Piercings at work - should it be accepted?

I would have to say if there is a dress code you should have considered it before taking the job. If the boss allows you to break the rules, regardless of how small and discreet it is the boss would have to allow everyone to wear their piercings. Just because society and your friends like to see you with a nose ring, unfortunately doesn't mean a professional arena will share the same enthusiasm. I think the dress code should be specific so individuals know whether or not they want to work in that situation.

I think as long as its a small discrete stud you should be allowed to wear it. I think i should be allowed to wear my tongue ring (which i do anyways). As long its not something thats says HEY LOOK AT ME and as long as its not distracting a person should be allowed to wear whatever piercing they want. At my job, i take care of people in there homes. The mother of a person i was taking care of asked me not to wear my tongue ring, and since it was her house, i took it out, no problem. But when i went back another time and saw a girl with a nose ring working there and the mother was fine with it i was upset. Now this girls nose ring was really noticeable, where my tongue ring stays in my mouth and you only get flashes of it when i talk. How was it okay to have a visible nose ring, get my tongue ring you can only see when i open my mouth was not??

I wrote an article about this for Associatedcontent.com saying they should NOT be accepted at work. I got cussed more about that article than anything else I ever wrote.

Hi, ButterflyEs, I have had a nose piercing many of years ago. My hole on my nose has closed up already. I let it closed up on purpose. I have never been asked to remove my nose ring at work. But, I think that I had an interview to a job somewhere, and I was told that if I was hired, I could not have the nose ring in my nose. Which I understood. So, yes, if I had an piercing that was very much visible, I would take it out. It would not be respectful to keep it in when I am on a job. Especially an professional job. I know that jobs like this are considered to be very partticular on how you act, dress and conduct yourself. They look at all of these things. I know that your nose ring is not invisible to some. But to the manager,he/she can see it. And that is what makes the difference. I can understand that you are looking more at your work's performance rather than an nose ring piercing. But, you must comply to the rules so that you don't risk yourself getting fired. Just do the right thing, I know that you don't want to take it out. But in order for you to keep your job you must do so. I am sorry that society can't accept us the way that we are. But, as long as we are living their are rules and regulations that we must abide by, whether we would like to or not. I do wished that the manager could see you more than he sees your nose earring, but unfortunately that is unlikely. Take care.

Good discussion ,at first I thought it was kind of tacky and shouldnt be accpeted in the workplace .I still think it is kind of weird to see soemone in the workplace with earrings but now I am more liberal and I would say that if the earring can be smaller and less conspicuous it may be allwed if they are not functioning in a customer service job.If the person is doing a behind teh scenes job then it may be allowed .As regards to piercing especially nose ring then that is a no no.

I personally believe that piercings are only a positive thing. They make a person individual and stand out from others. I have been told to take my nose stud out but i simply changed it to one without a gem inside and nothing else has been said. I could see why a boss would have a problem if you were a PE instructor or something as yes the piercing could cause damage. But if you are sitting in an office what harm are you bringing?

Hi there. Well, I don't have piercings myself but I did enjoy having my hair dyed before I worked. Of course, I had to stop when I started working, considering the nature of my job and I wasn't too happy about that either - which is why I believe that most companies should grant a little more freedom when it comes to the dress code, allow their employees to show their individuality and express themselves, as long as it doesn't hinder them from doing their job. Of course, it goes without saying that people in customer service or who have to meet customers and clients face to face should be more conscious about how they dress since customers and clients value appearances. But then, if you're a regular office worker who does jobs "behind the scenes", well, I don't really see why you shouldn't be allowed to have piercings and such.

There are some environments where facial piercings are acceptable- I really don't think an office is one of them (this is my personal opinion), I work in a hospital (as a manager) and daily I have to ask employees to remove their facial piercings- it is alarming to many older patients (which is a customer- as in most other environments). If your manager asked you in a private setting- then I wouldn't be offended if it was a public request I would speak with him/ her and express my concerns. You can always check with human resources- you may find there is a policy concerning appearance. Good Luck and happy mylotting!

Maybe it depends on the type of work you have. If your work requires to face clients everyday and if you work in a big company, then i guess you just don't have a choice but to abide by the rules. You signed the contract stating that you follow company guidelines. There's really nothing wrong with piercings but there are some people who are just not ready for it. I mean you know, people might give a bad impression about you and as an employee of the company, you represent them.

I don't agree with it. I don't see how it's any different than earrings. I understand that employers have to draw the line somewhere and in some cases it's just easier to say no to all of it than to argue over what is and isn't appropriate. And I can see where, in a face to face customer service job, a three inch spiked labret could be distracting. But I've had friends working in call centers get asked to remove their piercings (and cover tattoos). How do piercings and tattoos affect the customer when the customer is on the phone, in another state, possibly another COUNTRY? Personally, I'd rather talk to a CSR whose tongue is swollen from a new piercing than someone who doesn't even speak English as a second language, nevermind first (and I do not mean any disrespect to people working in call centers from around the world....I'm sure it's just as hard on a CSR from Korea to understand what I'm trying to say as it is for me to understand them).

