Course: BUSI 2033 Organizational Behaviour and Management

I need you to answer 3 discussion post questions and state whether you agree or disagree:

1.

Hello Class,

This is a very hard question to answer. In the past couple of decades body art and piercings have become much more prevalent. We encourage people to express themselves and many choose these options among others as a way to do so. On the other hand, this may fall into the category of discrimination if the employer decides not to hire the person because of their appearance but the Human Rights Act and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms do not apply to employers hiring choices with regards to body modifications (Chittley-Young, K, 2022).

I believe that employers should be able to ban visible body art in the workplace just as they have right to enforce a dress code and code of conduct. With that being said, they should not be able to ban it if it has to do with the persons religion such as Sikh men not being able to shave. Workplaces over the last decade have become less formal which means that tattoos, piercings, and other forms of visual body art are more acceptable than before. It is said that 40% of people aged 18-34 have a tattoo (Mrkonjic, E., 2022) so it is becoming less possible for employers to ban them since they make up the majority of the workforce (Jeudy, L, 2023).

I feel the perception seen by most people my age (50+) of a person without tattoos and body piercings is a clean cut, professional individual who is a rule follower and not rebellious. Having young adult children and family members who have visual body art, I can say that I dont hold that perception. I feel also with the growing number of people expressing themselves in this way that less and less people are going to be judging as harshly as before.

2.

There shouldn't be any restrictions on peoples appearances because employing people with body art might be advantageous for companies depending on the industry. Nonetheless, it can be difficult to hire someone with excessive body art in some companies. For instance, a client may flee a meeting with a lawyer who has several facial piercings. Diversity of culture in the workplace encourages empowerment, which can boost output and happiness. Employers establish explicit rules and regulations for dress codes at work, which frequently mention body art. I believe that employers should be free to set these rules however they see fit, or in accordance with the clientele they are servicing. They shouldn't, however, be permitted to discriminate against workers who opt to express themselves through body art. (Megan, et al 2015)

Employers need to be careful that the parameters to ban visible body art do not affect human rights standards. If there is a policy at work prohibiting offensive tattoos and that policy is judged to be reasonable under the circumstances, there may be grounds for discipline and, in the worst-case scenario, termination. Companies should be careful that any policies they implement do not go too far, as to create an impression of discrimination. (Rudner, 2019) The company culture and the image conveyed to customers, the public, as well as current and potential workers, should all be considered when creating policies that ban visible body art. These policies should be founded on realistic business demands, just like all other standards. For example, if some religious practices require body piercings and tattoos, in this case, employers should be accommodative.

Whilst opinions of those with body piercings and tattoos may not be accurate, these types of body art have a big impact on the attitudes and perceptions people have of them. An employee will perceive it as discrimination if it is forbidden to have visible body art. This is due to the possibility that the employees' principles or ideas are expressed through tangible art. They may feel prejudiced if the art is outlawed due to their beliefs or values. An employee may be exhibiting their religion, for instance, if they have a rosary tattoo on their hand that is clearly visible. While art does not interfere with their ability to do their job duties, when body art is prohibited, they may feel discriminated against.

I think personality type contributes to this discussion; stereotypes are very false presumptions that are frequently negative toward individuals with tattoos. Yet not all the bad things about visible body art are necessarily true.

3.

I think it is within the rights of employers to enforce a dress code for employees within their establishment. Consumer purchasing behaviour is based a lot on perception, and employees who are on the front line for a business are going to be a representation of the business. Different generations have different values and perceive things differently, a millennial may have no problems going up and talking to someone with purple hair, nose piercings, and visible tattoos, whereas a baby boomer may see the same person as intimidating or unapproachable. My parents are baby boomers, and they still hold the view that tattoos are not professional, and they associate them with people like gang members or someone whos been to prison. This is the way they were raised and is a sign of the time that they grew up in, An understanding that individuals values differ but tend to reflect the societal values of the period in which they grew up can be a valuable aid in explaining and predicting behaviour (Langton et al, 2016. Pg. 87, para 2). Baby Boomers still hold a large piece of purchasing power within todays market, so understanding their views and values and considering them during operations is good business.

Stuart Rudner, (2019) of Rudner law states that discrimination is only unlawful when it is based on a ground protected by human rights legislation, such as gender, religion, or disability. Some cases that have gone to court where people have been asked to cover up, have ruled in favour of the employee stating that the policies infringed on the workers right to freedom of expression (Rudner, 2019). This should be taken into consideration when making or adjusting business policies on dress code and conduct, to ensure no rights are being violated.

In the U.S. It is well known that the army, marine corps, navy, air force, and coast guard have strict dress codes which include tattoos, hair style, and allowances for facial hair. Changes have been made to these policies in the recent past that are seen as less restricting due to individualism becoming more widely accepted. Each division has its own set of rules for placement of body art with the marine corps being the most restricting, however still way better than the old rule of no more than 25% of the body being able to contain body art (ASVAB, n.d.).

To me the responsibility is to the individual choosing to get the tattoo, colour their hair, or get a piercing, to consider the type of career they want or have, and to know the possible perceptions that may be made if choosing a location that is visible to others. People make decisions based on visual cues, so the reality is if one chooses to colour their hair, get piercings, or tattoos that are visible, then they may be perceived in a different light, and they should enter the decision prepared to deal with the effects of the choice.