Appearance is everything

Retail and customer service depend heavily on one thing: appearance.

Employers strive to make good, professional, first impressions. From the tidily kept shelves of a retail store to the shiny countertops at an information desk, appearance is everything, and employees are no exception.

So what? What does having a tattoo or being pierced and expressing individuality have to do with anything? Well, when appearance is important, employers can easily control how their employees look by enforcing a dress code.

According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission [EEOC], employers may choose to adopt a dress code as seen fit. What the dress code entails is entirely up to the employer and the intended appearance of both the employees and the workplace that the employer wishes to convey to the public. Employers may choose to adopt a policy that dictates anything from the type of pants the employee can wear to the color of socks worn, and can ban anything including (but clearly not limited to) tattoos.

The problem with this then becomes the argument that tattoos are not always for personal pleasure or reasons, but tattoos could be an important part of a religious belief, and banning such tattoos would qualify, according to the EEOC, as discrimination. As stated by the EEOC Prohibited Practices dress code policy, employers can enforce their dress codes even if it is incompatible with "some workers' ethnic beliefs or practices" but must amend their dress code policy if it conflicts with an employee's religious beliefs.

Despite being able to have tattoos for religious purposes, some workforces are prohibiting tattoos. For example the Marine Corps, and some police forces, are beginning to more strictly enforce and regulate tattoo bans.

Unfortunately it does not look like many policies will be changing regarding tattoos in the workplace and it looks like the best way to avoid repercussions for a tattoo is to simply cover it up.