Is your tattoo taboo at work?

Does your employer have a tattoo policy?  And have they changed it since the pandemic with so many of us working from home?

Workplace experts from Liverpool John Moores University are seeking participants to help them get to the bottom of these and other questions about relaxing dress codes in the workplace.

“Lots of companies require you to cover your ink, and, of course, there is less need to do that if you are in the office less,” said Gemma Dale, a researcher at Liverpool Business School.

“Companies like Virgin Atlantic are now allowing customer-facing staff – cabin crew – to show their ink, saying they want their employees to be their “real selves”.

“It’s interesting, in part, because of this idea that the more confident workers feel about themselves, the more they might do a better job and be more committed to their organisation.”

Tell us about your experience!

Gemma and fellow researcher Dr Matt Tucker both have tattoos of their own and say the study was inspired by conversations in tattoo parlours!

“I was getting a new tattoo last summer. There were four of us in the parlour and every person was working from home,” explained Gemma. That got us thinking to what extent hybrid and remote working is changing society’s attitude to tattoos,” she says.

Gemma, Matt and colleague Hannah Wilson are looking for anyone employed who has tattoos or is thinking about having one. Can they be more authentic at work now?  Has the pandemic influenced this? Have people got more ink and if so why?

You can take part in the survey using this questionnaire.