That working under a discriminatory boss is harmful to us is probably self-evident, but research from Oklahoma State University reminds us that it can also be harmful even if the discrimination works in our favor.

The researchers recruited around 1,200 volunteers to undergo a series of experiments designed to replicate the kind of situations they would find in the workplace. The volunteers were tasked with deciding how much effort they would put into particular tasks.

Discrimination at work

In some experiments, people were given a task: count how many times the number “3” showed up in a big list of numbers. They were rated higher if they did this task more times. They did this task in pairs or small groups, and they were told their boss would give a bonus to one of them based on how many times they did this task.

To make things unfair, they were told there were two kinds of workers: “blue” and “red,” and everyone was told they were “blue.” Some of them were told their boss didn’t like “blue” workers, some were told their boss liked them more, and the rest didn’t get any information about this. These experiments aimed to study how people acted when they thought there was bias at play in their workplace.

The results show that when workers know that their boss is discriminating, they complete fewer tasks than those who don’t. Interestingly, this applies regardless of whether the discrimination is for or against them.

Sense of fair play

The research establishes a well-known fact: workplace discrimination not only limits the earnings and advancement opportunities for those in disadvantaged groups but can also diminish the overall productivity of all employees, including those who may seemingly benefit from it. This implies that the adverse impact of discrimination on a company’s profitability might be more pronounced than conventionally assumed.

A pivotal discovery in the study sheds light on the worsening effects of discrimination on work effort over time. It was observed that when individuals worked under a manager displaying discriminatory behavior, all workers exhibited reduced effort, with the disadvantaged group experiencing the most significant decline.

This phenomenon sets in motion a potentially vicious cycle where the targets of discrimination respond by exerting less effort compared to their privileged peers. Consequently, their managers may perceive them as less industrious, less competent, and less worthy of promotions, thereby reinforcing their initial biases.

Rapid stereotypes

In order to substantiate this theory, an additional study was conducted, involving participants with managerial experience. They were presented with the work efforts of two distinct groups from the experiments: one that had been subjected to discrimination and another that had benefited from discrimination against others. The latter group displayed higher levels of productivity.

These groups were generically labeled as “red types” and “blue types,” with no mention of the discrimination factor. Nonetheless, the managers swiftly formed stereotypes about both groups, viewing members of the privileged category as more amiable and significantly more competent. Their preferences skewed strongly towards hiring, collaborating with, promoting, and rewarding members of the advantaged group.

These findings underscore how workplace discrimination can engender behaviors among employees that reinforce the negative stereotypes at the root of the initial discriminatory acts or even propagate these stereotypes to new managers.