Tattoos and the office? (Seattle, Bellevue: daycare, restaurants, shops) - Washington (WA) -Seattle and King County Suburbs - City-Data Forum

ijoe13 · 06-21-2009, 06:43 PM

I asked about what the dress code is like in Seattle, and it seems to be pretty relaxed for the most part. I was also wondering about what the general feeling toward visible tattoos in the work place is in Seattle? Is it as much of a taboo as it is here in the Cleveland area, or does it follow the trend of the dress code?

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

Joe

SeattlitefromNC · 06-21-2009, 06:55 PM

It's impossible to answer this question without more information.

In a purely social sense, tattoos are probably far more tolerated than in Cleveland. However, that does not always translate neatly to the business arena. In fact, even within the same company (e.g. Microsoft), body modifications can be greatly tolerated in one group and not at all tolerated in the next.

GSherman · 06-21-2009, 10:45 PM

In my office, all tats need to be covered. Lip, nose & tongue rings are not allowed.

Chevayea · 06-22-2009, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GSherman

In my office, all tats need to be covered. Lip, nose & tongue rings are not allowed.

Same here (working for city government). Keep 'em covered and take out the jewelry.

jenlion · 06-22-2009, 11:11 AM

I have a friend with a tongue ring that has no problems she's ever mentioned with it. She works downtown Bellevue. I see her at lunch, and it's in.

I see a lot of nose rings on people from India, but I have no idea if they wear them to work or not. One I see often picking her kid up at daycare does not have her nose ring on in the afternoons, but I've seen weekend pictures with it in, so I suspect it comes out just for work.

I don't know of any office place that's OK with visible tats above a certain pay grade. Sometimes clothing shifts and you get a glimpse of a tramp stamp or, in the case of a harley-riding breast-cancer survivor now working as an accounting software consultant, an upper body that's nothing BUT tattoo, but usually it's all covered by a simple short-sleeved shirt and regular pants. But if you're packing boxes in a warehouse? Probably nobody's gonna care.

Seriously, the tramp stamp is just a terrible idea. Who takes you seriously after seeing that?

motor80 · 06-22-2009, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ijoe13

I asked about what the dress code is like in Seattle, and it seems to be pretty relaxed for the most part. I was also wondering about what the general feeling toward visible tattoos in the work place is in Seattle? Is it as much of a taboo as it is here in the Cleveland area, or does it follow the trend of the dress code?

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

Joe

Depends on where you work. Coffee shops, boutiques, bartenders, hip restaurants, etc will be fine. I work for a small web design and development firm (about 20 employees) and no one cares if you have tats or piercings.

azoria · 06-22-2009, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by motor80

Depends on where you work. Coffee shops, boutiques, bartenders, hip restaurants, etc will be fine. I work for a small web design and development firm (about 20 employees) and no one cares if you have tats or piercings.

All high end careers there......

motor80 · 06-22-2009, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by azoria

All high end careers there......

That was my point. Most high-end "corporate" jobs, of course, will have a "cover the tattoos" type policy. Although, I have a feeling that they wouldn't necessarily *care* if you had them, just that you would have to cover them while at work. I.e. - they wouldn't discriminate based on the amount of ink one's skin. Of course this is pure speculation as I've never worked for any "big company" and probably never will. I'm very picky about my work atmosphere and culture.

ijoe13 · 06-22-2009, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by motor80

Depends on where you work. Coffee shops, boutiques, bartenders, hip restaurants, etc will be fine. I work for a small web design and development firm (about 20 employees) and no one cares if you have tats or piercings.

Quote:

Originally Posted by motor80

That was my point. Most high-end "corporate" jobs, of course, will have a "cover the tattoos" type policy. Although, I have a feeling that they wouldn't necessarily *care* if you had them, just that you would have to cover them while at work. I.e. - they wouldn't discriminate based on the amount of ink one's skin. Of course this is pure speculation as I've never worked for any "big company" and probably never will. I'm very picky about my work atmosphere and culture.

It sounds like you work for the kind of company I dream on working for. I have a few tattoos. One of which is on my forearm, so I have to cover it by long sleeves at my current company. I guess I'm hoping for the kind of office where it's accepted. I think too many people get hung up on tattoos or piercings. There are bigger problems out there.

la_fuerza · 06-27-2009, 07:27 AM

I have visible tattoos that I wear with pride and I work in an office environment. Alot of my co-workers have them as well. Tattoos are not really a taboo in Seattle as the city is progressive and tolerant. I guess it's not the same way in the midwest and east coast. I don't see why anyone would have a problem with tattoos. It seems like everyone under 30 has them. They are not outside the mainstream at all.