Tattoos and perceptions of employment suitability in the hospitality industry

Abstract To shed light on tattoo bias in the hospitality industry, two studies were conducted in the context of employee selection. The first study that examined tattoo bias in the context of selecting entry-level managers in a hotel setting demonstrated a negative tattoo bias, which did not differ by candidate gender. The second study that examined tattoo bias in the context of selecting restaurant employees found a negative tattoo bias when evaluating candidates for guest contact positions but not for non-guest contact positions. Interestingly, there was a gender effect, whereby hiring managers preferred females with tattoos relative to males.