's dumb too, but it's his life and not a concern of mine.

Ricka182

Point taken.

d4nz1g

Technowiz wrote: »

I have to think that this kind of appearance works against you in the corporate world especially among the older generation that you will probably be working for. But being exceptionally good at what you do can overcome a lot of that.

Said it all.