"My Body Is Not My Resume"
About STAPAW
What Is STAPAW?
We're constantly asked, "What is STAPAW?" STAPAW raises awareness about discrimination of piercings and tattoos in the workplace. We don't support employers hiring tattooed and pierced staff, we support employers hiring the most qualified candidate for the job. STAPAW helps staff and bosses in the following ways:
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Work with companies to change dress code and hiring policies to allow visible piercings and tattoos.
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Promote merit-based employment over appearance-based employment
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Help employees who lose their job because of discrimination.
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Create consumer based petitions.
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Educate employers on the negative effects of hiring based on appearance.
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Protect employers' right of decision making.
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Promote community involvement with charities.
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Encourage strong character and work ethic.
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Feature positive companies and employees.
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Change perceptions, not by words, but by actions.
What Does STAPAW Stand For?
If you’re wondering, “What does STAPAW stand for,” the acronym stands for Support Tattoos and Piercings at Work. We strive to stop discrimination of piercings and tattoos in the workplace. Read answers to common objections and additional principles .
CHARACTER IS ON THE INSIDE....
TATTOOS AND PIERCINGS ARE ON THE OUTSIDE
How Did STAPAW Start?
A common question messaged to us is, "How did STAPAW start?" This is the story of the STAPAW movement.
Our friend was let go from her job as a manager at a business right after the holidays. She was let go for having tattoos, piercings and plugs. She had been hired with her piercings, tattoos and stretched ears, but over the course of several months on 2 separate occasions, 2 customers had complained.
We realized her boss didn't have any problems with her body modifications, but he was scared that he was losing business as a result. Often a small group of complainers will vocalize their disapproval, while 100's of content customers never voice approval. So, we decided to get the other 100's to voice their approval.
In between long hours at our jobs, several of us scrambled to start the STAPAW Facebook page February 12, 2013 called, "Support Tattoos and Piercings at Work." We gathered friends and told friends to invite friends, and paid for Facebook ads for additional local LIKES. We posted that the following Monday we would release her bosses' public contact information.
Everyone was instructed on Monday to contact and say thanks for hiring staff with piercings and tattoos in the workplace. Also, customers would say why they liked her, and mention positive actions or character qualities they appreciated. Everyone was told that if one customer or friend said anything negative directed at the employer it could completely destroy everything we were doing.
When Monday came, by the end of the day, over 500 friends, family, customers and staff contacted the employer. Well before the 500th person, she had her job back! Ever since then STAPAW has been helping people keep their jobs, and featuring people from all across the world with their piercings and tattoos in the workplace.
To date, our website has reached millions of visitors. STAPAW was recently featured by Wix as one of the top SEO websites online ... out of 8,000,000 Wix sites!
