I went to a trade association meeting last night and some students where there and that is a good thing KO. However I would like to know how some of these students think they are going to get a job. Between earings bodyart and wearing a hardware store on their face I just dont know how a contractor could turn onr of them loose on an unsuspecting customer. Please tell me that there are some ALL AMERICAN BOY NEXT DOOR types that want to be tradesmen.

Hypress,
Ever heard the saying "Don't judge a book by it's cover"?.
One of the best Faultsmen we have here at my workplace, has a nose ring and a wealth of tat's.
He is the most dependable guy we have, not only has he done 2 apprenticeships (1 as an Electrician and the other as a Lineman) but he came in as Apprentice of the Year in 1999, out of all the other guys in NZ.
Sure, first appearances might mean something.
I'd sooner the work (and the quality of it) did the talking.
Within a Line Crew on Live 22 or 33kV lines he takes his nose-ring out, I'd entrust my life with this guy, I've worked with him a number of times.
That is what matters to me.
I've got a couple of rings in my left ear, but does that colour me as a bad person?.
I think to a degree, that this is nothing short of a stereotype, just as long hair or wearing your cap backwards does.


[This message has been edited by Trumpy (edited 10-21-2005).]

Back when I worked for the phone company there was an engineer from the local exchange who had been given a new apprentice. This was in the 1980s during the time when certain groups decided that Mohican haircuts with spikes and red/green stripes were "cool."

As the engineer said, "He's actually quite pleasant and friendly, but how could I send him to knock on some old lady's door to work on her phone? She'd faint or scream as soon as she saw him!"

Hey, they issued me tattoo's when I joined the Navy

I have ten of them right now and I worked my way up from production electrician to engineering to PLC programming.

However one of them is a tattoo of an Irish wedding band (less conductive than gold), so if it becomes a safety issue that is one thing. I have seen more fingers stripped to the bone by rings than noses or ears or lips taken off by rings in those places.

It's whats between the ears that counts.

hypress has a good point in my eyes.

I wouldn't send a tattoed, nose ringed individual out to service my customers. Not a chance.

Appearance is part of business, you have to look the part. A well groomed individual portrays an better imagine than that of the above.

There is nothing wrong with having yourself tattoed, or wearing a nose ring and chain that extends to your wallet, but not here.

Jewerly is forbidden by me anyhow, no chains, earrings at all. Watch is the only exception, with a leather band.

You have a right to express yourself. Don't get me wrong, but if you want to show all your tattoes and nose rings, join the NBA.

If they stay completely covered, I'd think about it.....

Dnk.........

Hi all,

Guess I might get called wierd. But I'm 17, don't have any piercings or tattoos and I wear t-shirts an jeans 90% of the time ( and the jean acually fit, no 60 yards of denim.)

The only jewlery I wear is a watch (if you call a $18 casio jewlery ).

I have no problem with the way other people dress, I'm just a country boy, dressed country.

Sam

What's on the inside is what matters most, but it doesn't mean that what's on the outside doesn't matter at all. If what's on the outside truly didn't matter, that would play counter to the whole point of adorning oneself anyway. I have always been perplexed by the person who will go out of their way to make themselves not blend in with the people around them, and then give an attitude like "what are you looking at?" Or the person who when asked about a tatoo will tell you "that's personal man". If it's so personal, why did you permantly stamp it in ink for the world to see? The parts of my body that are personal, I keep clothes over. I think there are some legitimate conclusions (though very general) that can be drawn from looking at the outside.

I have no problem with a decorated individual. When dealing directly with the public, however, keeping it toned down and/or covered is well within reason when running a business.

Hypress,
i have abit of a problem then, as the CEO and major shareholder within the company i work for. i have no piecings, any were but i do sport rather long hair a beard and i have tattoos up both mu arms, i am also over 17 and a half stone ( dont know what that is in the old money !) and i dont have any problems with my clients.

if the client only sees the outside of an operative that is quite sad, as the only people we employ are good fully qualified and trustworthy staff.

i do not and will not judge a person for how they dress.

but sometimes i do kinda find it funny when some of our new clients get to hear of me and then they say, `you dont look that scary really`!!!

it does make me chuckle!!!!

i was always taught to express myself, and that is what i do, in every thing i do.

and i also ride a Harley Heritage Softtail!!!

