Weight in the Workplace: Weight Discrimination Impacts Professional Outcomes as a Function of Social Pain Minimization

Abstract

AbstractWorkplace weight discrimination is pervasive and harms both individuals and organizations. However, despite its negative effects on employees and employers, the social and psychological processes linking weight discrimination and workplace outcomes remain unclear. Rooted in evidence that people regularly dehumanize and dismiss the emotions of heavier individuals, the current work tests one socioemotional pathway linking workplace weight discrimination and professional outcomes: social pain minimization (SPM). SPM refers to feelings of emotion invalidation when people share negative social experiences with others and feel their hurts are discounted and dismissed by their colleagues. Across two studies using cross-sectional and prospective designs (Ntotal = 661), the current work provides evidence that workplace weight discrimination increased feelings of SPM, which in turn was associated with greater burnout, lower job satisfaction, and more counterproductive work behaviors. In the wake of workplace weight discrimination, subsequent SPM negatively affects workplace outcomes. For those experiencing workplace weight discrimination, mistreatment and invalidation frequently operate as a one-two punch to critical organizational outcomes.