Slide1 :
INTRODUCTION AND
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Body art (e.g., tattoos, body piercing) has become more predominant in mainstream society in recent years, creating concerns ranging from customer discomfort to discrimination claims. One survey of 1,010 subjects found that one in seven people (over 39 million people) have at least one tattoo and 30% of those with tattoos are between the ages of 25 and 34 years (Scripts Howard News Service; Ohio University, 2005).
The increasing prevalence of this type of self expression has business and healthcare settings examining their current policies regarding employees’ appearance. In 2005, the Employment Law Alliance (ELA) found that 39% of Americans believe employers should have the right to deny employment based on appearance (i.e., clothing, weight, body art, and hair style). Some (33%) believe, however, that special legal protection should be granted to those considered unattractive, overweight, or unconventional in appearance. Despite these beliefs, only 51% of employers had formal company policies regarding employee appearance.
The lack of formal policies regarding appearance has resulted in employees filing discrimination suits. In Craft v. Metromedia (1985), a co-anchor was re-assigned to reporter status after negative comments were made about her appearance. The court of appeals found that reasonable appearance was critical to the station’s economic well-being. Specifically, Metromedia was covered under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that says that if the position requires a certain religion, gender, or national origin, employers can hire based on those characteristics as they are “bona fide occupational qualifications”.
In addition to concern about appearance, employers may also be concerned about the possible health risks of tattoos and body piercing. Infections such as Hepatitis B, C, and HIV can be transmitted via unsterilized instruments. Transmission of these diseases may be caused by the inability to sterilize non-disposable piercing guns and tattooing equipment due to their design (Samantha, Tweeten, and Rickman,1998). “In general, Hepatitis B is the major threat in body art because it can be transmitted in as little as .00004 ml of blood and can survive on blood-contaminated surfaces, such as instruments or counter tops, for more than two months” (Armstrong, Texas Tech School of Nursing, 2001).
An estimated four million Americans are infected with Hepatitis C each year and 10,000 die (Center for Disease Control, 2005). People with tattoos are nine times more likely to be infected with Hepatitis C (Robert Haley, M.D., Chief of Epidemiology of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 2001). Hepatitis C, known for causing chronic liver disease, can be transferred into the bloodstream via percutaneous exposure by way of bloodbourne pathogens.
These findings are important for speech-language pathology students to know as they prepare for careers in healthcare.
Although concerns about personal appearance are understandable from business and nursing perspectives, are they and should they be concerns of speech-language pathologists? This study examined that question. If the answer is yes, speech-language pathology students need to know of these issues as they prepare for careers in healthcare. IS PERCEPTION REALITY?
EMPLOYERS’ PERSPECTIVES ON TATTOOS AND BODY PIERCING
Judy A. Fellows, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Jenene Bignar, B.S., Krystal Williams, B.S.
Department of Communicative Disorders
METHODOLOGY
Surveys were sent to 106 employers of Speech-Language Pathologists in healthcare settings to determine their perspectives on body art. Survey questions included personal demographics (e.g., age, if they had body art) and their opinions of employees with body art.
RESULTS
The return rate for surveys yielded a 48% response.
Demographics for respondents were as follows:
DISCUSSION
This study examined the perspectives of employers of SLPs in healthcare settings regarding body art (visible tattoos and body piercing) in the workplace. Findings were similar to those found from business (ELA, 2005) as only about half of the companies have formal policies governing employee appearance.
Investigation of SES found that about one-half said it did not play a role, but one-third believed body art reflected low SES. The issue of health risk was more of a concern for body piercing than tattoos, despite concerns reported by Armstrong (2001), Haley (2001), and the CDC (2005).
Despite its increased prevalence, respondents view body art as only a trend. Employers believe, however, that visible tattoos and body piercing should prevent SLPs from obtaining employment in healthcare settings since appearance is believed to greatly impact patients’ perception of care.
