KimArie Yowell had worked for four years in the management of Rocket Companies, a fintech company based in Detroit, but none of her colleagues had any idea of the colorful tattoos on her arm, or on her shoulders and back.
Then, at a gala several months ago to celebrate the team’s annual accomplishments at the $25 billion company, Yowell went all out with his suit. He was black, sleeveless and low-cut at the back, and gave everyone who attended his company’s evening event a front row seat to his 10 tattoos. Yowell, the company’s chief diversity officer, said it was a great success. “Team members would come up to me and say, ‘We didn’t know you were so tattooed.’”
She didn’t know then how bringing so much of herself to work would strengthen her relationship with her CEO (who also has a few tattoos) and her company’s billionaire founder, philanthropist Dan Gilbert.
There is no policy at Rocket against visible tattoos, but Yowell had realized over the years, as he earned his MBA at the University of Phoenix and his doctorate in education at the University of Pennsylvania, that he needed an outfit in a certain way to succeed at work. When, six months into her job at Rocket, an executive commented on her fondness for blue and black clothes and said that they seemed at odds with the vibrancy and energy of her personality, she responded that she felt she had to dress up in that way.
“We had a very real conversation,” he recalled. The manager told her to wear her colors, to bring style and not to be afraid to show who she is. Yowell reached out and decided not to care what others thought of her bright clothes or her tattoos or “anything I’ve been conditioned to do in the past in school or other jobs,” she said.
“Those things bring me joy.”
There were no repercussions to Yowell’s aesthetic the night he showed more of his true self. In fact, CEO Varun Krishna, who took over the top job seven months ago at Rocket, said in a statement to Fortune who appreciates how the company’s culture embraces people’s individuality, especially considering that Krishna also has a few tattoos.
“When you work at a company that celebrates you for who you are, you are free to focus on making an impact and bringing true value to everything you do,” Krishna said.
A common phrase you’ll hear from many companies these days is, “Bring your authentic self to work.” But when it comes to tattoos, certain piercings or nontraditional hair colors, employees feel they must conform or they won’t fit in, won’t be promoted to higher levels or won’t be taken seriously, Yowell said. Portraits of CEOs and board members and video images of executives in meetings often show crisp white blouses, button-down shirts and smiles on smooth, unblemished faces. These images describe what success looks like at the management levels of a company, regardless of mission statements that proclaim that people can bring their whole selves to work.
As for tattoos, they have become increasingly popular, especially among women and people of color. A 2023 Pew Research Center survey found that 32% of American adults have a tattoo, and 22% have more than one. 38% of women have at least one tattoo while 27% of men have one; 39% of Black Americans have tattoos, while 35% of Hispanic adults and 14% of Asian Americans have tattoos. About 32% of white Americans have a tattoo.
A 2022 University of Houston study explored whether tattoos had an impact on the workplace and found mixed results. Employees with tattoos in traditionally clerical roles involving artistic skills were considered more creative if they had tattoos. The Pew study found that 69 percent of adults with tattoos said the reason they got the ink was to remember or honor someone or something, while 47 percent said it was to make a statement about their beliefs.
As for Yowell, his tattoos were a hit with colleagues that night and he recently told Krishna that he plans to get a full sleeve on his left arm. The issue even came up once in a meeting with Rocket founder and chairman Dan Gilbert, a major donor to Detroit’s urban redevelopment, numerous medical charities and famous among sports fans for his tempestuous relationship with LeBron James as owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers. . When Yowell shared the meaning of the flamingo and orchid tattoo with Gilbert after noticing it, he also explained that he is accompanied by an Alice Walker quote: “There is comfort more comforting than that in the arms of a sister “. The image honors his sister who died last fall. Her favorite bird was a flamingo.
Yowell has nearly 10 other tattoos: one honors his son, a few others honor and serve as a reminder of the strength of his grandparents, and another says, “Oh Lord, please don’t let me get it wrong,” which is his favorite. Nina Simone’s song and her daily prayer for understanding and grace from others. That day she shared the meanings behind all of them with Gilbert.
“He learned a lot of things about me that he didn’t know, and I learned a lot of things about him,” she said. “It literally all started because he noticed the tattoo on my forearm.”
Policies that allow employees to be themselves without consequences will ultimately lead to a competitive advantage as companies recruit talent, Yowell said.
“One of the reasons I came here 11 years ago was the culture — the feeling of being able to belong and be myself here,” she said. “We understand that when people don’t worry about how they are perceived in terms of who they are, they are actually able to be more effective and impactful in their role within the organization.”