Tattooed and employable?

In an unscientific survey, five per cent of respondents said they have lost or been denied a job because of their tattoos.

The survey was conducted for the MediaPlex to gather information on people who have tattoos, why they got them and if their job has been affected by them.

Out of the 100 respondents, 71 per cent are between the ages of 18 and 32, most of them are employed and almost all of them said they could hide some or all of their tattoos.

Seventy-four per cent of respondents said they have come across people opposed to their tattoos.  Out of those 74, 30 per cent said their family was opposed to their skin art and 17 per cent said the opposition was because of job reasons.

Kali Larocque Lines from Saskatoon said she was asked to resign from a management position at McDonald’s because of a small tattoo behind her ear.

“It caused an uproar and I was days away from my final review and getting my salary as a manager and it got postponed,” said Lines.  “They told me that I either had to find a better solution for my tattoo…or resign.”

Lines had worked at McDonald’s for four years wearing a sweatshirt every day, even in the summer, to cover up her other visible tattoos.  McDonald’s work policy does not allow for any visible tattoos or piercings.

However, not all companies have an aversion to visible tattoos on their employees.

“Personally, I love tattoos. I believe they’re very expressive and great life storytellers,” said O’Mara, 20, employee at March of Dimes Canada. “I find them so interesting and great conversation starters. I do also believe that people should be 18 before getting their first one. I know tons of people who got tattoos at 15 and 16 and regret them now.”

While many people do not have a problem with tattoos, there are some people who are very strongly opposed to them.

Dave Thomson, an IT consultant from San Antonio, TX, said he would never get a tattoo because of personal reasons and would also avoid hiring someone who had tattoos.

“I would hesitate to hire someone with tattoos if they were dominantly featured,” said Thomson. “Not because the tattoos are bad, but for the same reason I would hesitate hiring someone who interviewed in dirty clothes. Tattoos in areas that cannot be covered is evidence of personal things that I might run into with that individual that I might not have to deal with if I just hired someone else.”

Thomson said he believes the human spirit is always more colourful than a two-dimensional drawing and that tattoos hide an individual’s personality.

“I don’t think tattoos are a big deal,” said Lines. “Honestly, if I conduct myself professionally employers will look past my appearance to see how good an employee I am.”

The Unemployed Help Centre in Windsor said they would definitely let their clients know about any tattoo policies a company might have before referring the job to them.