Piercings and Employers: Enforcing Appearance Policies

Charles Caulkin’s article “Piercings and Employers: Enforcing Appearance Policies” was featured in the Daily Business Review on November 19, 2014.

A brief look around at the evening news, in a crowded elevator, or even right around the office and you’ll likely see someone who is sporting a tattoo or a piercing. A Pew Research Center report indicates that about 40 percent of adults between 18 and 29 have one tattoo, and half of them have more than one. Of those who tattoo themselves, 18 percent have more than six tattoos.

In the article, Charles discusses how employers have the right to encourage employees to cover up body art and eliminate oddly placed piercings.

He notes that employers are allowed to impose dress codes – and body art and piercings fall under this umbrella. As long as a company does not discriminate on race, color, religion, age, national origin or gender, it has the right to enforce what has become known as “appearance policies.”

Charles advises employers who make policies against body art to be clear, concise and communicative as more and more people may be embracing this style of self-expression.

To read the full article, please visit Daily Business Review. [subscription required]