Employers aren’t the only ones that are likely to have an opinion on their employees’ body piercings — co-workers have a strong opinion they’d like to share on the subject, — they really don’t like working with individuals that have “highly visible” body art.

According to findings from a study conducted at Texas State University, most employees don’t want to look at their co-workers statements of self-expression, such as pierced lips, eyebrows, tongues and more.

Body jewelry, in the forms of piercings, is not a well-liked form of artistic expression among all of your employees, business professors at the university argue. According to a survey of 150 respondents (including those with or without body art themselves): “Most people would rather not work with someone who has visible art in situations requiring face-to-face contact with customers, even if qualified for the job.”

The findings go on to show that even those individuals that do have body art feel the same way as those without: “Even those with body art were critical of others whose bodies were adorned with fashion statements.”

Do you have a policy about tattoos and piercings on the job? Weigh in on this subject in this week’s E-Poll.

--Cassandra P. Foster
cfoster@safnow.org

 

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