Getting inked could harm job prospects

Nathaniel Bryant, an English Ph.D. candidate at Pitt, often sees firsthand the way people view… Nathaniel Bryant, an English Ph.D. candidate at Pitt, often sees firsthand the way people view tattoos — by how they act around him once they see his inked-up arms.

“People treat you differently,” Bryant, also a teaching assistant, said. “Old ladies will pass up a seat next to you on a bus. People will hold their purses tight when you walk past.”

But Bryant could be considered lucky; highly visible tattoos can close doors for job seekers and those looking for promotions. Others might be fired when the dress code at a company changes.

Certain industries, like banking and food service, lean toward conservativism in their tattoo policies, said Barbara Juliussen, assistant director of the Career Development and Placement Assistance Office.

Some employers see these tattoos as signs that an individual is impulsive and may not maintain a professional appearance, said Juliussen. Whether or not a business can justify firing an employee based on their appearance has been contested in the courtroom. Several court cases have weighed the alleged damage to a company’s image against the religious freedoms of employees.

Sites like the Modified Mind Employment Line provide guidelines for such companies in a variety of industries. There are more lenient standards found in “Information Technology and Telecommunications industries — places where there is no face time with customers,” Juliussen said.

The concern over how tattoos affect a business’s image is driven both by customers and management, she said. “There are all kinds of stereotypes that the generation in management have about tattoos. As more of the younger generation moves up, this will all change.”

Bryant has also noticed the generation gap. “My mom jokingly said that if I ever came home with a tattoo, I’d get kicked out of the house,” he said. “When she was growing up, tattoos had all these residual meanings. The only people who got tattoos were sailors and hobos.”

But now, Bryant says he sees an increasing number of his peers with tattoos. Indeed, the Pew Research Center reports that over a third of 18-29 year olds have tattoos. Still, Bryant is aware that tattoos can offend some.

In his TA review surveys, he includes the question, “Is there anything in the course that distracted you from learning … including my tattoos?” Bryant, whose tattoos cover much of his arms but stop halfway up his forearms, said that he has never heard a negative comment about his ink. “Instead, students have told me that it made them feel more comfortable, more at ease.”

Despite this feedback, Bryant said he would “absolutely never get” a tattoo below his sleeve line or on his neck. “The academic job market is especially rough. If you get a job somewhere, you take it.” If he was offered a position at a school with a conservative dress code, “I would take the job and cover up the tattoos.”

And that’s often what people who are working and have tattoos do. The service industry can be especially difficult, though there are aspects where tattoos can be a tattoo-friendly, said Rachel Nyanjom, a senior French and Africana studies major.

Nyanjom worked part-time at a bar where many of her patrons sported more ink than she did.

The small pineapple tattoo she has on her left middle finger was hardly scandalous among the large sleeve tattoos she saw at work. It even helped her connect with patrons.

“It can be a conversation piece. I’ve gotten into so many great conversations because of it,” she said.

But in many areas of the service world, those sporting tattoos must find ways to cover them up.

Taylor Nichols, a senior studying social work and poetry, dresses more conservatively at her job waiting tables at an upscale restaurant. Her tattoo, the words “We’re Not Invincible” written on the underside of her wrist, is frequently concealed by bracelets.`

“It’s more for the customers than for my manager,” she said. Aside from a few questions about what the tattoo meant, “my manager hasn’t said anything to me about it and the other servers don’t mention it.” She has, however, been asked to remove a piercing above her lip, known as a “monroe.”

There have even been legal cases that have to do with tattoos on display at work.In the case of Cloutier v. Costco Wholesale Corp., an employee claimed membership in the Church of Body Modification, which prohibited the covering of her tattoos and piercings. Costco gave her the option of wearing transparent piercings — called retainers — or terminating her employment. She refused both.

The district court found that mandating the use of retainers was a reasonable accommodation. In an affirming decision by the First Circuit Court of Appeals, it was found that permitting a violation of Costco’s dress code would place undue strain on the company.

In another case concerning tattoos in the workplace, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. v. Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, a district court found that wrist tattoos did not place undue strain on Red Robin’s family image. In six months of service, the employee in question had received no complaints about his religious tattoos.

Since there are no clear criteria for banning body modifications from the workplace, many companies maintain conservative policies, said Juliussen.

“We always tell students to err on the side of a conservative appearance. That applies to tattoos and piercings as well as hair styles and color, especially in a city like Pittsburgh,” which she said tends to be more conservative than other cities.