Tattoos in the workplace, how has society's perception of ink changed?
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Tattoos are becoming more common in today's society and, as a result, appear to be more acceptable in the workplace than they used to be.
The old saying is 'Don't judge a book by its cover,' and the same should apply to people too, but how true is that?
People have biases and those can affect the decisions we make about others, including in the workplace.
Judgements can be made because of how people act, what their work ethic is and what they look like, including if they have tattoos or not.
In the recent past, tattoos were seen as part of rebel and anti-establishment culture, even criminal culture.
"In Canada, we come from the British tradition, which is quite structured and conservative in the way it changes," Dr. Ganz Ferrance, a registered psychologist, said. "There are certain things that were looked on as not proper or not part of the regular establishment,"
Famously, the Yakuza, the Japanese mafia, is known for elaborate and extensive tattoos. This stems from a tradition of tattooing criminals based on their crime as a form of punishment and identification.
Tattooing also has a rich history throughout many cultures, including Polynesians, Nubians and Greeks. Tattoos would be used to show accomplishments, protect from evil and show status or beliefs.
