People Are Getting “Work Tattoos” & We Don’t Know How To Feel About It

To celebrate the fifth anniversary of her business, Rachel Sutherland, an owner of a communications firm in Charlotte, North Carolina, knew she wanted to do something special. But instead of going out for drinks or buying a pricey item she'd been eyeing, she took it to the next level and got a tattoo of her company's logo on her wrist.

It may sound extreme, but Sutherland's not alone. More and more employees have made the decision to commemorate their commitment to their career with a tattoo — either one they choose with coworkers or one they get on their own.

"I'm turning 30 soon; I know I want to get a tattoo, and I'm absolutely thinking of getting a logo of my company," says Leanne Weekes, a publicist at Silent Revolution in Miami, Florida. "It would be a private reminder of all of the times I could have or should have given up. To remember always the community of people who took a chance on a humble graduate with big dreams." Weekes says she thinks a work-related tattoo shouldn't be seen any differently than any other ink. "If you are wholly committed to your career and the love you have for what you do wholly embodies all of who you are, then the artwork should be symbolic of [that]."

People who have already gotten ink related to their professions say the key is to make sure you're 100% on board with the design — and that the design (and story behind it) will transcend your time working for the company.

Victoria Kent, 34, a Chicago-based publicist, got a small tattoo of her client's logo behind her ear. The client was Sailor Jerry rum, and while the brand was impressed with her commitment, she says the reason she got it was that it was a great memory. "I had been thinking of getting a behind-the-ear tattoo for a while, and when Sailor Jerry offered free ones at a festival, it seemed like the perfect time. It's a great memory, and I love telling the story!"

Click ahead for the stories and images behind other work-related tattoos. And, maybe consider booking your next team-building meeting at the local tattoo studio?