Stigma and Workplace Relationships: An Exploration across Individual and Structural Levels

The workplace is an important space in the lives of adults, who spend a significant amount of their time at work. Positive workplace relationships benefit both employees and institutions, while negative workplace relationships harm employees’ health and work-related outcomes. However, evidence suggests that there are likely to be disparities between employees from majority and minoritized social groups because of stigma. This thesis aims to explore how stigma influences employees’ workplace relationships through four studies, with a particular focus on the role of structural discrimination. The studies reported in this thesis included multiple and diverse research methods to examine the impact of stigma on relational outcomes. Chapter 2 presents a systematic review of existing measures of structural stigma. We summarised existing measures into four categories, which varied in terms of their objectivity or subjectivity, the domains rated, the source of the rating, and the structure or level at which ratings were provided. Chapter 3 used semi-structured interviews to explore how racial and ethnic minority employees perceived and experienced racism, focusing primarily on how they understand structural racism and how racism influences their professional relationships. The results show that racial and ethnic minorities consider their work organizations to be structurally racist when it has poor demographic diversity, when they find evidence of unequal treatment and when they perceive the organization to provide little support to minority employees. The professional relationships of these employees were complex and often involved mainly same-race groups. Chapter 4 reports a cross-sectional study examining the disparities in workplace relationships between Black and White employees in the UK and the US. In both samples, Black employees reported less co-worker support, less connection with co-workers, and less satisfaction with co-workers than White employees. Black employees also reported more perceived structural workplace racism at their organization than did White employees, and this mediated the racial disparity in work relationships. Chapter 5 examined how gender discrimination influences female employees’ workplace relationship functioning by using data from the 6th European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS 2015). This study additionally examined if this relationship was moderated by two objective country-level indicators of structural stigma (Gender Equality Index, GEI; Women’s Workplace Equality Index, WWEI) and two organizational-level indicators (organizational support mechanisms and women’s representation). Gender discrimination negatively predicted women’s workplace relationship functioning. Organizational support mechanisms and country-level gender equality supported women’s workplace relationship functioning, and therefore also positive work outcomes. Overall, the research reported in this thesis demonstrates that stigma influences employees’ workplace relationships. The findings suggest that governments and organizations should pay closer attention to employees’ workplace relationships and that they should promote these by reducing stigma and increase equality between majority and minoritized employees.<p></p>

Author dc:creator

• Zhenghanxiao Wang (21042062)

• Stigma
• Workplace Relationships
• Structural Stigma

Statement dc:rights

• CC BY
• Open Access after 2027-08-24

Identifier

10779/exe.31399878.v1

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:figshare.com:article/31399878