Acas point out that it's widely accepted that tattoos in general are far more popular today than they were 15 years ago, with one in five British people thought to have one. As for piercings, one in ten people in the UK are thought to have a piercing somewhere other than their earlobe. This suggests that employers may at some point have to think about dress code policy for tattoos and piercings. Some organisations may feel that tattoos and piercings are at odds with the ethos or image they are trying to project and might ask workers to remove piercings or cover tattoos while in the workplace. But employers should carefully consider' the reason behind imposing a rule – as there should be sound business reasons for it. This could, for example, be a valid health and safety reason, such as keeping dangling piercings away from factory machinery. Acas recommends consulting employees over proposed dress codes. Once an agreement has been reached, it should be written down in a formal policy and communicated to all staff so they understand what standards are expected from them.

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