Bank tellers can have tattoos, even if they are visible while wearing the bank’s standard dress code. Most banks will only have an issue if your tattoos are either excessive or offensive.
In recent years, many banks have become lenient towards body art and tattoos. With standard dress codes across most banks, you will notice the attire is quite similar. While banks are considered conservative environments, you will still see some tellers who wear casual attire.
When it comes to dressing codes in the bank, most financial institutions will only require their tellers to cover up. This means covering your shoulders and knees. If you have tattoos, you can still get hired and work for a credit union or bank as a teller.
It is up to the bank manager, hiring manager, and human resource department to review against their own policies and standards. As I mentioned earlier, as long as your tattoos are not offensive in nature, or excessive – there is very little your employer can do.
There are many tellers who have tattoos who are working as bank tellers, financial advisors, and even – branch managers.
A few corporate employees have recommended using tattoo cover-up sleeves for work. There are two versions that our survey suggested – both have 2000+ and 3300+ highly rated reviews. They are the Newbyinn Tattoo Cover Up Sleeve and the Voe Tattoo Cover Up Sleeve.
When it comes to policies against tattoos in the bank, I have heard and seen from experience the following rules:
- No tattoos on your head, face, or neck area
- No tattoos on your hands
- No tattoos that can be deemed offensive
- No tattoos that can be deemed as profanity or racist
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Neighborhood of Work
In speaking with local branch managers, I’ve understood that the neighborhood the branch is located in may play a factor. If you are aiming to work in a hipster, young and artsy neighborhood – tattoos may be the norm. In these areas, the customers who visit the branch will have minimal issues with tellers who have tattoos.
Branch managers who work in these neighborhoods would also understand the demographic, and the style of those individuals. Additionally, there would be less pressure to cover up in these neighborhoods.
On the other hand, if you are living in a conservative neighborhood or small town where tattoos are uncommon – you may face some pressure. A branch manager needs to consider the type of customers they serve, and better understand their views and values. If visible tattoos are considered to be a negative in the eyes of the customer – the branch manager may request their employees to cover up.
Bankers Are People
But, are there bank tellers who have neck tattoos? Yes. I have personally seen bank tellers and their supervisors with tattoos. While in the branch, customers did not seem to have an issue with the employee. In my experience with this teller – he was extremely knowledgeable and I received great customer service from this employee. The tattoos meant very little in this interaction and they did not dictate the type of service I received.
Keep in mind that bankers are people, and they live regular lives outside of their job. There is nothing wrong with a banker having a tattoo. An Ipsos study revealed that 30% of Americans had at least one tattoo, and 22% of Canadians have at least one tattoo.
According to Yahoo, there are no specific rules against bank tellers with tattoos at Bank of America. It goes to show that employees are generally very accepting of people’s decisions and personal decisions.
What is Considered Excessive Tattoos?
Tattoos are considered excessive when they cover more than 20% of the visible body when wearing clothes. If your exposed body is covered mostly in tattoos, and it’s all visible when you wear clothes – you may be required to cover up while working in a bank.
Excessively tattooed bankers who work in a customer-facing role may be asked to cover up when dealing one-on-one with customers. Most banks have conservative rules and require their workers to dress professionally in certain positions.
For example, a corporate banker working closely with corporate clients of the bank will be asked to dress well-suited when attending meetings. These bankers represent the bank, and the executives will want nothing short of that. On the flip side, a bank’s call center employee will have an easier time working with tattoos, as it is not customer-facing.
While I have seen corporate bankers with tattoos – most are able to cover them up by wearing full-sleeve shirts, blazers, and pants.
Tattoo Cover-Up for Work
If you’re looking for a way to hide your tattoos, a simple and easy solution would be to use tattoo sleeves. Our recommended forearm sleeves have helped many people cover up their tattoos for work, and other occasions such as weddings, baptisms, and bridal events.
Again, the two recommended tattoo sleeves used for covering tattoos are the Newbyinn Tattoo Cover Up Sleeve and the Voe Tattoo Cover Up Sleeve.
For those who have smaller tattoos, and don’t need the sleeve – I have had people recommend Silicone Scar Tape Rolls. These are typically used to hide scars, acne, and tattoos.