Employees Subtly Discriminate Against Obese Women

Summary

The script discusses subtle forms of discrimination in organizational contexts, particularly focusing on the treatment of obese individuals. It details studies observing customer service interactions, where overweight shoppers faced more interpersonal hostility despite no formal discrimination. The research also highlights the impact of stereotypes and prejudice cues on behavior, and the negative consequences for businesses when biases affect customer spending. The importance of awareness and standardization in training to mitigate these biases is emphasized.

Takeaways

• 🔍 The script discusses modern subtle forms of discrimination that may not be as overt as traditional forms, such as denying someone a job based on gender or race.
• 🧐 It highlights research focusing on stereotypes and discrimination related to obese individuals, who are often stereotyped as lazy or less intelligent.
• 🛍️ A study was conducted in a customer service context, using shopping malls to observe interactions between shoppers and customer service agents.
• 🎭 The study manipulated weight perception by using 'fat suits' to disguise the actual weight of research participants, aiming to standardize the person's characteristics.
• 🕵️‍♂️ 'Spies' were used to monitor interactions in the mall, ensuring unbiased observations of customer service behaviors.
• 📝 Shoppers and observers took notes, and hidden tape recorders were used to capture conversations, providing multiple measures of the interactions.
• 😐 The study found that overweight shoppers experienced more interpersonal hostility, but not formal forms of discrimination like being denied service.
• 👗 The influence of dress (casual or professional) on treatment was tested, revealing it only impacted overweight shoppers when casually dressed, reinforcing stereotypes.
• 🏃‍♂️ Mentioning diet and exercise in interactions was also tested, showing it negatively affected overweight shoppers more, as it played into the stereotype of laziness.
• 💸 The study linked the negative nonverbal behaviors to the shopping behavior of real customers, showing that discrimination impacted sales negatively.
• 📚 Training programs were also examined, revealing that trainers had lower expectations and provided less support to those they thought were overweight, affecting performance.
• 🛠️ The script suggests that awareness and standardization of behaviors in organizational contexts can help reduce subtle forms of discrimination.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the research discussed in the transcript?

The main focus of the research is to explore subtle forms of discrimination in organizational contexts, particularly how it may manifest towards obese individuals.

Why do researchers believe that blatant forms of discrimination are less common today?

Researchers believe that blatant forms of discrimination, especially for protected classes like gender and race, are less common due to increased awareness and legal protections against such practices.

What stereotypes are often associated with obese individuals according to the research?

The research suggests that obese individuals are often stereotyped as being lazy, less intelligent, and less efficient.

Why did the researchers choose a customer service context for their studies?

The researchers chose a customer service context because it was considered a conservative test to observe biases, as customer service agents, who often work on commission, should have the strongest incentive to treat everyone positively and equally.

How did the researchers manipulate the weight of the participants in their studies?

The researchers used obesity prosthetics, commonly known as fat suits, to allow participants to enter the study context as either their traditional weight or appearing overweight or obese.

What behaviors were monitored to detect subtle forms of discrimination?

The behaviors monitored included eye contact, friendliness, smiling, and rudeness of the customer service agents, which could indicate biases if they were different towards participants of different weights.

How did the researchers ensure that the shoppers' behaviors were consistent across the study?

The shoppers were given a script and trained to ensure that everyone was asking for the same thing, which was help finding a present for their sister, to standardize the interaction.

What method did the researchers use to have an independent measure of the interactions?

The researchers used hidden tape recorders in the shoppers' purses to record the conversations, providing an independent measure of the interactions.

What were the findings regarding the treatment of overweight shoppers in the customer service context?

The findings showed that overweight shoppers were treated with more interpersonal hostility compared to average weight shoppers, but there was no evidence of formal forms of discrimination such as being turned away or refused help.

How did the presence of prejudice-justifying cues impact the behavior of customer service agents towards shoppers?

When prejudice-justifying cues were present, such as the shoppers being casually dressed or mentioning diet and exercise, it led to even more negative interpersonal behaviors towards overweight shoppers, reinforcing stereotypes.

What impact did the subtle negative behaviors have on the shopping experience and the store's revenue?

The negative behaviors led to overweight shoppers reporting less friendliness, more rudeness, and being less likely to spend money in the store, which negatively impacted the store's revenue.

How did the researchers explore the impact of these behaviors on training interactions?

The researchers had trainers interact with individuals they believed were either overweight or average weight and observed that trainers expected less from and had more negative interactions with those they thought were overweight.

What strategies did the researchers suggest to reduce subtle forms of discrimination in organizational contexts?

The researchers suggested being aware of the possibility of subtle discrimination, standardizing certain aspects of interactions such as interview lengths and question framing, to reduce biases.