A Guide to Tattoos in the Workplace
By Shayla Teague, Individual and Family Benefits Consultant
In 2005ish my husband was denied a job at a movie theater because he had a visible nautical star tattoo. Nautical Star tattoos are one of the oldest tattoo symbols and have been around for over a century. Sailors used to use the stars to navigate their ship. The tattoo started as a superstition and tribute to the stars getting them home safely. The nautical star, still to this day, is representative of finding your way in life or being positively guided into the future. Like my husband’s tattoo, many people’s choice to get ink is symbolic of their life experiences.
Tattoos in the workplace have always been taboo, but is that changing? There is a new generation in the workforce and with that comes a change in culture. According to “History of Tattoos,” 36% of Americans between the age of 18 and 29 have at least one tattoo. Additionally, 69% of people don’t see people with tattoos any more or less deviant than people without tattoos.
Although so many Americans in the workforce have tattoos, majority of them are hidden. According to AIMS Education, as of 2015 76% of employees believed tattoos and piercings hurt job interview chances. However, 73% of people say they would hire staff that had visible tattoos. I thought those were some interesting statistics considering the contradiction.
While tattoos are becoming more and more accepted, employers can still enforce a dress code that require them to be covered up. This can be based on personal views or values. It can also be based on public contact. I think we will continue to see shifts to this as people become more and more open to the idea that tattoos express creativity and individuality.
For now, if you have tattoos or are thinking of getting a tattoo, we still must be mindful of the perception and acceptability of them. Here is a great article from Indeed to help navigate having, or not, tattoos in the workplace.
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/starting-new-job/tattoos-in-a-workplace
- Published in Blog
The Law of Attraction
By Shayla Teague, Individual and Family Benefits Consultant
We all have suffered from a “case of the Mondays,” but what if we could turn all our bad days into good ones? Have you ever noticed that bad days often just get worse? First, you wake up in the morning feeling unrested, then you stumble to the kitchen to find that you are out of coffee. It all just continues to go downhill from there and your mood spirals along with it. You can turn your day around and it all comes down to having the right mindset and the Law of Attraction.
The Law of Attraction is the idea that positive thoughts bring positive results and negative thoughts bring negative results. The true philosophy behind the idea is that thoughts are a form of energy and positive energy brings success. You don’t have to fully believe that in order to make the Law of Attraction work for you. Let’s dig a little deeper.
The Law of Attraction can be broken up into three different laws. The first one is Like Attracts Like. Similar people with similar mindsets attract to each other, and similar thoughts attract similar outcomes. This boils down to what we have already been talking about, that positive attracts positive and negative attracts negative. The second law is Nature Abhors a Vacuum. This means removing negative things from your life will make room for more positive things. The third law is The Present is Always Perfect. You can always do things in the current moment to better your situation. You can find the silver lining or find a solution.
There is another philosophy relating to the Laws of Attraction that adopt seven different laws such as, the Law of Manifestation, the Law of Magnetism and the Law of Harmony. These get a little more into the energy aspect and I prefer to focus on the mindset parts.
I have been practicing the Law of Attraction for approximately the last 2 years. For me, it all comes down to controlling your mindset. There are certainly days that this proves more difficult, but those are also the days where you get the most practice. I have been more purposeful about my thoughts. When a negative thought comes creeping in, I recognize it and think of a positive thought to counteract it. When something stressful in life happens, I look hard for a silver lining. I am working on a complete shift in my self-talk. I am taking away the internal self-deprecation and exchanging it for words of affirmation. It really is not easy, and it takes a lot of practice. It also feels phony and corny at first. However, just like the term, “fake it till you make it,” when you practice enough your mind starts to turn positive automatically and it becomes natural.
Are you ready to turn around your bad days? Here are some things that you can practice:
- Gratefulness and Journaling: Start your morning by writing down 3 things that you are grateful for. End the day with 3 positive things that happened. When you are having a difficult day seeing the silver lining, refer to your journal
- Meditation: Take some time each day to sit in silence. Do your best to clear you mind and just focus on breathing. This is called grounding yourself and when things seem stressful, it is a great way to counteract the stress.
- Practice, Practice, Practice: Be very mindful with your thoughts. When a negative thought creeps in, replace it with a positive one. Instead of focusing on what is wrong, try to accept it as it is or find a solution. Give yourself grace and don’t be over critical. Tell yourself how amazing you are!
“You can’t control people, places, things or situations…but you can control your mindset”
Sources:
Netflix Documentary, “The Secret.”
https://www.verywellmind.com/understanding-and-using-the-law-of-attraction-3144808
- Published in Blog