Experts suggest how employees can explore freedom of expression at the workplace

Letrsquos all collectively give a hand to Jessica Hanzie Leonardrsquos managing partner at the private equity firm where she works As a USbased professional working in a corporate atmosphere Leonard hid a secret from her colleagues and clients for years mdash the fact that both her arms were fully tattooed But then she wrote an email to her managing partner asking him whether she could change her LinkedIn profile picture to one where she is sleeveless while maintaining the jacketed look for the companyrsquos official website His response ldquoLetrsquos roll with the tattoos in both Loud and proudrdquoJessica Hanzie Leonard used to keep her tattoed arms covered before posting the photo on the right on LinkedinIt would have ended well had it been left at that But unfortunately once Leonard changed her profile photo she got a lot of judgmental comments that said that shersquod crossed the line of professional decorum Whatrsquos worse is that some of these comments were from female mentors she had earlier looked up to It showed how people stuck in a corporate shell are expected to follow certain diktats that are set in stone mdash dress a certain way talk in a certain manner and sometimes even follow skincare regimes Image consultant Mihika Bhanot tells us about a person who had all the required credentials for a job but didnrsquot crack the interview because her face was full of pimples and her potential employers didnrsquot feel comfortable about presenting her before clients ldquoI also have a friend who has stitches on her eyebrows She doesnrsquot get her eyebrows threaded because the emphasis will then be on the stitches When I get my own eyebrows threaded I feel more confident I feel like taking a picture of myself So I empathise with this girl So what if she has stitches So what if someone has stretch marks Itrsquos all finerdquo she addsNishigandha Shengde left and Soni Talwar GulatiA dual lifeSadly thatrsquos not how corporate workplaces always view the situation ldquoItrsquos the culture There are certain things that are dos and donrsquots and workplaces try to ensure that employees are not following the donrsquotsrdquo says Punebased HR manager Soni Talwar Gulati She gives examples like men not being allowed to wear shorts or chappals to offices and women not being allowed to wear shoes that expose their toes These sorts of things affect employeesrsquo mental health because itrsquos almost like having a dual personality mdash for the better part of their waking hours they are putting on a garb to subscribe to corporate decorum abandoning who they really are from within But Gulati also says that things are gradually beginning to change ldquoToday diversity and inclusion and mental health are some of the most talkedabout things in the professional space Freedom of expression is becoming okay You can flaunt tattoos You can have coloured hair You can be from the LGBTQiA community and itrsquos all okay The point is that if you are not letting your employees be a particular way they are not going to enjoy their workspace They will not put in their 100 per centrdquoMihika BhanotGen Z to the rescueShe attributes this shift in mentality to workplaces having to accommodate the Gen Z generation ldquoYou canrsquot cage them and organisations are also moving in that directionrdquo Gulati explains Mumbaibased Nishigandha Shengde also an HR manager agrees ldquoFor corporates itrsquos extremely important to remove biases so that employees feel comfortable If we talk about the way a person dresses how can you create judgement based on that right There are a lot of leaders nowadays who are dressed casually But the moment they start making a presentation nobody cares how they look They care about what the person is saying how effectively they are doing their job or how their speech is so inspirational So what actually matters is the talent and skill they bring to the tablerdquoThatrsquos exactly what Leonard the tattooed woman who is a model employee wrote about her exemplary managing partner in her post that went viral We will leave you with what she said because collectively as people part of a global work culture we need to reflect on her opinion It goes ldquoSometimes you come across those leaders who not only allow you to show up every day as you are but they also expect it Those leaders who have recognised that whether Irsquom in the jacket or not Irsquom the same person the same business professionalhellip a female leader who will most certainly be taken seriouslyrdquo