Appearance-ism in work environment

The question of whether a persons physical appearance affects his/her advancement is career
has been asked over and over again We have heard from many individuals who believe they
were not given a promotion or were treated unjustly by their superiors due to their physical
appearances. There are a growing number of research findings that support the claim that
discrimination on the basis of physical characteristics does exist in most workplaces.
While the skills and aptitude of a person are very important to a job, many companies do give
importance to the physical attributes while they hire someone. This is because of the fact that the
employees represent a firm and the management wants to make sure that the firm is represented
well. In a recent study conducted by Dr. Brent A Scott and Dr. Timothy A Judge, it was
discovered that the physical attractiveness and agreeableness significantly affected co-workers
behavior towards an employee. The study showed that the physically attractive employees were
often assumed to be likeable, friendly and sociable by their co-workers. On the other hand
employees who were considered unattractive brought out negative emotions in the co-workers.
Another study which was conducted by Stefanie K. Johnson, a professor at the University of
Colorado Denver Business School found that, while being attractive was an advantage to men in
all cases, being an attractive woman was a disadvantage in many professions which were
considered masculine (Security guard, hardware salesperson, mechanical engineer, construction
supervisor etc.).
It is worth mentioning that while there are a few statues against discrimination on the basis of
height, weight or physical characteristics in certain parts of the country like Washington D.C,
Santa Cruz, CA and Michigan, there are no prominent Federal laws in the United States that
prohibit discrimination based on physical appearance. The Americans with Disability Act of
1990 prohibits discrimination against an individual who has a disability but is otherwise
qualified for the job. While the Act covers a wide range of physical impairments it does not offer
any protection against discrimination on the basis of physical appearance.
One could argue that a Federal law banning appearance based discrimination will stop
companies from making decisions based on an individuals physical appearance. But on the other
hand there are jobs that are physically demanding, which requires the employees to be both
physically and aesthetically fit. Such a law could also give rise to frivolous lawsuits by
employees claiming that they were denied certain career opportunities due to their appearances.
There are many subjective criteria that influence hiring decisions. We should also understand the
fact that employers are in a better position to decide who is fit for a job and therefore should
have the right to decide who theyd like to work with.
It is clear that the physical attractiveness of an employee could be an important factor in certain
jobs. For example a physically attractive person could have a better chance of doing well than a
less attractive person in certain jobs that require face to face contact with the clients. But it is
important that the employees are judged based on their contribution to the company rather than
their appearance. So, every company has the duty to make sure that their Human resource
policies are framed in order to make sure that the employees are not subjected to any such
stereotypes.
Sources
Rick Nauert PHD (August 1, 2013). Do Personality and Appearance Affect Work Relationships?
Retrieved from http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/08/02/do-personality-and-appearance-affect-
work-relationships/57935.html
Evangeline Gomez (January 31, 2012). Should Businesses Worry About Appearance-Based
Discrimination in the Workplace? Retrieved from
http://www.forbes.com/sites/evangelinegomez/2012/01/31/should-businesses-worry-about-
appearance-based-discrimination-in-the-workplace/
Stefanie K. Johnson Kenneth E. Podratz, Robert L. Dipboye, Ellie Gibbons. (May 2010) Physical
Attractiveness Biases in Ratings of Employment Suitability: Tracking Down the 'Beauty is Beastly'
Effect. The Journal of Social Psychology, 2010; 150 (3): 301 DOI: 10.1080/00224540903365414.
Retrieved from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100806132218.htm
Stephanie Armour. (July 19, 2005). Your appearance can affect size of your paycheck. Retrieved
from http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/workplace/2005-07-19-bias-usat_x.htm
Anya Cordell (February 10, 2010). Anya Cordell; Local TV Interview on Bias and Appearance-ism
Part 5. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Mrqb5K_aDQ