The Catch-22 of Countering a Moral Occupational Stigma in Employee-Customer Interactions

Abstract

Past research suggests that individuals in dirty work occupations can manage their self-views so as to derive positive self-definitions that allow them to perform their tasks with less of the burden of stigma. Results from our three studies show that this may not necessarily be the case when they try to manage how occupational outsiders view them. Findings from our studies show that in terms of this external perspective, rather than thwarting the occupational stigma, active stigma management by the stigma bearer can unintentionally reinforce the stigma. Drawing on the expectancy-confirmation framework from the stereotyping literature, we explain the cognitive mechanism that underlies this inadvertent stigma reinforcement in the stigma perceiver and investigate the job performance implications for the stigma bearer. We test our hypotheses across two field studies and one experimental study, involving cross-industry and cross-sectional data, as well as one longitudinal data-set including 128,549 employee-customer transactions. Our results contribute to research on dirty work by revealing that stigma management can be a double-edged sword with unintended negative consequences for the stigmatized worker.

Stigma Beyond Levels: Advancing Research on Stigmatization

“…Similar to studies at the individual level, studies of occupational stigma have largely left processes of stigmatization unexamined or treated them as implicit. Two forthcoming papers are exceptions: one discusses how coping may inadvertently maintain stigmatization for occupational members (Mikolon, Alavi, & Reynders, 2020), and the other examines the emergence of professional stigma after ethical transgression (Wang, Raynard, & Greenwood, 2020).…”

“…For example, Mikolon et al (2020) showed that frontline workers' stigma management tactics inadvertently reinforce the occupational moral stigma perceived by customers. Notably, five of the six management strategies in our framework (i.e., boundary management, dilution, information management, cooptation, and emotion work) could potentially contribute to the maintenance of stigmatization.…”

Platform riders' occupational stigma consciousness and workplace deviant behavior: the mediating role of self-depletion

“…The present study concluded that occupational stigma consciousness negatively impacts work-related outcomes, such as occupational stress and burnout (Clough et al, 2020). Previous literature suggests that occupational stigma has a negative impact on employees in terms of cognition and behavior (Mikolon et al, 2021;Shigihara, 2018). From a behavioral perspective, occupational stigma consciousness leads to absenteeism and turnover (Sommerland et al, 2017;Campbell, 2020).…”

“…, 2020). Previous literature suggests that occupational stigma has a negative impact on employees in terms of cognition and behavior (Mikolon et al , 2021; Shigihara, 2018). From a behavioral perspective, occupational stigma consciousness leads to absenteeism and turnover (Sommerland et al.…”

“…In response to the call for a more diverse sample (Jiang et al, 2021), this study enriches the empirical research on workers in platform organizations in China to enhance the generalizability of workplace deviant behavior studies. Similarly, occupational stigma consciousness as a predictor of workplace deviant behavior also plays a significant role in platform organizations (Mikolon et al, 2021). Third, although scholars are beginning to consider and address issues around the employment relationship and human resource management (HRM) in the gig economy, the theory is lacking (Duggan et al, 2020).…”