Body Art In The Work Place
Body art is everywhere and most people can name at least one person they know who has some kind of body work done. People with tattoos work in a variety of industries and hold entry-level jobs, as well as, top executive positions. Based on the number of new tattoo parlours and the number of people getting tattooed, this trend doesn’t appear to be slowing any time soon.
So, is body art a workplace issue? Does having a visible tattoo say anything about an individual that is relevant to his or her job?
According to Vault.com survey, 85% of survey respondents believe that tattoos and body piercing impede ones chances of finding a job. They asked a few questions including:
1. Do you think that tattoos and/or body piercing hinder ones chances of finding a job? 85% answered Yes and only 15% – No.
Some of them left interesting comments:
“If you don’t have any tattoos or piercing you are more marketable.”
“It depends on the industry.”
“They won’t hinder ones chances as long as the person is smart and keeps them in places that an employer cannot see.”
2. How do tattoos and/or body piercing affect the opinions of co-workers and employers? Hinder said 64%, No Effect – 34% and Helped – only 2%.
Comments:
“I know it hasn’t helped, however my job performance speaks for itself.”
“Regardless of who the REAL person may be, STEREOTYPES associated with piercing and tattoos can and do affect others.”
3. Do you conceal your tattoo(s) and/or body piercing(s) when at work? Yes – 53%, No – 47%
Comments:
“I wouldn’t get tattoos that couldn’t be covered.”
“It depends on the job. At my day job in finance I keep my tattoos concealed. But at my night job as a booking agent I show them off.”
Reactions to tattoos in professional situations seem to be highly dependent on the specific industry and the employer. Even though tattoos are becoming more acceptable in the workplace, there are still some customer service industries that are concerned that employee with tattoos can affect their business (for instance, in retail they may startle children). These types of businesses should have a policy on tattoos and body piercing where they clearly explain the company rules. Employers with dress code or other grooming policies should review their policies frequently and make sure all managers are consistently enforcing the policies.
Can employees be forced to cover their body art during their shift? Talar Herculian, partner in one of the nation’s oldest and largest employment law firms said: “Yes. There is no right to expose your tattoo at work. However employers should be careful to apply their policy consistently to avoid the appearance of discrimination based on a protected category such as gender, race or religion. For example, if you require only men to keep their tattoos covered but allow women to keep their revealed because you think the women’s tattoos are not as offensive, your practice may be challenged as gender discrimination.”
When you are going to a job interview we recommend you to cover up tattoos and remove body piercing when interviewing. While dress codes have loosened, companies still expect candidates to look professional in an interview.
That is not the only reason why candidates should cover up their body art when interviewing; you do not want to distract an interviewer. People want interviewers to focus 100% on their qualifications and not be taken aback by their appearance.
While we should expect body art to gain further popularity and acceptance, we should remember that it does affect getting a job. So it is best to think twice before having it done. While times are changing not all things have, so plan your future body art. If you are entering a career field that recognizes and even appreciates artistic expression, you probably don’t need to worry about it. However, if you are applying for a customer service job, for example, it would be prudent to keep your artistic side to yourself.
PayPal has hit high street fashion stores
Paypal On The High Street
PayPal has released its new mobile payment app today allowing shoppers to pay for items on their smartphones instead of reaching for their purses.
Aurora Fashion, owner of leading women’s fashion stores Oasis, Karen Millen, Coast and Warehouse has been the first company to put the new payment process in place in all of their 230 nationwide stores.
This is only available in these women’s stores at the moment so unless you fancy treating your partners then all men will have to be patient and wait until it reaches your favourite stores.
The process is very simple to use. You simply download the PayPal shopping app on your smart phone, enter a unique pin, find your favourite items of clothing when in store, try them on and if you wish to buy it you find a member of staff carrying an iPad and get them to scan the item you wish to buy then scan the barcode that appears on your mobile phone screen.
Once you have finished browsing you head to the check out where the cashier will scan your phone screen and pop your items in a bag. No need for your purse or for a receipt to be printed. It is genius.
Many of you think this is a great idea and will reduce queues and shopping time because you will no longer need to rummage through your hand bags to find your card.
Need to integrate Paypal into your business? Find out more here
**Update 2016**
Paypal usage has grown massively and is fast becoming the accepted online payment standard for traditional high street brands as well as for all the ‘new comer’ web stores.
With online security being such a huge issue for so many people, confidence is an important factor that will often make the difference between making a sale and losing out. Many otherwise eager online shoppers often cite security issues as a reason for not buying online. The more that can be done to keep customers safe, the more sales you will make.
eCommerce payment standards are easy to meet as a retailer if you use Paypal for eCommerce transactions.
Skinny is out for Vogue
Vogue and its 19 editors made a stand and hope to make a massive change to the modelling industry all around the world.
Early last month it was announced by fashion giant Vogue that they will no longer be using any models under the age of 16 anymore, and that skinny is no longer in fashion and will not use petite women with suspected eating disorders anymore.
Vogue say “not knowingly work with models under the age of 16 or who appear to have an eating disorder,” and continued to say they will perform ID checks to every young model at photo shoots and fashion shows.
Dedicated to improve the working standards for young models, Sara Ziff key founder of The Model Alliance was discovered at the age of 14 and knows her stuff when it comes to working in the modelling industry and the pressures of trying to be the best all of the time. She is persuading the whole modelling industry to make a change and follow her as vogue try and make a lasting impression. Sara continues by saying “Most editions of Vogue regularly hire models who are minors, so for Vogue to commit to no longer using models under the age of 16 marks an evolution in the industry,” she also says . “We hope other magazines and fashion brands will follow Vogue’s impressive lead”.
After two models died in 2006-2007 due to suspected eating disorders it’s about time something was done and it’s great to see such a massive icon be the first to make what hopefully will be a success.
Shopping to Shwopping with M&S
Marks and Spencer and Oxfam join forces with Joanna Lumley to launch new recycling scheme for unwanted clothing putting a stop the number of unwanted clothing ending up in our UK landfill sites.
The new way to shop with M&S is now to be known as shwopping when Joanna Lumley took to Brick Lane, East London last Thursday and decorated the street and its buildings with old unwanted items of clothing to advertise new campaign for M&S.
Lumley promises that this new system of buying something new and swapping it for something old will make a huge difference for those living in poverty and will change lives. As well as the thousands of items of clothing that end up in our landfills M&S are keen to recycle an item of clothing with every item they sell with the help of leading charity Oxfam. This being 350 million items each year. Joanna pleads with the nation in her statement of…
‘We’re asking people to open their hearts, their minds and their wardrobes. Remember we used to just throw away plastic bottles. Now we recycle them without even thinking about it. We need to do the same with clothing. Bring in something old; buy something new. Swap and shop. It’s that simple.’
So next time you find yourself tossing that old summer top a side or even just an unwanted scarf that your granny knitted for you, why not do something good and pop into your nearest Marks and Spencer store and simply buy something new and swap it for your something old.