Piercings and tattoos at work

reply to post by getreadyalready


Sounds an awful lot like a patsy for an unsuccessful business owner to me. No business ever succeeded or failed because of a piercing.

She's also likely to end up with a crew of workers that will be much happier than the average low wage workers, and that happiness will translate into more happy customers than the piercings will turn off.

reply to post by Evolutionsend


I agree that your piercing is not offensive.

However, many businesses have failed due to weak leadership, poor planning, poor customer service, or blatant insubordination.

The argument here is about the business's rights opposed to the employee's rights. The business pay's the employee to perform a duty in the manner the business prescribes. If the employee refuses, then they cease to be employed. It seems cut and dry to me.

reply to post by getreadyalready


I started the thread, and I say it's about someone trying to dictate what I do to my body outside of work. No one wanted to discuss that though, it's way more fun to walk in and unload a bunch of assumptions and anger on someone. Then make sure to type entitlement in all caps at least once. Throw in a "your a loser" if you're a professional.

I'm sorry if you really did misunderstand. To most employers around here, taking it out is not enough. They want it GONE!

reply to post by Evolutionsend


Yep. Many businesses are poorly run. Many bosses are poorly qualified. Far too many bosses get Barney Fife syndrome and start dictating all kinds of stupid things. Some bosses get their feelings hurt far too easily and the least bit of discussion from an employee threatens their ego somehow and then they have it in for you.

I'm sorry you have one of those bosses. It sounds like they're being ridiculous. I don't know the laws in your state. In Florida it is a "right to work" state, and you really don't have any legal recourse, and becoming a tattle tale about everyone else's little faults will only backfire.

I wish I could help you more with your specific problem. Want me to beat somebody up? I can always play the bad big brother, or crazy ex-boyfriend if it helps?

reply to post by getreadyalready


Weak leadership has nothing to do with controlling your employees dress. I could let them wear whatever and I could fail or succeed. Same for you. But bad customer service is much more likely to come from your Nazi business than one were the employees are allowed to dress as they so choose. Were they are all treated equally and fairly.

reply to post by getreadyalready


My boss is fine with it. It's an employee that's trying to twist his arm that's causing the issue. Haven't heard back from corporate yet! He asked them if I have to remove the jewelry, or get rid of the piercing altogether. He hired me on the basis that the policy meant as it read. Only two earrings aloud. Earrings meaning the jewelry, not the piercings.

VA is also right to work. Why do they even call it that? From what I understand it means your employer owns you. I need to move.

Yes where I worked at before and the office before that, no tattoos that were visible were allowed. Also, any hair color that was not considered "normal human hair color" was strickly forbidden as were body piercings other than earrings.

No tummy exposure or really short micro minis were allowed either.

The handbook said, corporate business attire only.

Reason in the employee handbook of rules stated that nothing that might offend our valued clients (large CONSERVATIVE corporations) would be tolerated.

When you work for a company, they own your arse from 9-5. They can tell you when to start, when to stop, when you can eat, relieve yourself and how to dress.

They don't want you to express your own individuality. They want you to project their corporate image of conservative business appearance.

From a psychological point of view, if you must work..........thank god I'm retired, you will have a much easier time of it if you appear to go along with the program.

Some other instances and my husband suggested this.............bumper stickers - it's now a jungle out there, like in warfare, the less your enemy knows about you the better. We have no bumper stickers on our car.

Walk through a parking lot and look at the bumper stickers and in the windows of cars - you can tell a lot of information about someone just by their bumper stickers and what they have decorating their cars.

Now some people are in your face, love me or bugger off type of people. Now days while some consider that brave, courageous or self expressionism, it's not wise. It's like showing your hand to a possible opponent at a poker game.

At my last office, I worked with very conservative, Midwest, Republican, Christian women.............I am liberal, not a Republican (or Democrat) and not Christian.

I did not wear or advertise my differences because from a psychological aspect, I knew that would make my boss and those "team members" I worked with dislike me and thus make my work life more miserable than it already was.

If you are not independently wealthy you must at least appear to conform.

It's like in that movie, invasion of the body snatchers when the hero and heroine are walking out of the doctor's office and he tells the woman to not show any emotion..............no matter what to fit in and appear to conform so as not to be detected as human.

Same thing.

