Mendoza School of Business

MSU study: Unattractive or mean people treated worse by co-workers

Published: June 19, 2013 / Author: Melissa Anders



The following is an excerpt from an article on mlive.com that mentions research conducted by Management Professor Tim Judge on unattractive workers and bullying. To read the entire article visit: MSU study: Unattractive or mean people treated worse by co-workers

Unattractive workers suffer from more bullying and cruel behavior in the workplace, according to a recent study from Michigan State University.

“Frankly, it’s an ugly finding,” Brent Scott, associate professor of management and lead investigator, told MSUToday. “Although we like to think we’re professional and mature in the workplace, it can be just like high school in many ways.”

Researchers surveyed 114 employees of a large hospital in the southeastern United States about how often their co-workers said hurtful things, made fun of them, or were otherwise cruel or rude.

There’s been a lot of research that shows similar findings in the junior high and high school settings, but this is the first study Scott knows of that links attractiveness with bullying at work. Timothy Judge from the University of Notre Dame co-authored the study.

/news_and_events/news_articles/article/13001/msu-study-unattractive-or-mean-people-treated-worse-by-co-workers


Topics: Mendoza