Are Tattoos at Work Appropriate in 2025?

Despite more than a quarter of people in the United Kingdom having a tattoo according to YouGov, many employers still prohibit visible tattoos at work. These conflicting attitudes have created a cultural clash between workers and employers which has the potential to negatively impact talent acquisition and employee wellbeing.

So, what should employers do to ensure that they are able to create a welcoming environment for their staff while maintaining professional standards? As well, what do employees need to know in terms of their rights when it comes to body art.

Historical stigmas regarding individuals with tattoos continue to impact professionals in the 21st century with many employers believing that visible tattoos in the workplace are ‘unprofessional’. This opinion is usually held by those in customer-facing industries such as sales, hospitality, and retail where employee appearances must be consistent with wider corporate branding. Other industries such as healthcare, law and finance may discourage workers from having visible tattoos in the workplace since there are high professional expectations of individuals in these fields and tattoos have often been associated with negative personality traits.

However, attitudes are beginning to change across all sectors; in 2022 Virgin Airlines announced that they would be allowing their flight crew to have visible tattoos while working. This groundbreaking change to their policy followed similar changes by organisations such as The Metropolitan Police who published in their 2022 dress code policy that ‘a visible tattoo is permissible, as long as it is not on the face or on the front or side of the neck’. However, their policy does state that these tattoos should be covered up for suitable events such as funerals and other events of remembrance.

Outside of issues relating to professionalism, many employers have concerns that individuals may be treated differently in the workplace due to their tattoos or other body modifications. Tattoos are not a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, except for religious markings, therefore there is no legal protection for employees with tattoos.

These changing attitudes towards tattoos in the workplace are emblematic of a wider transition across society as a whole. This is an especially apparent amongst young people as with over half of 18-34 years olds feeling positively towards tattoos in general.

This means that in order to create a welcoming environment, employers must adjust their workplace culture to reflect the diverse appearances which makes up their workforce. This is important as by encouraging diversity and individuality, employees will feel more positive towards their employer and their work.

This increase in the number of individuals with tattoos also means that a zero-tolerance policy from employers would disregard a large amount of potentially talented individuals during the hiring process before they have even said a word. In 2025, employers must adapt their hiring practices in order to ensure they do not miss out on the best candidates.

As an employer, you must ensure that you have clear tattoo guidelines as part of your dress code policy. You may wish to add an amendment to your policy which clarifies whether employees can have visible tattoos at work. You should also ensure that the circumstances where an employee may be asked to cover up a tattoo are clear e.g. for the purpose of maintaining a professional image while meeting certain clients. You should also make it clear in this policy that employees may be asked to cover up a tattoo if it is deemed to be offensive.

If your organisation discourages all employees from having visible tattoos at work, you must ensure that you do not discriminate against any individuals. Although tattoos are not a protected characteristic, restrictive policies regarding body art may negatively impact the morale of individuals and the wider workplace. You may wish to speak with your employees before implementing any changes to your dress code policy.

There are also the previously mentioned religious body art and tattoos which are classed as a protected characteristic. An example of this is henna body art which is a common cultural practice across parts of India and the Middle East.

In certain cultures, henna symbolises positive spirits and good luck. Indian Wedding tradition calls for a Mehndi ceremony to be held the night before the wedding as a way of wishing the bride good health and prosperity as she makes her journey on to marriage.

While these tattoos are only temporary, if an employee has been a part of a Mehndi ceremony, they may still have visible art upon their return to work. As an employer you should not discriminate against any employee who returns to work with henna after a Mehndi or any other cultural practise.

Our previous blog post covered the return to the office and the potential end of remote work in 2025. With many employees returning to in person work for the first time since 2020, you may find that this has brought about a more relaxed attitudes towards employee dress code, specifically visible tattoos at work.

If you having issues implementing a tattoo policy in your business or are unsure about the law around asking employees to cover up their tattoos, please get in touch with Willerby Hill.