Are Tattoos Still Taboo In Workplaces?

There have been recent reports of job candidates who were rejected for roles because they had tattoos. Is this lawful and how far can employers take their aversions to tattoos?

Many employers may feel that tattoos give a bad impression to their clients. Broadly speaking, this is an acceptable policy for employers to have. However, care should be exercised before the policy is strictly applied to job candidates and existing employees.

Whilst having tattoos is not specifically protected by equality legislation, all applicants for jobs are protected under the Equality Act if the reason that they did not get a job was discriminatory. Whilst a policy against tattoos may not be obviously discriminatory, a blanket ban could be indirectly discriminatory.