Tattoos and Piercings in the Workplace

[SassyLeo]

I want to talk about piercings / tattoos and what you think is appropriate work attire and appearance in the workplace.

I work for a large healthcare organization in HR in one of the Administrative buildings. We frequently have staff from medical or dental clinics come to our building to pick up paperwork or attend meetings.

A few weeks ago, a woman in scrubs arrived at the reception area to pick up a check. She was a Medical Assistant (the person who talks with you before the doctor comes in – takes your BP, gets your medical info, etc)

She had a nose ring, an eyebrow piercing and lip ring.

I have to admit, as progressive as I think I am…I had some serious judgment about her appearance.

So I had a discussion with Erin about this. I told her that I feel like when someone is in a medical/clinic environment, appearance should be as “clean” as possible. Of course, how can I know how clean someone keeps their piercings? And is that a fair judgment? Then we talked about tattoos. Does that hold the same feeling? For me, no…because after tattoos are healed, they are really unlikely to get infected. But is it really about the cleanliness factor or the “clean” appearance? How would you feel about someone with tattoos or piercings working in your Dr’s office and potentially treating you?

I have an acquaintance who also works at my company…she has almost full sleeve tattoos. She works in a more “suited” environment and wears long sleeves every day. Even when it is really hot outside!

I have several tattoos, but I have always been careful about where they are placed on my body…because I have no idea what kinds of jobs I will have in the future and I wouldn’t want them to prevent me from obtaining a job.

In Portland, it is pretty liberal and casual, in terms of what companies expect (in general)…but we are like a bubble, in many ways. Especially when I compare to other states I have been (mainly the South).

I believe that there is appropriate attire for the workplace, especially in healthcare. Now if I worked in a clothing shop or tattoo shop or a creative type company… I’m sure I would have a VERY different feeling. So is it about the industry?

Erin says that we as a society need to progress, to be more accepting and progressive about what is considered a professional appearance. Or what is considered “OK” attire for an office. If someone is great at their job and/or highly regarded, what should it matter if they have tattoos or piercings?

So what do you think?