THE STORY: Tattoos That Ruin Food

A manager at a restaurant in Kansas City was let go because of her tattoos, piercings and stretched ears. Her boss hired her with her tattoos and piercings, but two customers had complained saying it created an “unpleasant atmosphere.” So, her friends came up with a creative way to save her job…. A flash mob on social media.

For one week, the manager’s friends ran ads on Facebook recruiting friends, families and customers to like a page called, “Support Tattoos and Piercings at Work.” The plan was to gather people together, and on the following Monday release her bosses’ work contact info. Upon release friends, family and customers were instructed to ONLY tell the boss why they appreciated the manager’s character and to say thanks for hiring people in the past with tattoos and piercings. Strict instructions were given that no one should say anything negative, or it would defeat everyone else’s efforts. Monday arrived and over 500 people contacted the boss and well before the 500^th person the manager got her job back.

 
WHY IT WORKED: Minding Your Business
There are some lessons to take away from this tattoo and piercing acceptance story:
·         Often the employer is blamed for the tattoo and piercing discrimination when it’s really a result of pressure from a few consumers.
·         Almost no one ever thanks employers for hiring people with tattoos and piercings.
·         If an employer doesn’t have any “skin in the game,” he or she may not want to risk their business for your art. Their business is often their  passion, pride and income.
·         Compliments go a long way! In the service industry, statistically 3 out of 4 customer verbal feedbacks are negative!
·         Work ethic, character, and dependability are the currency of today’s job market…not appearance.
·         Next time you see an employee with tattoos and piercings, ask for the manager, and tell them thanks!
 
GET INVOLVED: The Movement
Today, that story has grown into the STAPAW movement which stands for “Support Tattoos and Piercings at Work.” www.stapaw.com
 
They’ve helped to save jobs all over the nation. They have followers in all 50 states and in over 50 countries in just 2 years. The awesome thing, almost 30% of their volunteers and staff today don’t have tattoos or piercings. A movement gains ground when people who have no “skin in the game” join hands and stand with the movement. Today the movement works with the following:

1.      Change stereotypes.
2.      Encourage positive work ethic and character.
3.      Feature positive employers and businesses.
4.      Feature tattooed or pierced employees with strong character.
5.      Help employees who lose their job from discrimination.
6.      Work with businesses to positively change hiring and appearance policies.
7.      Educate employers on the harmful effects of tattoo discrimination.
8.      Protect employers' right to decision making.
9.      Promote charitable community involvement.
10.    Change perceptions, not with words, but with actions.
 
3 INTERESTING FACTS
1. There are 13 countries you can be arrested in or fined for certain illegal religious, political, or racial tattoos.
2. States with the most piercing and tattoo friendly public opinion are Montana, Colorado, and California.
3. In two years, Support Tattoos and Piercings at Work (STAPAW) is in 50 states and over 50 countries.

"Support Tattoos and Piercings at Work"
www.stapaw.com