Tattoos and unfavorable treatment among employees in the hospitality industry

• Published in: International journal of contemporary hospitality management Vol. 32; no. 5; pp. 1925 - 1940
• Main Authors: Tews, Michael J, Stafford, Kathryn
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bradford Emerald Publishing Limited 23-05-2020; Emerald Group Publishing Limited
• Subjects: Body art; Earnings; Employees; Employment; Employment interviews; Hospitality industry; Perceptions; Qualitative research; Self expression; Stigma; Tattoos; United States > US; Hospitality employees; Workplace discrimination; Fair interpersonal treatment; Tattoos
• ISSN: 0959-6119; 1757-1049
• DOI: 10.1108/IJCHM-08-2019-0712

Purpose
As employers are purportedly becoming more receptive to tattoos, the question arises whether tattooed employees are nonetheless subject to unfavorable treatment. In this light, the purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of different tattoo characteristics on four outcomes: annual earnings, fair interpersonal treatment from supervisors, perceived discrimination and perceived overqualification. The specific tattoo characteristics were tattoo number, visibility and content.
Design/methodology/approach
Survey data from a sample of 162 tattooed hospitality employees were obtained from a Qualtrics research panel and analyzed using regression.
Findings
The results demonstrated that employees with a greater degree of dark tattoo content (content of a more threatening and intimidating nature) received less favorable treatment, as demonstrated by significant relationships with fair interpersonal treatment, perceived discrimination and perceived overqualification. Tattoo number was related to increased perceived discrimination and perceived overqualification. At the same time, tattoo number was related to increased annual earnings, signaling a benefit.
Research limitations/implications
Measures of tattoo characteristics and workplace outcomes were collected in a single survey. An analysis of data collected at different points would potentially provide a more definitive test of cause and effect.
Practical implications
On one front, organizations should establish grooming policies that specify what is acceptable with respect to tattoos. To help minimize personality-related tattoo stereotypes from influencing hiring decisions, organizations could use personality assessments to make the hiring process more objective. Moreover, diversity training could address tattoo-related stereotypes, bias and prejudice.
Originality/value
Even though prior studies have demonstrated that tattooed people are viewed as less suitable for employment, research focused on the relationship between tattoos and actual discrimination has been limited. The results from this study highlight that employees with tattoos may still be subject to maltreatment, despite the mainstreaming of tattoos.