Body Modifications in the Workplace.

[ÆƵ–]

No articles or anything, but what are your thoughts on visable body modifications (piercings/gauges, tattoos, unusually colored hair, etc.) in the work place?

 

As someone with a visable body mod, I think that it shouldn't be as big a deal as it is. Like, the color of my hair should not dictate weather I'm hireable or not.

 

But I'm biased af, so how bout y'all? Thoughts and or opinions?

[Flash Flyer - Sakura]

Outside of clearly offensive tattoos [i.e. racial slurs, nudity, etc] and otherwise symbols that affiliate you with a gang or some other criminal activity, I honestly don't mind people who have tattoos or something. Heck, my supervisor at work (and a couple colleagues) have tattoos on their arms / legs, but permissible stuff like their name or some other things. Only thing that might be disconcerting is maybe a nose ring, however much pain you put yourself through to do that. If you want to wear earrings and stuff, fine, but make sure you aren't fidgeting with them when you're supposed to be working. 

 

That being said, my employee conduct book mentions that we do have to keep hairstyles a normal color for professionalism. Not sure if that's just a copy/paste from the mainland company and not enforced here, or that got outdated. So yeah, don't think weird hair is enforced much (though haven't seen other guys at the water park with blue hair or something). I've seen guys with blue hair at Hot Topic when I buy clothes, but that's a different environment. In other words, just look natural when you come to work. 

 

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A lot of the restrictions on body modifications are likely to deal with you looking professional, because you represent the business/company as a whole. In more casual jobs like said clothing store and the water park where I work part-time, it's more of a relaxed setting so you can get away with a few more things like tattoos. For more formal jobs, yeah, you have to look dignified. (That, and tattoos usually have negative connotations with gangs and so forth; though not the case down here [afaik])

[Fusion X. Denver]

I'd say my overall attitude towards the idea is that it's fine, it just mainly depends on the industry.

Like if you're part of waitstaff at a fancy high-end restaurant, I feel like you should be dressed and styled more conventionally. But other restaurants, I don't think it should matter.

If you're a high-ranking businessperson and/or you're meeting with clients and partners, you'd pretty much need to not have any of that visible. Even if you and I are open-minded about appearances, they mean everything when conducting business, especially if it's done on a first impression/meeting.

Your appearance is a statement, and you're saying something if you walk into a corporate meeting with pink hair or a bullring while everyone else is in suits. 

 

Setting aside all that, I'm cool with the idea and I wouldn't have those restrictions around the office if I was the boss.

[~ P O L A R I S ~]

I think they're pretty hot. 

[Simping For Hina]

Most places I have worked at or done work for don't care about my tattoos. I usually only show the ones on my arms, and I quickly became a guy who is recognized through the tattoo on my forearm. You do you. Have them or not, they aren't that much of a big deal. The people who make them a big deal, really, are the ones who have sleeves done and work in social or public works. They complain because their tattoos shouldn't mean anything to how they operate, but people will discriminate no matter what. There are religious and other reasons to be against them.

 

Now, just don't look like a funking demon and you're probably be good. I want to get a tattoo behind my ear. I plan to get more in the next few years, too.

[VCR_CAT]

Realistically it doesn't really matter, but especially in the case of customer service it depends entirely on... well, the culture of the customers. Some places allow it because they know their demographic and who will be shopping there, as do others. A place as big and diverse in demographic as, say, Starbucks, will require it because they will encounter customers that find such attire as unprofessional or even offensive. Starbucks's job isn't to really push any sort of agenda or ideal; it's just there to serve you coffee. If they want customers who don't appreciate something about their business, and it's something very reasonable for them to control, then it makes sense to keep a dress code.

 

Now a lot of these places will have it as just that; a dress code. Obviously something like dyed hair can be more difficult to hide, but something like tattoos can be easily hidden. So, in those cases, it probably won't affect hiring that much.

 

This is just something that like, it doesn't really matter what you think about them, or really what anyone who works in the business thinks about them; it's about the customers they hope to serve, and a lot of places will want to have an air of professionalism among its staff.