That's what is so wonderful about being retired and or independently wealthy (I'm the first not the latter).......you can dress any damn way you want, you can color your hair purple, have a dragon tattoo on your face, anything you want to express yourself...................however one last thing to keep in mind - to survive it's best not to stick out like a sore thumb or to offend certain people because you never know who is going to be your boss or who has the bosses ear.

When I was young I was more in your face...........love me or bugger off.

Now that I'm older and wiser, I've learned it's best to appear to fit right in and keep your self expression private. The less the public world out there knows about you the better.

Particularly in the world of corporate business.

Now if you are a wrestler, stripper, tattoo artist, actor or work in a industry where you are allowed self-expression you have more lee way.

Even a waitress, or fast food server must be careful and project a clean wholesome appearance if that is what the manager / owner requires.

Read my location................and remember if your boss and or the people you work with that have the real power don't like you, and you don't "fit in" they can make your life miserable.

Read my location.

reply to post by ofhumandescent


Appear to conform? Hell. No! That's too passive. I'm sorry you had to be such a blank slate, but hell no. I will never in my life bend my self over backwards, physically or mentally, just so I can be a clean gear in the clock of the government. I am a human being, and so are you. I can't believe people let themselves stay in such a hostile environment. Just because no one is yelling at you doesn't mean its not hostile.

reply to post by Evolutionsend


My job was outsourced.

I'm lucky my husband still works and has a good job.

But, if I had to go back to corporate America again........seriously, I think I would rather be homeless and living in the tunnels vs going through all the corporate bs I put up with for over 20+ years.

Now, this guy your having a tiff with, is there a possibility he may eventually come into power?

I know, I know........stand for your principles.........you sound courageous and independent.

But, in today's work world, a good job is hard to come by.

The guy sounds like a jerk and unfortunately most of the jerkest ones get the promotions.......so tread carefully.

Choose your battles wisely.

How you look from 9-5 isn't that important...........not if you have a good job.

Depending where you are...........I'm in the Midwest and the Midwest is boring and conservative.

I feel for you, been there and know what it's like to have to conform.

Again, after being free for over a year, I couldn't go back to the bs................would rather starve and freeze.

I can wear jeans, tees and bohemian shirts, my unconventional jewelry, go bare foot, spike my hair..............and I'm 58.

Before my job was outsourced I made close to $50,000 a year and had a job contacting CFO's, Human Resource Directors and people fairly high up - this was not a beginning level job.

We had a hand book that specifically dictated exactly what we could and could not wear and if we did not like the rules we were told they would find someone else that would comply.

Now, with that being said, I work at a homeless shelter twice a month...............I know first hand how people that are really destitute live.

Again, jobs are getting harder and harder to come by.

Good luck.

reply to post by ofhumandescent


I'll say this again, since it was so far back in the thread that I said it. He's making trouble for me because his own job performance is bad. He's about to get fired, and just tried to pick the easiest thing he could find to remove attention from himself. He will not get a promotion.

reply to post by Evolutionsend


Who is the one where you work with the REAL POWER?

That's the person you need to get and keep on your side.

A good book to read is Snakes in Suits and you can get it here free...........interesting read.


www.4shared.com...

On a side note: I've seen really incompetent people get promoted - they just knew how to play the deflect the blame game so watch this guy and hopefully he'll go away.

reply to post by ofhumandescent

On a side note: I've seen really incompetent people get promoted - they just knew how to play the deflect the blame game so watch this guy and hopefully he'll go away.

Me too. And, I've often been the one tasked with getting those poisonous people out the door. It sucks to inherit an employee that everybody hates, is a constant disruption, tattle tale, incompetent, but also knows the ropes, uses the HR and IG offices, and is a kryptonite to any discipline. Often times they have years of average evaluations, no previous write-ups, and then they get assigned to you with the message, "get rid of them." Many managers have lost their jobs that way, LOL! I'm actually pretty good at it. I've juked and jived around discrimination allegations, sexual harassment allegations, unfair work practice complaints, and many IG investigations, and I've always got my man and saved my job!

But, it is definitely a snake pit.

reply to post by ofhumandescent


He's trying, but my boss is getting rid of him. He's on his last bit of action and then he's fired. Regardless though, he alerted my bosses boss, and now he's thrown both of us under the train. He knows he's leaving and wanted to piss everyone off basically.

reply to post by Evolutionsend


oh I have seen this first hand! I'm a clean cut white guy, adult. While getting my Master's degree I got a job at a restaurant. I was hired quickly and finished training in 4 days. My first weekend on the job we got a visit from corporate and the corporate manager about freaked out when he saw me! He said, "That is not allowed! Who allowed you to have that!" I had no idea what he was talking about.... turns out, get this..., my gotee was the wrong shape!!

