A Phenomenological Study of Middle-Aged Adults Experiences of Tattoos in the Workplace in Kwa-Zulu Natal

Abstract

Today, tattoos have gained popularity, especially with regards to middle-aged adults. However, those with tattoos working in white collar sectors are deemed as not portraying a professional work image. Therefore, it is believed that tattoos may hinder one’s progress in the workplace. This research used a qualitative approach where semi-structured Zoom interviews were conducted with three middle-aged adults to describe their experiences of tattoos in the workplace. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data this resulted in five themes with the main theme being the views of tattoos in the workplace. Historically, tattoos were associated with traits such as deviance, rebellion, unprofessionalism, and non-conforming. Due to this, people who had tattoos in the workplace were frowned upon or judged to some extent because of the connotations associated with the tattoos and because of the lack of professionalism they displayed. The view of tattoos is changing, and tattoos have been deemed more acceptable in society due to their popularity and common occurrence. Although the findings suggest that tattoos are becoming more acceptable, there is still slight disapproval of tattoos in the workplace. Therefore, further research would be required to explore this phenomenon.