We Should Not Discriminate Tattoos and Body Piercing in the Workplace

This paper utilizes four articles and two books to help speak about the discrimination against tattoos and piercings in the perform-location. It will speak about the ethics and discrimination laws in the operate-location. It also contains a study that was completed about stigma against tattoos. That study had queries to see how tattooed and non-tattooed individuals believed about people with tattoos. This paper also contains court cases individuals have tried against the discrimination of tattoos and piercings in the perform-spot. This paper also talks about how social workers are trying to alter their dress code in their operate-place to assist promote the richly diverse which is who they represent and support in their line of perform. It is also to help show that with significantly less discrimination in the function-place, we could begin a step in eliminating discrimination and associations of stereotypes all about.

A lot of Americans feel they are constantly being discriminated, judged, and even stereotyped about getting tattoos and piercings. They feel that way even much more so in a function atmosphere. Most businesses have strict rules and policies against tattoos and piercings. Most people feel suffocated and unable to have a individual life due to their companies’ guidelines. Everyone would like to go around and really feel that they are not getting judged or discriminated against. Someone always has something to say about something or somebody. Wouldn’t it be nice to make a step forward for folks in the work-spot who really feel like they are stuck to conform instead of expressing themselves? Individuals with tattoos and piercings need to be allowed to freely show their tattoos and piercings in the function-spot without discrimination.

Every perform-spot has its own dress code and ethics rules, but there are certain recommendations they have to stick to. When we get jobs, we all get handbooks and manuals saying what they expect. In all jobs, we are essential to comply with a dress code. Fleischer (2004) states, “An employer may normally impose a dress code or grooming code on employees, so extended as undertaking so has a genuine enterprise explanation and so long as the code is not discriminatory on the basis or gender, race, religion, or other protected criteria.” Ethics of the perform-place is designed to maintain private life and work life separate. Companies use ethics to conform their workers so that they all believe and perform alike (Gavai 2010). In most jobs, they add in their policy about tattoos and piercings to conform the way they want their company to be run. Some areas enable it, some do not, and some have it adjusted to particular positions that can or can't have it.

There are a lot of things that can be utilized as discriminatory in a perform-location, tattoos and piercings do not apply to discrimination. We all know that employers are not permitted to discriminate against race, colour, origin, and religion, but that does not imply that individuals are not being judged. “Even though every single 1 of us suffers from the conscious and unconscious biases and stereotypes, at least throughout the interview, the interviewers need to free of charge themselves from such ‘idols of mind’. (Gavai 2010)” Most individuals really feel they have been judged when an employer sees their tattoos or piercings. It is all-natural for our brain to judge an individual and place them in a stereotype, but companies are supposed to be hiring due to our knowledge and expertise of the job. “The approach of screening, testing, and interviewing the candidates should be fair, impartial, objective, valid, and reliable. (Gavai 2010)” This signifies they need to focus on top quality and abilities of potential employer and sees if they are match for the job.

Tattoos and piercings have been around for a very long time. It is becoming far more and much more common as years come and go. “A 2007 Harris Poll reported that over 40% of Americans ages 25-40 had at least a single tattoo, as compared to three% 20 years ago, and .five% 50 years ago. (Martin, Dula 2010)” That is a substantial improve of percentages in just 20 years! Even though there is a rise in popularity in tattoos and piercings, there are nonetheless individuals who dislike tattoos and piercings and will put other individuals in a stereotype. In some people’s opinions, they think that there would be far more than just 40% if much more employers allowed tattoos and piercings.

Stereotypes are a complete new level of discrimination in itself. They are categories of a specific group or thing and it tends to make it appear like it okay for us to judge a particular person. In Scovell’s (2010) post, she mentions that blonde, tattooed ladies from a current study are perceived as promiscuous. Williams, Thomas, and Christensen (2014) mention that new analysis shows that prejudice leads to discriminatory effects in the perform-location, such as promotions, employment, policies, and practices. Martin and Dula speak about the stereotypes that are towards folks with tattoos, which contain, becoming unsuccessful in school, coming from a broken residence, possessing an unhappy childhood, rarely attending church, possessing poor selection-producing abilities, receiving tattoos even though below an influence, and becoming an easy victim to peer stress. Most folks do fall under a lot of those categories, but not all of them have tattoos. Let’s say that out of 100 individuals that they all have rarely attended church, but out of the one hundred only 80 have tattoos. Since 80 out of the one hundred have tattoos, it is regarded as the reason why they rarely attend church. Stereotyping is discrimination at its finest function.

The Martin Stigma Against Tattoo Survey (MSATS) is a study that was completed about the social stigma against tattoos. It was developed so that it could show the attitude 1 might have towards a tattooed person. Along with this study, they did a Massive 5 Character Measure, which is a survey about the personalities: Openness to Experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. In this study, Martin and Dula (2014) discovered that there is a wide range of stigma against tattoos. This study had tattooed and non-tattooed people so that it wasn’t biased. They were asked a variety of queries about men and women who have tattoos. Some of the concerns were: Men and women that have visible tattoos ought to not be taken seriously, Folks who commit crimes are far more most likely to have tattoos, Individuals that get tattoos are a lot more most likely to have a mental illness, and more (Martin, Dula 2014). Of course, the non-tattooed folks rated greater in the scores in stigma against tattoos. It is quite disturbing that non-tattooed people consider so lowly of individuals with tattoos. This study had confirmed that there is a lot of discrimination against tattoos.