It is believed that since the respondents were from a relatively conservative area in the south, these findings reflect those viewpoints. Investigation of other regions of the U.S. could generate different results. Regardless, clinicians need to be aware of possible perceptions regarding body art and make their personal decisions accordingly. Although society may place more emphasis on personal appearance than ability, in a healthcare profession such as speech-language pathology, ultimately ability is critical.
QUESTIONNAIRE
For purposes of this study the following definitions were used:
Tattoos: permanent coloration of the second layer of the dermis (Krakow, 1994) that are applied by injecting pigment 50 - 3,000 times a minute to the depth of 1/64 to 1/16 of an inch using whisker thin needles (Armstrong and Fell, 2000).
Body piercing: the practice of using needles, rings, steel posts or other adornments that penetrate the skin (Rickman and Tweeten, 1998), excluding up to two piercings per ear lobe.
1. What is your employment setting?
2. Select your age range:
3. What is your gender?
4. What is your overall view on tattoos?
5. How many tattoos do you have?
6. Does your company currently have a formal policy governing
visible tattoos with penalties for violation?
7. In your opinion, tattoos are more predominant in people
from which socioeconomic background?
8. Do you believe that an employer should have the right to
deny employment based on visible tattoos?
9. Do you believe that an employee with a visible tattoo could pose a possible health risk for co-workers and/or clientele?
10. Does your company currently have a formal policy
governing body piercing with penalties for violation?
11. What is your overall view on body piercing?
12. How many body piercings do you have (excluding up to 2 in
each ear lobe)?
13. In your opinion, body piercings are more predominant in persons from which socioeconomic background.
14. Do you believe that an employer should have the right to
deny employment based on body piercing?
15. Do you believe that an employee with body piercing could
pose a possible health risk for co-workers and/or clientele?
16. Do you believe that tattoos and piercings are becoming a
part of mainstream society or only a trend?
17. Do you believe that personal appearance impacts a patient’
overall perception of care?
18. Do you believe that today’s society places more of an
emphasis on personal appearance than on ability?
RESULTS Few employers had company policies but most believed in the right to deny employment Employers' beliefs: society, health risks, socioeconomic status, and trend Employers’ perspectives on body art were negative. Most respondents reported not having any body art. COMMENTS
“The desire for a good personal appearance has gone by the wayside. SAD! We are selling a product—healthcare and people expect to SEE professionalism as well as receive it. I grew up in the era that tattoos were only worn by bikers, servicemen, or trashy people and body piercing were only for ladies to wear their earrings in.”
“Our home health has many elderly patients who are disgusted by the sight of tattoos or piercings. We try to make our patients feel as comfortable as we can.”
“Employers should have the right to ask employees to cover tattoos and remove body piercing that are visible, especially if they are offensive.”
“Areas of piercing could be infected and passed on to coworker/patients. Medical positions are considered professional---The way you look demands respect.”
“I am a nursing facility administrator. I will not hire anyone with a visible tattoo or multi-piercing.” REFERENCES
Armstrong, M.L., & Fell, P.R. (2000). Body Art: Regulatory Issues and the NEHA Body Art Model Code. Environmental Health. pp.25-30.
Center for Disease Control (CDC) (N.D.). Hepatitis C; Staphylococcus aureus; HIV. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on November 10, 2005: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases.htm
Civil Rights Act of 1964, Pub. L. 88-352. Sec. 2000e-2, Section 703, Title VII (1964).
Craft vs. Metromedia, Inc., 766 F. 2d 1205 (8th Cir. 1985).
Employment Law Alliance (ELA). (2005). America at Work (Survey). Retrieved from the World Wide Web on November 3, 2005: http://www.ela.org.
Krakow, A. (1994). The Tattoo Book. New York.
Lloyd, J.D. (2003). Body Piercing and Tattoos: Examining Pop Culture. Greenhaven Press.
Rickman, L.S. & Tweeten, S.M. (1998). Infectious Complications of Body Piercing. Clinical Infectious Diseases. Volume 26: 735-40.
Scripps Howard News Service and Ohio University. (2005). Retrieved from the World Wide Web on November 1, 2005: http://www.newspolls.org.