To fire someone because of tatoo?

Any company I have ever worked for had a written dress code policy that included information about tattoos. When you're hired you have to sign it saying you agree to it. If she signed something saying that all tattoos must be covered, then he had every right to fire her! If it's a company policy, then the rules apply to everyone! But if there are other people she works with that have tattoos that don't need to be covered and it was just hers that was a problem, then he had no right to fire her.

I would never cover up my tattoos, and as for firing someone for tattoo's, thats messed up, you should hire someone for who they are, not who you want them to be.

It would depend on three things. Number one is what kind of work was she dong. Usually working with the public tattoos are not considers very professional. Even for waitresses. Number two where the tattoo is. It may have been too conspicuous. and number three what the tattoo was. It may have been something in what the employer considered in bad taste for the business they were in.

These days most companies have a dress code policy that generally speaking covers the tattoo issue. I think if a person (male or female) has a visible tattoo, it needs to be covered in the work environment. (that's just my opinion). A lot of it depends on the work environment too. Customer can be easily offended by certain things and this person should have read her HR manual before getting a visible tattoo. A person can and will be fired for failing to cover body art and most companies are protected by the HR manual/ guidelines. I work in healthcare and every hospital I have ever been employed with requires that all visible tattoos be covered- these policy often cover body piercings too. So short story- follow the rules set forth by your company or go work some place else!!

Hmmm tricky. It sounds to me like they both over reacted in this situation. I think the boss shouldnt have fired her for this reason, but he probably fired her for refusing to follow his orders rather than the tatoo itself. What kind of job does she have and what was the tatoo of? They would be important to the situation i think. If it was big or offensive in anyway and it was a customer based job i would probably say cover it. If it was the kind of job where shes not really going to be seeing people or its doing no harm then why shouldnt she have a tatoo?! Probably just the boss throwing his weight around and getting grumpy when she didnt do as she was told! If that was the case then she is better off out of that job, and she should find a new one where they arnt so fussy!

First of all, what is the woman's profession? It really depends on her profession. I think what the boss did was just right. Maybe they are making a good role model out of that person but she has this tattoo. Tattoos are known to be for criminals, rebels and military people according to wikipedia. And having a tattoo means you can not donate blood anymore.

If I was her I would have covered up the tattoo because nothing is worse than loosing your job over anything. In my opinion tattoos should not be a big deal in the workplace because everyone seems to have them these days and no one seems to care or notice if you have one. Its not like their a big distraction in the workplace unless they cover a big portion of your body that can be seen when fully clothed. In my opinion her boss was a jerk and he should be fired for being such a jerk face to his employees.

It all depends on certain factors. These for me would include: * Was there a no tattoo rule before she got it done... * Where on her body was it done (face, upper/lower arm, neck, chest etc...) * What is the nature of the tattoo.... * What is the nature of her job.... The fact is that you cant just do as you please when it comes to your job. Some people really fail to separate their private life from their professional life in certain aspects. A customer does not need to be exposed to your personal body markings especially if its a all-up-in-your-face kind of tattoo. Some jobs are and some bosses are more relaxed than some. She would have known the nature of her boss before she got a tattoo done (if it was done after getting the job). Was she defiant and spoiling for a show down or was she really unaware it would become an issue? There are a few things to consider. I dont mind very mild tattoos but even then where they are would pose a problem for me.

I am happy to see this post, because I just had a conversation with a teenager about this very same topic. I will have her read this when I finish posting my response. If I were this young lady, I would have weighed the consequences of my actions, if I didn't cover up the tatoo as requested. Would I lose my only source of income? Do I have others depending on me for monetary support? Or do I have household expenses, etc. As an employer, my decision would have been based on the location of the tatoo on the body and what position in the company does the employee hold. If she was in a position that dealt with the immediate public, a tatoo in certain locations would not have be acceptable. The decision was really up to the employee, did she need her job or not. If she did, she would have covered the tatoo up and keep her job and if not, the consequence would be as it is. She got fired!

First of all, you must know about the policy and rules & regulation of the company.If the company requires employees not to have a tattoo.you must comply with it.

