Tattoos and the Social Psychology of Stigma: Implications for Career Development

Abstract

Diversity and inclusion initiatives are normally centred on legally protected traits such as race and gender. As the legal framework expands to ensure that underrepresented workers are protected, there exists a subset of the workforce who have diversity characteristics that are legally unprotected. For example, individuals who have visible tattoos can face employment discrimination when they are looking for work or looking to progress their careers. To add to the challenge, the perception of stigma is fluid and expectations related to the appearance of employees are determined by managers' perceptions of consumers' preferences. Drawing theoretically from self-categorisation theory and information processing theory, we discuss how the creation of a marketing and brand proposition framework can help to build an organisational identity that can benefit consumers and the organisation simultaneously. We also discuss the practical implications and strategies that organisations can consider to reduce such workplace discrimination.

Citation

Chia, T. and Timming, A.R. (2023), "Tattoos and the Social Psychology of Stigma: Implications for Career Development", Broadbridge, A. (Ed.) The Emerald Handbook of Appearance in the Workplace, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 331-342. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80071-174-720230020