According to corporate rules a male employee who chooses to have a gotee must have the full gotee upon being hired, and the gotee must be a full, typical gotee with mustache and sides not wider than 1/2 inch passed the edge of the mouth.

Are you kddding me??

I tried to blow it off... I then played the "I was hired like this" card, which could have actually allowed me to have a winning lawsuit if they fired me

The General Manager called me into his office and pleaded with me. Said he was only 3 weeks on the job and didn't know better. He claimed HIS JOB was at stake if he didn't "take care of the issue".

I agreed with him that I'd grow it in full (from the soul patch and mustache I had). He reminded me it couldn't be done while I was actively working!! Unbelievable. I grow a quick beard so I told him to give me four days off and we'll play it by ear.

It worked out alright in the end - I gave up my HUMAN RIGHTS to work for a corporation making $300 a week...

reply to post by Thermo Klein




I worked at a juice factory, and they made us wear hair nets over our beards, LOL!! It was 120 degrees in there on average, and it was the itchiest dam thing I've ever experienced in my life!

I am a middle school art teacher with visible tattoos, one on my hand that is unhide-able.

I have mixed reactions, but generally, most don't seem to mind.

It is my belief that if you are a superstar at whatever you endeavor to do, you are free to express yourself however you like.

That being said, restraint is a very promotable quality to have.

Those who can grant more responsibility and power usually do not care what you look like, as long as you can be and do all that is expected of you without distraction.

Some people still judge body mods negatively, but are wont to follow traditions they grew up with.

Personally, I wouldn't want to work for someone who would prejudge a person based on their physical appearance, thus the hand art. But then again, I'm not a hedge fund manager.

Good topic, OP.

reply to post by getreadyalready


I never meant to suggest that they were the same as homophobia or racism, merely that it's a form of discrimination based on something relatively superficial. Some people define themselves by their race or sexuality, if we had a society mature enough to not discriminate based on those factors they would seem less important, than, say, whether someone is a good person or not.

If a person makes a conscious decision to change their appearance in a manner that is known to elicit certain reactions, then what right do they have to complain about those reactions?

Well if I wanted to get nit-picky I could just say the first amendment gives them that right. The issue in the OP is about workplace tattoos. Now why should an employer be able to discriminate against you based on tattoos? Keep in mind that not everyone gets tattoos just to be rebellious or make a statement. Those that do don't always stay that same person and aren't always in that mindset, yet the tattoo remains even after they've for lack of a better phrase "grown out of it."

I understand what you're saying and I think people have every right to hold differing opinions about whether tattoos should be socially acceptable but I still think there's no reason for any discrimination or for anyone's job to be in jeopardy based on something so trivial (unless the tattoo is obscene). Of course it is different from racism, as you said no one chooses their race, and I do think employers can reserve the right to discriminate against those with tattoos...I just wouldn't if I were in their position.

reply to post by Titen-Sxull


Actually, my issue is with employers trying to control my decision to display body jewelry in a facial piercing outside of my job. I'm notorious for drawing the line of control employers have over me, and letting them know that I do not belong to them. It seems like more than a few of them nowadays feel like they can not only request that you remove something, but that you do not maintain the piercing at all.

I do not care for visible tattoos that much, but I do respect the choices of others, and would never ridicule them for it. I probably should've left tattoos out, but it made sense to include them. That's a whole 'nother issue imo. I think covering them up at work is reasonable, but telling your employee that they may not have them or get anymore of them is not.

im a home care worker and i have a nose ring, eyebrow piercings, ears are pierced and one tattoo. The clients like them and its a good talking point with new clients as they usually ask why i got it done the only people that seem to have a problem is the colleagues i dont get on with

I'm in a blue collar job, so it doesn't really matter.


That said, I dont have any tatts that show above a shirt collar or below the cuffs of a long sleeve shirt.
Apart from my ear, my piercings arent visible either. Not condemning those who like to show, just the way I like to be is all.

You have to understand that different groups that form our society have different expectations of their members, if you want to join, you have to conform to those rules to some extent.