If you have a tattoo, you can’t become a Bountiful City Employee

While almost nothing surprises me, particularly in Utah, I still can’t believe this:

City goes further than most in banning body art and many piercings
By María Villaseñor
The Salt Lake Tribune

BOUNTIFUL – If that tribal tattoo peeks out of your collar, don’t bother applying to work for Bountiful City.
The City Council has voted to ban new employees from sporting head, face, neck or hand tattoos – currently tattooed staffers are exempt from the new rule.
Officials in this Davis County municipality said the ban – which also requires male workers to take out any piercings – didn’t arise from previous incidents, but rather is “anticipatory and preventative” as trends change.
“We want people to look professionally . . . so people will feel comfortable interacting with our employees,” said City Manager Tom Hardy.
….while a ban on offensive or gang-related ink is understandable to Bountiful resident Steve Richards, the rest of the prohibition is “a joke.”
“What are we in now, 2008?” he asked, adding “we’ve come a long way since things were so judgmental.”
Hardy said the policy is likely “generational” and could be obsolete in 30 years.

Huh? Isn’t that admitting to age discrimination? And maybe even discrimination based on religion (in some cases there may be religions whose members adorn tattoos is part of its custom….)?

“Some people don’t feel comfortable with interacting with people that are that way,” he said of tattoos and male piercings. “And some would say it looks unprofessional.”

Some people? Isn’t that less than most people?

Don’t get me wrong – I do support a dress code policy in some employment situations – but a total ban?

This is clearly an issue of generational discrimination. I feel that Bountiful City could have spent more time developing a more strict dress code policy – and should have involved a diverse committee, including employees and members of the public, to develop such.