Britspark

Employees in retail contact positions have to be acceptable to the customers that are paying the bill; The customer is the core of your sales organization. _They_ create your street reputation; not your troops.

Satisfaction is subjective. Performing a great job technically is simply not enough. That's why a total performance whiz who none the less insulted the customers would be canned.

Now, it is quite another thing in all of the non-retail, low customer contact positions in the trade. Yeah, then the 'illustrated man' can sport his skin.

My only apprentice with staggering metal and ink was very highly regarded by the company. So much so that he was being slotted into independent work with an eye to being a foreman. Unfortunately, he flunked every task I set him on: momentary contact switches, making up emergency lights within pendant strip fixtures. Just terrible.

He stands as proof that there is no connection one way or the other with body art and getting the job done.

Image, stories, connections, 'reputation' within the company don't mean anything. Actual performance is all: I have to see it to believe it even with high time journeymen. Oh, the stories I could tell on them!

[puts on pseudo-intellectual hat (also known as the beer hat)]

Body tatoo's and piercings are primitive and barbaric IMO.

Their popularity everywhere is additional evidence of a slide into decadence for the Western world or at least the "American Empire".

[takes off pseudo-intellectual hat]

I have nothing against anyone expressing themselves through their clothing, tattoos, etc. but, there's a time and place for everything and on the job site is not always the best place to express yourself.

I had a summer helper a few years back (not quite an apprentice).
He showed up on a new industrial job wearing his pants around his knees so we could all tell what color his boxers were.
This job was alot of underground and alot of climbing steel and ladder work.
I told him politely that he might want to re-think his clothing on a construction site and wear appropriately "fitting" pants for safety's sake if nothing else.
My words fell on deaf ears so, the fourth day, I made that poor sucker climb up and down the ladder as many times as I could just to prove my point. Every time that kid had to start climbing, he had to pull those pants up.
By the fifth day, he showed up in new jeans that fit and wore a fitting pair for the rest of the job.
If you're gonna express yourself, atleast do it in a place where it doesn't have a negative effect on the days work.

I have had an eye-brow, and tongue piercing for the last eleven years. One is a blue metalic speck above my eye, the other is in my mouth. Niether is too obvious. Most of my customer never notice, infact it has taken several of the employers I have had over the years, a better part of a year to notice. One said, "How long have you had that?" (Almost ten years at that point.) "You have that in when I interviewed you?" (I did) "You have that in everyday since?" (Yep! Almost a year now right?)

I doubt you guys noticed either....

17.5 stone = 245 pounds.

I recall reading something a few months ago to the effect of: At least one-third of the people entering the work force today have at least one tattoo or piercing (excluding ear piercings).

Body mods are so common now days that I don't think there are many people who would be offended or shocked by someone who showed up acting professional and looking well groomed (hair combed, shirt tucked in, clothes clean) who also happened to have some visible tattoos or piercings.

But like anything, there can be excess: As an employer I could probably tolerate colored hair, but not a mohawk, at least not on someone who dealt directly with customers. Any more than two or three "unusual" piercings and I would probably have to draw the line.

-John

Once one of those pieces of metal gets a good charge of current every ones thinking changes.

Listen while I tell you something about body piercing.

SAFETY-- SAFETY-- SAFETY-- SAFETY-- SAFETY—

Did you hear me?

I totally agree with the majority here. While I don't personally care about tat's or bling - We would never hire one because of the reasons noted in the majority of the above posts. We would be out of business in 2 weeks!!

I would be reluctant to hire someone with several visible piercings and tatoos. I work with several carpenters on jobs and a few have numerous tatoos and piercings. I don't necessarily see a direct link between piercings and tatoos and poor work performance, but anyone working for me needs to reflect my values and sensibilities to the public I am marketing towards. This includes appearance, attitude, language, manners and work ethic. I wouldn't want an employee showing up for work whose face looks like he/she went bobbing for apples in a tackle box any more than one with filthy, tattered clothes, dirty hair or BO. Individuals lacking the ability to draw a breath without using foul language need not apply either.

