READY FOR TAKE-OFF BURNING ISSUE
A very positive announcement from Air New Zealand
- they've dropped their longstanding ban on staff
having visible tattoos. In a country where a person's
cultural heritage is so often expressed in ink, this is
great news indeed. It means that those men and
women who choose to wear moko(traditional Maori
facial tattoos) will now finally be allowed to work for
the national airline.
Many people have commented on the apparent
hypocrisy of Air New Zealand proudly using Maori
designs and imagery in its marketing campaigns and
corporate graphics whilst hitherto denying this
freedom of individual cultural expression to its staff.
There had also been concern that the existing policy
discriminated against Maori employees.
According to press announcements, from 1st
September this year all employees (uniformed or
non-uniformed) will be allowed to have “non-
offensive” tattoos on view at work. A spokesperson
explained that, in judging what is offensive and what is
non-offensive, tattoos would be “treated like speech”
- so in the same way that employees should not
“swear, make hateful comments or lewd jokes, or use
violent language in the workplace” tattoos featuring
such language or imagery will not be permitted either.
And it's a massive leap forward for the whole airline
industry too. Our research indicates that most
carriers still don't permit cabin crew to have visible
tattoos (some even ban tattoos altogether), so in
lifting its ban Air New Zealand is leading the way to
the future!
Here's an example of where going for the burn really isn't
going to do your body any good at all. 'Sunburn tattoos'
first became a trend a few years ago and it seems they're
back again as this year's latest fad. Put a stencil on your
skin then sunbathe for a while without wearing any
sunscreen and you'll end up with a (painful) red mark in
the shape of your chosen design – emphatically NOT a
good idea if you have any concerns about the serious risk
of skin cancer, or indeed simply don't relish the thought of
burnt, sore, peeling skin or premature ageing. But if
Instagram is anything to go by, it seems there are plenty of
people out there who don't worry about such things...