Body art seen as less of a workplace barrier

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Body art seen as less of a workplace barrier
July 23, 2010
By Megan L. Thomas
MSNBC.com

While more than 14.5 million Americans are out of work, tattoos are becoming less of an obstacle to finding employment, according to a Challenger Gray Christmas report released earlier this week.
From Otzi the Iceman to Angelina Jolie, humans have tattooed themselves for centuries as a form of healing, self-expression, remembrance and even advertising . They’ve also been affiliated with criminals and gang affiliation, making it difficult for those with stamped skin to find jobs in the past.
But today, tattooing has become so common employers are increasingly forced to choose between rejecting inked employees or having a severely limited job candidate pool, said John A. Challenger, CEO of the outplacement firm.
“Today, even in this tight job market, most companies are not going to view tattoos too harshly,” he said. “One reason is that with everyone from soccer moms to MIT computer science graduates sporting tattoos, preconceptions about tattooed individuals are no longer valid. Secondly, and more importantly, companies have a vested interest in hiring the most qualified candidate.”
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, more than 45 million Americans have at least one tattoo. The younger you look, the more ink you’ll find. Only 15 percent of Baby Boomers have tattoos, while 32 percent of Gen X and 38 percent of Millennials have body art, according to a 2010 Pew Research Center study. Half of those tattooed Millennials say they have two to five tattoos.
Human resource workers have been seeing more job applicants with tattoos, including more with prominent art placement such as on the face, said Sue Murphy, association manager for the National Human Resources Association.
Tattoo-friendliness often depends on the position, employer and industry the worker is in, she said. Employees having frequent face time with customers are more likely to be forced to cover up than those working a cubicle desk position, according to Murphy.