…do any of you have a ‘no tattoo’ policy or discreet tattoo policy? How much do appearances matter to your company? Do you think the home-owner should be aware of today’s trends & shouldn’t bat an eyelid? If someone turned up to your home with a face skull tattoo - would it matter to you? Do you ask potential employees if they have tattoos? What if you employed someone with an F bomb tattoo - and you didn’t find out till the weather got warmer?
I tell my guys image is everything. I have tats up my forearms and some visibly showing from under my short sleeves. One guy who is starting next week has sleeves. All tasteful and really nicely done. Neck tats or inappropriate tats = no employment here.
Anything you feel would be questionable to your clients and I wouldn’t hire them.
Like the 2 posters above said, while I don’t have any personal problem with Tats, I do see the reaction of some of my customers.I wouldn’t necessarily rule out an employ because he has tatoos, but it would be a negative. I think with some of the older customers, there is still an idea that tats are for swarthy sailors and carnies and while I don’t agree, it is there home and it’s up to them who they feel comfortable allowing in to it.
The customer sets the bar for acceptable appearance. Ink screams counter culture as well as some scary stuff. I work around folks who faught WWII & the Korean War, they are uncomfortable with the “extent” of the current trends. We go so far to make positive impressions on our customers, why flush all that work by hiring techs who scare them? Your tats may be your expression but you’re not working for me.
I agree that it is your customers that you must be aware of. I have no tats and don’t plan on ever having any. However the guy I have hired on has many, from his previous life in metal bands. He is very clean cut, kind, and is always going out of his way for others. If I didn’t already know him and his situation would I have hired him? Good question… Mmmmm… I will not answer that one for fear of legal reasons
I could have a no Tattoo showing policy, but it wouldn’t matter in this case. There is no way of hiding all of them unless he wore long sleeve turtle neck shirts all year round. Do I care what my customers think? Absolutely! Thats why they hire me year after year. So I have let my older clients know when I get to a job about my new employee, how he is a really good tech, how he has changed many things from his former life, but the tattoos cannot be changed. Interestingly enough, they reply “Oh my son (daughter) have tattoos, that doesn’t bother me” or “If you trust him, then I trust him too.” I have yet to wonder if they will have me back again. I will admit, his constant politeness probably makes them at ease rather quickly.
That said, there are other things that will NOT be allowed: No earrings on males, no tongue piercings or visible non earlobe piercings period.
No sagging pants with underwear hanging out. No tobacco, chew or cigarettes allowed. NO DRUGS. Now some of these may get me in trouble, we’ll see but these things are important to me and can be addressed rather reasonably and quickly with an interviewee.
I think it is up to each of us as business owners what we consider acceptable and I believe our image says a lot about our companies. But we also need to be reasonable of what we expect from others. Ever been to Starbucks anyone? If they had a “No Tat” policy how successful would that company have been?! I bet half their employees have a tattoo. And you know what, I don’t feel uncomfortable with them making me a white chocolate mocha with an extra shot, while in a suit. My point, the customer service is there. That is what matters to me as a customer.
We as humans tend to be judgmental of others quite quickly. Is that fair? There is a reason why there are so many laws protecting the rights of others for employment. How we choose to handle such situation also says an awful lot of our personal character.
Again, I have no tattoos, I am not encouraging them either. Personally, I don’t want to look like every one else so I never got one.
If your customers are not comfortable with tattoos because they think only people of questionable character have them they will probably never have you work for them again, because you hire people of questionable character who can not be trusted in their home.
If you have plenty of work and can afford to loose customers because of what other people believe to be TRUE then hiring people with tattoos shouldn’t be a problem.
I think you WILL loose customers and referrals. Don’t know how many but people don’t like people that make them feel uncomfortable. JMO
PS
I’m pretty sure that most people will not give you an honest answer if you ask them if tattoos bother them. They’ll tell their friends what they believe to be true but not you.
We started out with a no visible tattoos policy until one particular guy came along (he has a tattoo on his throat of a skull and crossbones) at first glance we said to ourselves no way but then he started talking and he was one of the most pleasent young men we have interviewed. He has a very good attitude and a strong work ethic. We decided to hire him based on gleaming recomendations and just told him to wear turtle necks. Well we got more lax about the turtle necks over time, and as it got warmer out. Well it turns out our customers love him so much that we get at least 2 calls a week from customer going out of there way to tell us how much they liked our tech that came out. We have also gotten alot of reviews online about how polite and courteous he was while serfvicing there home. He has become our number 1 employ and our go to guy, I just hope we can keep him busy and happy long term as he is an asset to out company.
Now also keep in mind we do business in a very democratic and progressive state and tattoos seam to be more accepted here. Now the policy we will not slide on is No felons, no drugs. no exceptions.
Nick
Just wanted to add to my post…I as the owner also have full sleeves on my arms and I wear long sleeve shirts at work.Its a habit I got into when I started business.! I even wear long sleeve in the summer! I belive as the owner I have to present a clean cut image no matter what!
Nick
Sorry Mike, I guess I didn’t make it clear that it was a hypothetical situation.
(I don’t have any tattoos, nor am I religious.)
I’m just saying it’s a fine line between what could be considered discrimination, and what we think is appropriate.
For instance, having a “clean shaven” policy could be discriminative against black males… who are known to have skin issues that prevents some from shaving.
If I was qualified in every other respect it might not be.
… also there’s that whole “lying at a deposition” thing.
Mike, you may be somewhat right. However the clients I am most concerned with are my high end residential. Many I have had for years and are very open and honest with me. They are the ones that trust my judgment. However, my employee is very much as described by Nick. People really like him, he is clean cut and shaves every day for work and you would never have thought he was a heavy metal guitarist a few years ago. If he looked like a biker or some scary dude I wouldn’t want in my own house he would not have got hired.
I do think a lot of it also depends on where we run our businesses.
No reply to my Starbucks comment though… do you not ever get coffee from a coffee shop Mike? Again, customer service is main priority. If I lose any work because of my employee, I will let you know.
I actually think Mike makes an extremely valid point. The customer may not want to appear judgmental so may give another reason (or no reason at all) for dropping your service. The whole tattoo issue has more to do w/ what kind of service you offer. I truly believe that in a storefront route it doesn’t make much impact. In a high end residential business it will make a difference.
I have tattoos and have never had a negative experience. I don’t have anything inappropriate other than one piece that could be considered questionable by my standards but it is 80% covered.
We hired a guy who has full sleeves this season. He has all high quality tattoos and personally I think of it is art. He is a hard worker, shows up to work everyday on time and ready to go. He offered to wear long sleeves if I thought it was a problem but there is nothing inappropriate to cover.
