Tattoos in the Workplace - Acceptable or No?

Hey Everybody!

So I got to work today and was checking out some of the today's news on our main page and came across an article discussing tattoos in the workplace. It discusses how when going for a job interview, it is best to make sure that everything is covered up so they aren't visible since, as a prospective employee, you are unsure if the company allows people to have tattoos.

Something about how the article was written just completely rubbed me the wrong way. I felt like the are almost shaming you for getting a tattoo in the first place. You shouldn't be ashamed of your art. It is something that you liked enough, or have a special meaning for, to have it permanently placed on your body, you shouldn't be told that it shouldn't be there and it shouldn't be seen.

Now please realize, I do work in an office with other professionals. I do understand that covering them up makes the company seem more "professional" but it bothers me that in this day and age we still judge people based on their looks. Just because someone can be covered from head to toe in tattoos, doesn't mean that they are any less intelligent. I love the fact that in my office, when summer begins to roll around, the tattoos start to show and it makes me happy. Tattoos are an extension of who a person is a lot of the time. They can give another prospective of the person and tell a story about them just through the colorful works on their skin.

However, I completely understand that someone may not want to do business with a person who has tattoos on their face or something but honestly, what does it matter. It doesn't hinder their job performance, and if someone says it hinders theirs, well grow up. Just because you get distracted by a person's tattoos and it makes you stop and stare at them doesn't mean it's their fault, learn how to concentrate. Honestly, if you haven't learned how to concentrate on your work and you are in the corporate world, you really should not be there, especially if everything else going on around you doesn't distract you.

So guys, what do you think? Do you think you should be able to show off some skin or be banned from doing so while at work? Does it make you any less professional to have tattoos? Or less intelligent?

Comment with what you guys think and lets try and see where we can go in this discussion.

-Tracy