Times are always changing, there was a time when a tradesman showing up in dungarees and a T-shirt would be considered unacceptable.

IMO, tattoos are no longer looked at as a sign of a 'bad person' by the majority of the public, piercings are still 'shocking' to the older generation.

If all your work is in peoples homes, particularly older people I can see why a business owner may have to be concerned with the customers perceptions.

If you work is always on construction sites I do not see how appearance means much, performance counts.

One of the apprentices I work with looks as much like a gangster/rapper as he can, tattoos on his neck and arms baggie clothes etc. That aside I would let him babysit my kids, he is very reliable and has a great sense of right and wrong.

If we did not hire him based on his looks we would have one less valuable worker and that would be our loss.

I have very visible tattoos, I am sure glad my employer can look past that and see me for what I am.


Bob

Here's a good example. We went to service call. (retail store in a mall) The manager (22-28YO female) showed me the problem. She immediately asked if the guy that was here last week was one of our guys, I said "no, why?" She said I don't think he knew what he was doing!! He had on a concert T-shirt with cut sleeves, long hair, a lot of tat's and a lot of face jewelery!! He fixed that emergency light and it still doesn't work. I checked and there was no battery, I'm guessing that he didn't have a battery on his vehicle and was maybe going to return. But...one call from that manager to her home office and he was history. So yes, appearance does matter. I replaced the battery, all was fine. They have been a regular customer for over 2 years now.

Guys with tats, purple hair and metal in their face seem to be plumbers here. I assume they just like the smell of the glue.

Electricians (1&2 family) are starting to be latino as the older anglos retire. Lots of Cubans.
Big commercial is still fairly much clean cut guys with a mix of ethnicities.
I think that is just because the owners enforce it. I really look at the work more than the guy but metal in/on the body still makes me nervous. I haven't worn any metal since the early 70s when I saw a guy get his ring across 3vdc at 300a.
Almost burnt his finger off.

I have had one earring in my left ear for about 15 years now. (Usually it's a gold motorcycle or a small fake diamond stud).

It has never been a problem with either clients or other trades, (the wife of one client in particular was facinated by the motorcycle ring) with the odd exception of the time I worked for a motocross racing organization. I could not wear any earrings in the office (not open to the public) but it was OK when I was at the track or in the field meeting with sponsors. Go figure.

On my current jobsite there are quite a few guys in "gangster" type clothing, but they all are quite good at their work. The building's owners don't seem to mind at all.

As a service tech, I would prefer all my workers to at least wear properly fitting jeans and clean t-shirts without any offensive or sexual applications.

The best solution for concerns about the type of clothing worn at a jobsite is to provide company T-shirts to your workers. They need not cost a lot if you don't get too crazy with the design.

Just going with the Tat's sort of thing.
I have over 75% of my body, covered in 3rd degree burn scars and skin grafts.
You won't find me wearing the least of clothing even on the hottest of days here.
I didn't get these as an Electrician, but it puts in perspective, the thing about presentation.
I'm all for a "clean" look turning up to a customers house.
Shut up and do the best that you can for yourself and your company.
Oh and BTW, I've retired the ear-rings, time to grow up I guess, not that I actually wore them to work or to Fire calls.

You can eventually'retire' the metalwork when you move on into sensible pastures, ( like suddenly you start yearning for pullovers and saying "Oh, that's a nice Volvo, we could get all the kids in that.")

Tatoos however- you've got a lifetime to regret those, especially the utter crap artwork of third-rate practitioners. My beef on site clothes is all those guys in shorts. Quite apart from the ghastly short fat hairy / horrid long spindly shiny bald legs, shorts provide no protection from minor scrapes, chemicals or for that matter, melanoma. That saying about not judging a book by the cover? - go to a bookshop and see how many books have a plain jacket or cover. None! Why? 'cos they don't sell!
First impressions are often last impressions in business.
As to me, no tatoos, no rings, no gold, - nothing. Not interested in fancy duds or fashions or weird haircuts or mobile phones with cameras. When I go out, I shave and put on clean clothes and clean shoes. I don't even wear a watch.
I like fast cars though, and still like to look at beautiful dames!- That's OK: Look at the menu, but don't order anything!

Alan

Got a chuckle out of that one. How true.