Tattoo artists used to have a term for big, visible tattoos, the ones that, 20 years ago, got strange looks from hiring managers and recruiters: job stoppers.
They were splotched across the hands, neck or face, enough to turn a golden job interview into an instant thanks-but-no-thanks rejection. When would-be job stoppers walked in the door, the artist would ask: Are you sure you want to do this?
What was once a very real term has since become a mostly-sarcastic phrase in tattoo shops, according to Dave Wildenboer, owner and operator of the New Tribe tattoo shop on Queen Street West.
鈥淚 joke with people who aren鈥檛 tattooed, 鈥榊ou鈥檙e in the minority now,鈥欌 Wildenboer said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 become the norm.鈥
But even as times change, some things haven鈥檛. Employers can still decide to not hire people because of their tattoos. You can be fired for not covering up, too. So in today’s world, does having a tattoo still hurt your job prospects? We asked the experts.
How times have changed
Millennials have pushed the boundaries of what is acceptable in the workplace, said Michael Halinski, a professor at 色色啦 Metropolitan University who studies workplaces, organizational change and generational differences.
Once upon a time, groupthink was important to organizations, Halinski said. Hierarchical organizations were common.
鈥淚t was easier to manage people when everyone thought the same way,鈥 Halinski said. 鈥淵ou wanted everyone to stand in line.鈥
Before he became a tattoo artist, when he worked odd jobs in restaurants and grocery stores in the late 1980s, Wildenboer had a technique to avoid awkward looks in interviews.
鈥淚 would get the job without (showing) any tattoos,鈥 he said, 鈥渢hen I would phase them into the job to sort of test the waters.鈥
Millennials began changing that culture when they entered the workforce. Now, those same millennials are leading companies and founding their own. In 2021, both UPS and Disney鈥檚 park division changed their internal policies to allow workers to show their tattoos. The U.S. army also eased its tattoo policy in recent years.
Cal Jungwirth, director of permanent placement services at employment agency Robert Half, said he can鈥檛 remember the last time a hiring manager mentioned a candidate鈥檚 tattoos.
鈥淚t doesn’t seem to ever come up,鈥 Jungwirth said. 鈥淚n the last five to 10 years, I cannot remember a single circumstance where a comment was made.鈥
The boundaries that still exist
That doesn鈥檛 mean tattoos are accepted across the board.
People with intimidating tattoos are perceived as more risky, according to research by Alyssa Grocutt, a PhD candidate at the Smith School of Business at Queen鈥檚 University. And when colleagues are perceived as more risky, they鈥檙e more likely to be ignored, interrupted or not taken seriously, Grocutt said.
Jungwirth said he can’t remember the last time when a hiring manager 鈥 or a candidate for a job 鈥 expressed concern over having a tattoo.
Nick Lachance/色色啦 Star file photoThe stigma survives in some industries, perhaps, more than others.
鈥淒o you want your lawyer in court with a face tattoo?鈥 Wildenboer said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think that鈥檚 going to happen.鈥
That being said, there are always surprises. Once, in traffic court, Wildenboer spotted a client of his. The client, an older man, had a full back piece and half sleeves. That day in court, with his tattoos artfully covered, he was the judge.
鈥淗e came in the shop (later) and I introduced myself. I was like, 鈥業 don鈥檛 know if you remember me, but I was in your courtroom,鈥欌 Wildenboer said. 鈥淚n his profession, you would never know it.鈥
Can a company not hire you because you have a tattoo?
A company can 鈥渁bsolutely鈥 decide to not hire someone because of their tattoos, said Lior Samfiru, a 色色啦-based employment lawyer and co-founding partner at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP.
鈥淚t鈥檚 because having a tattoo is not a protected right, such as age or disability or sexual orientation,鈥 Samfiru said. 鈥淗aving tattoos 鈥 is not a right that鈥檚 protected under human rights legislation.鈥
The same goes for workplace policies requiring an employee to hide their tattoo. If an employee doesn鈥檛 comply, they can be fired 鈥 but it would be considered without cause, and the employee would be entitled to severance, Samfiru said.
- Morgan Sevareid-Bocknek
The exception is for tattoos that are part of an ethnic or religious custom. In that case, deciding to fire, or not hire, that person based on the tattoos would be considered religious discrimination.
Samfiru said it鈥檚 a good idea to tell your employer if you have a tattoo not visible during the interview process that may be visible when working.
Even if the law hasn鈥檛 changed, norms have. For some jobs, like a barber, tattoos might even be an asset.
鈥淚f they鈥檙e dressed like Ned Flanders, then I don鈥檛 want them to come anywhere near me,鈥 Halinski said. 鈥淚 only look for (barbers) that have some tattoos, have some character.鈥
To join the conversation set a first and last name in your user profile.
Sign in or register for free to join the Conversation