A lot of men and women have attempted to address the discrimination against tattoos by means of court. In the report Employers May Regulate Physique Art on Their Workers by Louis Pechman (2005), he discusses the instances that have been attempted against the discrimination of tattoos and piercings in the operate-spot. In one case that was tried was about an employer asking an employee to remove a piercing, she refused simply because it was against her religion. She was a portion of the Church of Body Modification, and according to the law the dress code is permissible under federal and state discrimination laws as lengthy as it is enforced on an equal basis (Pechman 2005). Considering that it is her religion to embrace physique modification the employer can not legally make her do anything about her piercing. In another case, a lady sued her employer for gender discrimination and retaliation. Apparently, her employer asked her to cover her heart tattoo or she was to be fired, but the employer did not ask a male coworker to cover up his Navy tattoo. The company was afraid the consumers might think she was a prostitute, from a broken home, or on drugs, but a tattoo on a man was regarded to mean he was a hero (Pechman 2005). There are far more circumstances like these then we all like to believe, but not all are profitable like these. If employers allowed physique modifications in there business, than they wouldn’t have to deal with court cases like these.

Some social workers have brought to the consideration to their employers about the rising popularity in folks with tattoos and piercings. “They often add that, from their perspectives, policies requiring such modifications to be covered are outdated and possibly inconsistent with social work’s own core values” (Williams, Thomas, Christensen 2014). The outdated and inconsistent dress code policies against tattoos and piercings go further than just the social workers perspectives. Most employees think that we should just permit physique modification regardless of of customer’s responses. “Although it remains critical for workers to attempt to be sensitive to the perceptions of other individuals who personally might not like such modifications, it is also important that expectations of specialist appearance are sufficiently flexible to steer clear of contradicting core values pertaining to human diversity, cultural competence, and empowerment” (Williams, Thomas, Christensen 2014). Social perform bargains with a lot of diversity in the globe and a lot of people think that if they deal with the diverse than so need to the consumers.

In each and every single job that people have they deal with a diverse quantity of individuals. Just due to the fact we don’t like one thing about that individual or one thing about them seems offensive, we can’t turn them away. “We must not exclude men and women with information and potential merely since they put on a mark on their arms, neck or face” (Scovell 2010). If the role was reversed and personnel were allowed to discriminate on their buyers for their tattoos most individuals would most likely not be capable to obtain things or see the medical doctor for overall health problems. Scovell (2010) discusses about how individuals represent the richly diverse of the population and how the nursing neighborhood does as well, but folks can not inform since the nursing community is not permitted to have modifications. “Failure to tolerate distinction, or enable for individuals having lived diverse lives, does not give confidence in the capacity to give non-prejudiced care” (Scovell 2010).

A majority of folks have changed who they are just so that they are in a position to have a job or just also even get a job. Kaufman (2013) tells us that Ms. Thomas wore a cardigan to her interview preemptively and that it is not in her usual everyday wear. Due to her job, she wears them each and every day to hide her tattoos and was grateful that human sources didn’t do a physique verify on her when she got the job. An additional lady, who wore clothes that could show her tattoos, said that she would have numerous interviews and then somehow the position would go away. She greatly wondered if her tattoos were the explanation she wasn’t landing any jobs. She tested that theory by wearing clothes to cover up her tattoos and now has an intern job, but was told that her tattoos would be of conflict if she wanted a complete-time position (Kaufman 2013). A single man talks about how he feels as if there are two sides to him, corporate Robert and rock n’ roll Robert (Kaufman 2013). He is covered in tattoos and is covered entirely when he functions, but when he gets home he lets it all show and thinks to himself if they only knew what I looked like beneath all this (Kaufman 2013).

Resolving this conflict of discrimination against tattoos and piercings could save companies lawsuits and would reduce the stigma against tattoos and piercings. If it became standard for somebody to see effective men and women with tattoos it would help decrease the stereotypes people have against men and women with body modifications. “Allowing the general public to determine how their nurses should appear is a hazardous path. It is a brief step from not liking a tattoo on a nurse’s arm to not liking the colour of their skin” (Scovell 2010). This message does not just go towards nurses, but to each and every job out there. Nobody need to be permitted to determine what an individual can do with their personal body. By permitting restrictions to workers we are 1 step closer to going back to segregation with developing rules against tattoos and piercings.

Having tattoos is absolutely nothing more than color and design on the skin and piercings are practically nothing much more than an appendage. To base a judgement on somebody since of their body modification is ludicrous and a setback to a nation that is supposed to enable freedom. “Professionalism is not encapsulated in how we appear, but in our knowledge, behaviour, and attitudes” (Scovell 2010). Character, knowledge, and character are far more than skin deep. A lot of people want to be accepted for their variations, but want to complain on other individuals variations. Alternatively of generating far more prejudice in this globe, we could start off minimizing it by enabling tattoos and piercings in the operate-location. Several years ago folks fought for their proper to not be judged primarily based on the color of their skin. Even even though it still takes place to this day, they are allowed to operate without discrimination. It seems as if it switched from the colour of someone’s skin to the color on their skin, it is nevertheless the same discrimination.

Permitting folks to freely show their tattoos and piercings could decrease discrimination a lot more in the perform-place. To live in a globe exactly where there is no expert discrimination would be best. We all know that there will usually be discrimination due to the fact someone is diverse and they just do not like one thing about someone, but to see none in the perform-location would be a great first step. To see a surgeon who is covered in tattoos be the most profitable surgeon in their line of function would assist society see that he/she is not in a gang, unsuccessful in school, on drugs, or and so forth. Or maybe even teacher, who is also covered in tattoos, teach your child to be the very best they are in college and spark a light in them to want to be far more, would be a wonderful role model for individuals. It’s about time we begin making opinions of men and women based on their character, knowledge, and skill instead of their tattoos and piercings on their physique.