At the Water Cooler: The Effect of Gender and Innuendo on Workplace Interactions

UNCP Author/Contributor (non-UNCP co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Melanie LaBeau (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Pembroke (UNCP )
Web Site: http://www.uncp.edu/academics/library
Advisor
Dr. Kelly Charlton

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of gender, attractiveness, and sexual innuendo on workplace evaluations. Eighty-seven individuals (Males-29, Females=57) from a Southeastern Liberal Arts Institution participated for course credit. Participants completed a measures packet that assessed evaluations of an attractive or unattractive male or female HR director who uses or does not use sexual innuendo when inviting a coworker to a meeting. The presence of sexual innuendo overwhelmingly resulted in negative evaluations. Gender presented only minor effects in relation to overall, social, and boundary evaluations. Interestingly a number of participants perceived the HR Director to be gay/lesbian. The gay/lesbian HR Directors were evaluated higher on nearly all evaluations.

Additional Information

Publication
Honors Project
Esther G. Maynor Honors College
Language: English
Date: 2016
Keywords
Workplace Evaluations, Performance Evaluations, Workplace Evaluation Factors, Effects of Gender, Effects of Attractiveness, Effects of Sexual Innuendo

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