Starbucks Allows Visible Tattoos; Who's Next?

Rich Meneghello’s article “Starbucks Allows Visible Tattoos; Who’s Next?” was featured in DJC Oregon on February 5, 2015.

Coffee giant Starbucks recently announced a major change to its dress and appearance policy, allowing baristas to visibly display tattoos for the first time in its 44-year history. The company decided that the interests of employee retention and satisfaction outweighed its strict prior policy, which had required clean-cut and uniform appearance among all of its employees.

In the article, Rich discusses the continuous trend across the country where more retail and food establishments are relaxing their personal appearance standards for their employees.

Rich notes, one of the primary reasons a company would want to be a little more flexible in this regard is because of retention. If a worker could accept another job down the street because he or she could show off tattoos there, a company might not get the best applicants or start losing employees – and the cost of turnover is high.

While it might not seem like a big deal to you, it is important to remember that the new generation considers individual expression as a high priority. How Millennials project their own style through clothing, tattoos, piercings and hairstyles is critical to their satisfaction, and a company that wants to attract and retain the best workers may want to consider revising its policy to match the one now used by Starbucks – and countless other employers.

To read the full article please visit DJC Oregon. [subscription required]

This article was picked up by The Daily Record on February 12, 2015.