Dive Brief:
- Employers worldwide are taking a more open-minded view of tattoos in the workplace, according to Human Resources Online.
- For example, the article cites several U.S. employers -- Starbucks, Teavana, Kohl’s Department Stores, Jimmy John's, and even the U.S. Army -- who have relaxed their restrictions on workplace ink.
- Tattoo popularity today is undeniable, particularly among millennials. A 2010 study by the Pew Research Center, for example, found that nearly 40% of millennials have tattoos, and that nearly half of the ones who have them sport between two and five. No doubt the number is higher 5 years later.
Dive Insight:
It's clear that tattoos in most global locations are here to stay and employers are thinking twice before dismissing a job applicant that sports a tattoo.
Starbucks expanded its tattoo policy this fall, allowing visible tattoos, small nose studs, larger earlobe piercings, black denim, untucked shirts and personalised name badges as fine at work. “We want to build a company where self-expression, empowerment and inclusion are nurtured,” wrote Starbucks COO Troy Alstead in a letter to employees.
On the other hand, if you plan on working in Hong Kong any time soon, tattoos might not get you that new job.
Alexa Chow Yee Ping, managing director of AMAC Human Resources Consultants in Hong Kong, told Human Resources Online: “It is not officially written in company policies or employee handbooks but employers in finance, banking and other professionals are highly unlikely to offer a job to a person with tattoo." She explained the city has a service-oriented business landscape, and employers are not going to be happy about tattooed workers.