I think all size piercings should be allowed, though if you work in an environment that it may present a possible danger then you should remove it. By that I mean, if you are going into the ring every day as a fighter or MMA you might want to remove your piercings ahead of time. If you work with machinary that may catch a piece of jewelry, you might want to remove them. However, with most jobs I don't see why jewelry should not be accepted. Currently I have one nose ring, because a recent emergency MRI caused me to have to remove all of my jewelry and two of them were new and I couldn't get the jewelry back in afterward, so now I have to go back and get the other nostril re-done along with my traygus. (Yes, I'm seriously bummed over this). I'm a teacher though, currently a stay at home mom. My husband works in the instrumment room of a hospital and has quite a few piercings. Neither of us has been asked to remove our piercings for the job. My ears are just below 1 inch, and my husband are 1 inch. Most of the time people don't even know we've jewelry in to be honest. Those that do, it's generally questions like "Did that hurt". Or, as one of the cute students I worked with one said "I can put my finger through your ear" lol. Honestly, I wouldn't remove my piercings for a job. I'd find a good match that accepted me as I am. I have tattoos as well and I'm not going to have them removed just because someone finds them whatever. I think we're slowly changing though as a society and becoming more accepting. And to just comment on something someone said above, most people that modify their bodies even to the extreme are not doing it to say "LOOK AT ME". All of my modifications are very personal in nature and were done to mark points in my life, just as each of my tattoos has a story. Good luck to you. Namaste-Anora

I believe that is personal & it should not be our employers business. For just because someone has a piercing doesn't mean they are not qualified to his or her job. I have 3 holes in each of my ears & I don't want someone to tell me to remove my ear rings from my ears. Both my daughters have nose piercing. The piercing is a small diamond. I think it looks cute on my daughters. They both also have belly rings. And my oldest daughter has ear rings all the way up on each of her ears. My oldest daughter is a jewelry freak. I am a ear ring freak.

I believe that piercings in certain areas such as the ears and nose are acceptable because they are not viewed as distracting as ones to areas such as eyebrows, tongues, and lips. I do not have any piercings nor do I have an interest to get one because I am too worried about the cleanness of the instruments used. I believe that your manager may have a point, because as an employee you are forced to follow the appropriate dress code for the job. But, I do understand that you would like to express you personality but at the same time you must understand you are being paid.

i have 11 piercings i did have more but i took some out and i think they should be allowed at work because i do not see how a piercing would effect someones performance. Im like a piercing and tattoo freak lol and i am a very hard reliable worker who always gets what needs to be done, done. A piercing shouldnt make or break a person for getting a job and i think they should be more widely accepted. I also think a person shouldnt change who they are jsut because of where they work.

It depends on where a person is working. If someone works in a Piercing or Tattoo shop, then it would be more acceptable than if he or she worked as an assistant in a Law Firm or College. Certain work places are more casual than others, so piercings should be accepted at those places. However, it is not appropriate in Childcare centers, Medical Facilities and many Corporate settings. A concert promoter could probably get away with piercings more than someone who worked at the front counter at a five start hotel or restaurant. I doubt that Chef Ramsey from Hell's Kitchen would allow extravagant piercings in his places of business.

I can't see how a tiny little barely visible stud can offend people. It's a common piercing anymore like having your ear pierced. I use to work in a professional office in the 90's and I use to wear a small diamond stud in my nose and nobody cared. I just think it depends how uptight your employer is and it seems they are plenty uptight. Then after I stop working for this office job I got a job at Hot Topic and I wore a septum ring in my nose along with a hoop where my diamond stud use to be and they loved it...LOL.. I even got my tongue pierced. It just depends where you work, some places don't care if you wear facial piercings to work & others do care. If you value your job I think you should take the stud out, if not find a job that doesn't mind the small stud while you work. Good luck

I think it is not good thing to do. But it has been a trend for few people and like to do that. But it is accepted if it is not often visible to others and if it is not distracting someone else. I think it should not be accepted in any way. Personally I am never attracted towards it

I think you should be able to use it. I know the feeling because i also got a nose piercing and it is a small diamond stud, even though i am still taking the course i have to prepare myself because they are going to tellme to remove it. Receptionists, like they say, need to have a very clean image. But i dont think a piercing on the nose is going to change what they feel about our image, or about they way we perform at work.

I think you should be allowed to have them only if it isn't alot. Like i think the people who have their whole face pierced would cause a problem with the customers and them becoming comfortable with the employees.