A tattooed woman complains: I can’t find a job

Tattoos do play a role in some jobs: as a tattoo artist, it’s almost mandatory, as a bank employee, and it’s often viewed critically. The Welsh woman “didn’t stand a chance” thanks to her body art.

Almost every fifth German citizen has one (or more) tattoos, found in a 2019 survey by Ipsos–institute Outside. high Suddeutscher Zeitung The number of tattooed people in Germany has almost doubled compared to the past seven years. Whether it’s a unicorn, a geometric pattern, or flowers in all colors – the possibilities are endless with this form of body art – but it’s always a no-brainer.

Tattoos in professional life – taboo?

Yes, tattoos are not a taboo in professional life. She’s inside constitution It states that everyone has the right to the free development of his personality (Article 2). So your employer cannot prevent you from getting a tattoo or taking steps under employment law, such as dismissal. But there are exceptions.

In professional life, tattoos may be required to be covered or hidden by a supervisor, especially in some industries. For example, civil servants or public sector workers, police officers and soldiers in the German army must not have any tattoos in the “visible area of ​​the body” (BVerwG 2 C 13.19). There are always exceptions, but the supervisor can ask for them. And even in finance and banking or in law firms, the opinion is sometimes expressed that clients can draw negative conclusions from visible tattoos.

By the way: the moderator could be more strict and insist on hiding symbols that are clearly misogynistic or racist for example. If the principal’s instructions are ignored, the result can be a warning, warning, or dismissal.

Welsh women with tattoos cannot find a job

A problem also faced by Melissa Sloane from Wales (UK). The special thing here: She not only has one or two tattoos, but now over 800. Compare that Daily Star, a British tabloid, told that she had a job cleaning toilets but now she can find nothing similar. She cites tattoos all over her body, including her face, as the reason: “I applied for a job as a toilet cleaner where I live and they didn’t want me because of the tattoo.”