Tattoos in Workplace Essay

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda®
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment

Introduction

The emergence of tattoos has elicited debate regarding their relevance in the workplace. Tattoos are fashionable in modern society because young people use them in expressing their values, beliefs, and principles. Society and the corporate world have realized that tattoos are fashionable, and thus, they have gradually accepted their relevance in the workplace. Given that acceptance of tattoos occurs gradually in the workplace, employers, employees, and professional bodies hold different perceptions. Owing to the existence of freedom of expression in society, tattoos have become common in the workplace. In this view, the essay describes positive and negative perceptions that people hold about tattoos in the workplace.

Perceptions of Tattoos

Young people perceive tattoos as not only fashionable, but also a way of expressing their values, beliefs, and principles in a liberal society. In the workspace, tattoos have transformed organizational culture because they allow employees to express themselves freely without undue fear or repercussions. Essentially, the ability of employees to express their values, beliefs, and principles in the workplace indicates the existence of the freedom of expression and enjoyment of human rights. In this view, tattoos point out the state and extent of liberation in the workplace.

Given that tattoos are a form of dress code, they merely portray the physical appearance of employees. Proponents of tattoos argue that the ability and performance of employees are independent of tattoos. In essence, knowledge and skills are significant determinants of the abilities and performance of employees in the workplace. Thus, proponents of tattoos hold that employers should assess and evaluate their employees based on merit rather than their physical appearance.

The increasing recognition of human rights in the modern era has increased the prevalence of tattoos among employees. Social forces in modern society have increased the acceptance of tattoos as a fashion among young people. Socioeconomic factors in the workplace have made employers recognize diversity as an asset of creating an equal society, where every employee counts. The existence of an inalienable right of the freedom of expression has made political activists advocate for it in the workplace. In this case, employees have the freedom to express themselves using tattoos. Moreover, legal provisions require employers not to discriminate against their employees based on their expression or dressing code.

Despite the fact that there are positive perceptions of tattoos in the workplace, negative perceptions also abound. Employers hold that tattoos are not appropriate in the workplace because they distort the corporate image. Organizations strive to provide an appealing image to their customers and business partners from diverse social, cultural, and economic backgrounds. To appeal to these customers and business partners, organizations adopt rules and regulations, which ensure that they portray a corporate image. Owing to the diversity that exists in the workplace, organizations ensure that corporate image overrides individual interests by coming up with a dress code, which excludes tattoos.

Furthermore, employers perceive that tattoos demean the professional image of employees. In the workplace, the management expects employees to reflect the interests and aspirations of their respective organizations. However, tattoos demean the professional image because they associate employees with negative behaviors, characters, and personalities, which employers dislike. Since employers champion the interests of organizations, they hire employees, who have the required professional image. In essence, employees must have a professional image that reflects the interests, values, principles, beliefs, and stature of their respective organizations.

From a societal point of view, tattoos have negative social branding because they are common among social deviants. Since society has norms and traditions that shape morality, the use of tattoos in most cases relates to aberrant behaviors. In this view, tattoos have a similar negative impact on the workplace for they create anti-social behaviors, which have destructive effects on organizations and employees. Essentially, tattoos portray employees as rebels, cultists, perverts, and addicts, who are not beneficial to organizations.

Conclusion

Human rights and liberty have contributed to the increasing use of tattoos in the expression of values, beliefs, and principles in the workplace. Employers, employees, and society hold diverse views regarding the relevance of tattoos in the workplace. Those who hold positive perceptions argue that tattoos bestow social freedom, do not influence ability and performance, and employers should not use them in discriminating against others. In contrast, those who hold negative perceptions argue that tattoos distort the corporate image, demean professional image, and promote anti-social behaviors.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2022, April 15). Tattoos in Workplace. https://ivypanda.com/essays/tattoos-in-workplace/

Work Cited

"Tattoos in Workplace." IvyPanda, 15 Apr. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/tattoos-in-workplace/.

References

IvyPanda. (2022) 'Tattoos in Workplace'. 15 April.

References

IvyPanda. 2022. "Tattoos in Workplace." April 15, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/tattoos-in-workplace/.

1. IvyPanda. "Tattoos in Workplace." April 15, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/tattoos-in-workplace/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "Tattoos in Workplace." April 15, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/tattoos-in-workplace/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1