![]() ![]() He's quick to add that anything offensive, too visible or controversial would obviously not be accepted. "Ultimately, they look at your CV not your tattoo," he says. Sodhi claims though that Indian workplaces are not very strict about body art policies. "In India, dress codes are unwritten rules but companies that are inward-oriented where the work doesn't involve customer interaction like a BPO or a software firm are more open to such liberties in office dressing," says Uday Sodhi, chief executive officer, a job-search portal focussed exclusively on mid- and senior-management professionals. Whatever my current preferences may be, who knows what they will be a week, a year or a decade later? I loved singer Adam Ant when I was in high school, but I'm glad I never tattooed his name on my forearm."Ĭlearly, body art and boardroom don't mix. Wal-Mart specifies tattoos 'that are offensive or distractive are to be covered by clothing or other means.'Īs economist Stephen Levitt pontificates over tattoos in his popular column Freakonomics: "Economists tend to like choices that are reversible. Walt Disney World doesn't allow its employees to use bandages to cover their tattoos, but they can use opaque makeup. Starbucks requires employees to cover all tattoos and remove certain piercings. ![]() Globally, companies prefer written down codes dictating what is acceptable. And this goes double for those working in organisations that are more service oriented like banking, airlines, consulting and hospitality. "Wear dark shirt, full sleeves, leave your hair open or if need be wear makeup to hide it," he says. Corporate grooming coach and etiquette trainer Yatan Ahluwalia advises that if you have a tattoo, keep it hidden. Given the clean hygienic parlour, good tattoo artists, tattoos are definitely more accessible now, but whether they are acceptable is another matter. In between his many celeb assignments - he's the personal tattoo artist to Hrithik Roshan, Sanjay Dutt and Saif Ali Khan - Hakim personally fields 3-4 tattoo requests daily. "Even in the so-called IT hubs like Bangalore and Hyderabad the demand for tattoos has grown exponentially," he says. Today, he has six tattoo lounges in Mumbai and one each in Hyderabad and Bangalore. In 2005, he started with a small parlour in Mumbai. In fact, the growth of the tattoo trend can be gauged from Hakim's progress. The average age is likely to be above 25. People actually make a very conscious decision to go in for a tattoo after having given it careful thought," he says. "It's not a coming of age thing in India as it is in the West. But celebrity tattoo artist and director of Hakim's Aalim Tattoo Lounge, Aalim Hakim, feels that the average age of a tattoo getter is higher in India. Tattoos are considered to be an under-25 phenomenon with most people going in for an ink by that age. It's being the official expression of rebels and hippies that corporate world doesn't look kindly towards it. Maybe because they started as the bastion of the marginalised: gypsies, freak shows, criminals and the non-conformists. By and large, the consensus is tattoos and workplace don't mix. In other words, tattoos are not an issue in a corporate environment, provided they remain unseen. Like most of the corporate dress codes - ties, formal pants, jackets - no tattoos at workplace is an unspoken rule. ![]() No one cares what you have on your body as long as it stays hidden,” she says. While at work, the HR executive, who probably hands out dress codes to people on not to wear visible body art, decided to get her shoulder tattooed as it stays covered while at work. It was after eight years of working that Mishra decided to get inked. Shikha Mishra, 31, a human resource executive with a mobile phone company, has a phoenix inked on her right shoulder.
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