When inclusion efforts backfire: How organizational social inclusion statements exacerbate frontline employees' negative meta-stereotypes

Abstract

Social inclusion statements, which serve as stigmatized-identity safety cues, have been shown to effectively combat stigmatization against employees with stigmatized identities. However, through six controlled experiments, we present counterintuitive evidence that organizational social inclusion statements not only fail to thwart frontline employees' negative meta-stereotypes, defined as their beliefs about how customers negatively stereotype them, but instead exacerbate these beliefs. This effect was partly driven by an increase in frontline employees' stigma consciousness, yet it disappeared when they were informed that customers understood them. This study contributes to the nascent literature on diversity, equity, and inclusion in hospitality and tourism, offering insights into why social inclusion statements can backfire and suggesting potential countermeasures.