I think the boss were right because she have a tatoo on her body on sham side which comes in the bad thing so the boss is right.If her boss tell her to remove a tatoo for her job.So i think she have to remove it.if she do it then i think she is a intelligent girl.

Haha, that's really funny, and if I come across this situation, I guess I proably take an action like the girl. It is kind of freedom for a person to catch up the fashion, and nobody should stop he/she doing that, getting a tatoo on the skin has no big deal with the work, so as a boss, he shouldn't fire a person just beacuse of that tinny thing.

Unfortunetly if I got fired for having a tattoo I'd sue. because that is known as discrimination and you are not suppose to discriminate in a work place. For some places i could understand if the tattoo was ofensive in any way then I'd ask nicely if they wouldn't mind having it covered during working hours because it could potentially be offencive to either coworkers or potential clients. As a woman that has tattoos I have them in places that are normally covered if i was to go into a professional higher class working enviornment but say if i was to go out in some shorts or something yeah they would be visible. but i think the main reason people don't like to hire or work with people that have the tattoos is because a. the employer finds them offensive b. people in the workforce just don't like them, or c. it's something overall that is offensive not just to the people in the work enviornment but for the other people that also come into your place of work. You have to think you represent the company you work for, and if you come into work looking all tore up and tattoos everywhere some people might frown on that and judge the company and their work on that one person. so i see where they are coming from for the most part.

this is unreasonable.

If I were the woman, I'd have covered it. I've had to do that in the past. It's not worth losing a paycheck over. If I were the boss, yes, I may have asked her to cover it up. I guess it depends on what the tattoo is and where it is. If I asked her to cover it and she refused, yep, out the door she goes!

I wonder if it is legal to fire somebody for this reason? I think if it was not, that woman could try to do something about it. But I think if I was that woman, I would follow the boss's instruction to cover up the tatto. I don't knkow what work it is but I think it is not that good to have tattoos shown up in the office or at work, well depends on what types of work actually. The otherthing is in order to keep the job, I would, I could show off anytime I want just not at work, right?

If the tatoo was profane or offensive to customers, etc., I can see why the boss asked her to cover it. That seems like a middle ground. The extreme would seem to be to ask her to remove it (ouch)! While I really like art and love to go to the art museum, I would not want certain art works in my face when I am working. I would like to hear the whole story before I could have an opinion that would matter.

Wow, that is terrible. I mean how can you fire someone just because of tattoo. Here in Europe, almost all youngsters do have big tattoos and even piercings, yet, they have the best job in the community. People respect what you want to do to yourself, the important thing is, if you can do the work and provide a good result for the company. I really wanted to have tattoo but I am actually scared with the machine or gadget they use. But sooner or later, when I have the guts, I will have one. Keep posting. Happy Mylotting. Best regards. Have a nice day. Jeff

While I don't believe someone should be fired for having a ttatoo I do believe it is a reasonable request to ask the employee to cover it up. The womans body is hers and she should be able to make her own decision about it and whether she has a tattoo or not but she should also understand that she has to face the consequences of her decision. To be honest many businesses like their employees to cover up their tattoos or piercings as the way an employee presents themself reflects on the entire company and many consumers have negative connotations of tattoos and employees are the companies frontline. I think a compromise should be reached in this sitaution. Most people I know of who choose to get a tattoo think carefully about the position and palcement of their tattoo so it can be easily covered up and won't affect their job prospects in the future. Tattoos are fine if they represent something important to a person and in my opinon are best when they are discreet. The woman should cover her tattoo as there are many creams which work like foundations and temporarily hide the tattoo. If she refused I would seek advice from senior management.

well, first of all, every question depends on the woman's place of employment. if you are working with customers directly, sometimes the tattoo can be offensive and it reflects on the company itself. so, if i were this woman i would have chosen to get the tatto in a place that was easily concealed because i would have known that my boss would fire me if i had gotten it somewhere visible. if i had been her boss i personally may not have fired her but maybe suspended her until she aggreed to cover the tattoo. i myself have tons of tattoos but i have to cover them up so i can make money because i cant make money if i offend people with my body art. i wish it were not this way but sadly, not everyone appreciates tattoos the way that i do.