Many recent college graduates will be interviewing for jobs and starting their careers this month.
Many of these college graduates have body piercings considered to be in and hip amongst their generation and college friends. However, many employers may not share the same feelings for body piercings in a professional environment.
If you have a body piercing you’re not sure would be appropriate at the office, cover it up or remove it while you’re in a professional setting.
You may want to read the employee handbook to see if there are any written policies for body piercings. However, it is most important to observe your supervisors to see if they are donning such body embellishments. If not, don’t push the issue even if it is allowed according to the employee handbook. The handbook does not make career advancement decisions.
Employees are encouraged to read their employer’s Employee Handbook and comply with its Personal Appearance policy. Here, for your review, is a sample Personal Appearance Policy –
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Dress, grooming, and personal cleanliness standards contribute to the moral of all employees and affect the business image of the Company that it presents to its customers and visitors.
During business hours or when representing the Company, employees are expected to present a clean, neat, and tasteful appearance. Employees should dress and groom themselves according to the requirements of their job and accepted social standards. This is particularly true if the job involves dealing with customers or visitors in person.
Guidelines to follow are:
WOMEN –
– Use of Company apparel
– Use of shoes that are conducive to performing job duties; functional and safe
– No excessive high heels
– No low cut shirts and tops
– No bare mid-drifts
– No visible tatoos or body piercing (with the exception of no more than to ear rings in each ear) that are not a distraction
MEN –
– Use of Company apparel
– Use of shoes that are conducive to performing job duties; functional and safe
– No open toes shoes
– No low hanging pants
– No visible tatoos or body piercing (with the exception of no more than to ear rings in each ear) that are not a distraction
Talk with your immediate supervisor if you have questions as to what constitutes appropriate appearance. An employee that fails to adhere to these guidelines may be required to stop work without pay and/or are subject to disciplinary action, up to and including discharge.
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For more sample employee handbook policies and services visit Human-Resources-Policies.net (http://www.human-resources-policies.net)!
While I agree with the spirit of this post about body piercings, I believe that employers need to be sensitive to piercings that are done for legitimate ethnic, cultural or religious reasons.
For example, many women from India (or women who have Indian heritage, although they may have been born elsewhere) have nose piercings. This is part of Hindu culture, and this kind of piercing should be exempt from a company policy that calls for “no body piercings.”
It is important to have increased cultural awareness and sensitivity in the workplace.
Dear F. Arabo,
Thank you for sharing your perspective. I agree with you. Hopefully, employers will also see the difference between fashion piercing and cultural or religious piercing.
I hope the leaders of businesses in the U.S. are knowledgeable and educated enough to train their staff to understand the differences.
Cultural awareness is very much a part of good etiquette practice.
Sincerely,
Sandy Hyde