First impressions count but hospitality-tourism workplace experts warn that 'looks' should not be the main consideration when recruiting for face-to-face consumer jobs.
As the busy social summer months approach, a new study led by Flinders University warns that bias about appearances can occur at organisational and individual recruitment and in human resource management - to the detriment of operators and worker conditions in popular holiday and entertainment precincts.
A review of 47 relevant articles from around the world found that hiring managers and recruiters can still be influenced by 'lookism' in workplaces - even when legislation of the employer has policies to eliminate it.
The research, by Flinders University researchers Associate Professor Janice Jones, Dr Ashokkumar Manoharan and Dr Juan Madera, endowed professor at the University of Houston Conrad N Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management, is outlined in a new article in the International Journal of Hospitality Management.
Lookism is a term coined to refer to prejudice or discrimination on the grounds of appearance. It can lead to employees and job candidates being selected on age, gender or physical attractiveness criteria, or rejected for individual physical or bodily characteristics such as body piercings, tattoos or dress style.
Unfortunately, the study found that it is not only a reality but also legal in most hospitality and tourism (H-T) workplaces. It is also reported to be widespread practice for H-T recruitment to be based on regular employee appearances or 'aesthetics' or how workers may look and act in service encounters.
Reduced applicant 'hireability', and other career outcomes, job attitudes, and psychological and health outcomes are employee-level consequences of lookism, says coauthor Dr Manoharan, a senior lecturer and researcher in diversity, equity and inclusion at the Flinders University College of Business, Government and Law.
"Lookism can have positive and negative outcomes, and effective diversity management practices can enhance the positive while minimising the negative," he says.
"Without anti-discrimination laws, H-T firms should implement diversity policies that discourage focusing on employees' looks. Leadership must visibly support these initiatives by challenging biases and promoting inclusive decision-making."
Among the recommendations in the article:
- Firms should use diverse job descriptions and anonymised resumes and avoid requiring photographs to combat appearance-based discrimination in hiring.
- Where appearance is crucial for branding, inclusive guidelines that focus on professionalism should be developed.
- Training and performance evaluations should emphasise measurable outcomes over physical appearance.
- Regular audits and education for managers on unconscious biases are essential.
- Cultivating an inclusive culture by celebrating diverse appearances will further mitigate lookism.
Despite these front-line workers playing a crucial role in delivering the H-T experience, "H-T employment remains under-researched, particularly given the sector's employment size, value and social significance," the research concludes.
Dr Manoharan, a member of the Centre for Social Impact at Flinders University, has co-edited The Routledge Handbook of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Management in the Hospitality Industry.
The article, Lookism in hospitality and tourism workplaces: A multilevel review and research agenda (2024) by Janice Jones, Ashokkumar Manoharan and Juan M Madera has been published in International Journal of Hospitality Management. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhm.2024.103909.
