What do you do with an employee who has a post through two sections of her ear and a quarter-sized gauge in her earlobe?

The younger generation of staff members are more likely to have body piercings that may or may not be suitable for a healthcare facility, and, more specifically, your optometry practice. Unfortunately, many optometrists who own their practices are reactive instead of proactive. These individuals wait until a new hire shows up with a piercing before deciding it is time for a policy. At that point, the offending person will likely feel singled out and picked on.

That’s why all owners should be proactive and address piercings in their policy manual. Here is an example of a policy that you can copy and paste today. With a “body piercings” policy, you are setting an office-wide standard, and you may even avoid the unpleasant task of having to ask staff members to remove their piercings.

Body Piercings

All visible body piercings should be filled with a clear post or stud. The exception is piercings that are in the ear. The preference of (Your Practice) would be for all staff to keep visible body piercings free of any type of post or stud, again excluding the ear.

If you believe body piercings are unrelated to the professional image you desire your practice to reflect, then most likely you can move on without such a policy. However, if you have not thought about this because someone has not asked or reported to work with one, it is time to be proactive and make a policy. It is always much easier to explain policies up front than to make them as you go along.