Tattoos in the workplace

Before addressing the issue of tattoos in the workplace and whether employers have the right to ask employees to cover up, or even refuse to employ or dismiss employees with visible tattoos, it is worth considering the popularity of tattoos in general.

Equally, a range of attitudes towards tattoos in specific sectors of employment, bring different perspectives to the issue.

Are tattoos growing in popularity and acceptability?

The latest available figures dealing with the popularity of tattoos in the UK date from 2015, when findings published by Statista revealed that 30 per cent of 25 to 39-year-olds have at least one tattoo, a figure that dropped to 21 per cent for the 40-59 age group and 9 per cent for those aged over 60.

As well as discovering that the vast majority of people choosing to tattoo their bodies were perfectly happy with their decision later in life, a YouGov survey looked at the attitudes people have towards those with tattoos.