New Generation Changes Image for Workplace

The face of the young American worker is changing, and they're decorated with ink and metal. About half of people in their 20s have either a tattoo or a body piercing other than traditional earrings. That figure, which is higher than the national average, is growing. As a result, employers are finding that dress codes may need updating. In some cases, bosses are loosening up to attract young talent. In others, managers are adding new rules to keep body art covered up. Usually, it's a simple matter of discussion and compromise. Most piercings are on the face, according to the recent study, but they can be removed.

It all depends on the industry. Colleen Harris, a 27-year-old librarian, worked in corporate technology sales before her library science degrees and tattoos. Her only visible body art was a nose stud, but she voluntarily removed it while at work. For some companies, allowing body art can be beneficial: it attracts young workers that may not feel welcome in more conservative environments. Of course, at workplaces like design firms, salons, and retailers targeting the younger adults, hiring employees with body art is exactly what one might expect. Joe Duffy, CEO of the design firm Duffy & Partners, said he hired a young woman about a year ago who used her tattoos as part of her application portfolio.

But in traditionally suit-and-tie service industries, bosses want body art hidden, according to Talar Herculian, an employment attorney with Fisher & Phillips LLP, and that means going about restricting it legally. More employers are mistakenly too vague about their dress code rather than too strict and that's when problems emerge. Although in some sectors, the shift may already be happening: SheaHedges' Sacks said that a few months ago at an interview with an out of the ordinary firm, the topic of tattoos came about. The interviewer stood up, lifted her leg on her desk, and pulled up her pant leg to show him the big butterfly tattoo on her calf.

Source: Fox News