Ugly people are less likely to succeed in the workplace because they are bullied by 'cruel and harsh' attractive colleagues
- Researchers from Michigan State University discovered that 'unattractive' people are more likely to be bullied in the workplace
- The level of attractiveness determined which jobs they were given to do and their chance of promotion
- And being 'ugly' played more of a role in how someone is treated than their age or gender
People who are considered unattractive are more likely to be belittled and bullied in the workplace, according to new research.
The study by Michigan State University found that unattractive workers were treated more harshly than their attractive colleagues when it came to promotions and which tasks they were given to do.
And that being 'ugly' played more of a role in how someone is treated than their age, gender or how long they had worked there.
'Ugly' people are more likely to bullied and belittled by their work colleagues, according to a study by Michigan State University. The researchers found that unattractive people are treated less favourably than attractive members of the workforce
FLIRTING AT WORK HELPS WOMEN GET A PROMOTION
A study by the University of California-Berkeley discovered that flirting at work can help women get ahead.
However, it makes them less popular and trustworthy than their colleagues.
Women who use their feminine charms to get ahead are seen as less authentic and less genuine than women who refuse to flirt.
And the distrust built up among colleagues could prove to be damaging in the long run, and counteract the leaps forward they make by flirting.
Previous research has found that attractive students tend to be more popular in school.
However, this study, led by associate professor of management at the University Brent Scott, is the first to find a direct correlation between attractiveness and bullying in the workplace.
'Frankly, it's an ugly finding,' said Scott.
'Although we like to think we're professional and mature in the workplace, it can be just like high school in many ways.'
The researchers surveyed 114 workers at a health care facility in the southeastern United States.
The workers were each asked how often their colleagues 'engaged in cruel behaviour' towards them.
This cruel behaviour included saying hurtful things, acting rudely and making fun of them.
A separate group of people, who didn't know any of study participants, were each shown photos of the workers and asked to judge how attractive each of them were.
Workers that were rated as unattractive were treated much more harshly than those the separate group classed as attractive.
The researchers asked 114 employees how often their colleagues engaged in 'cruel behaviour' towards them. This included saying hurtful things, acting rudely and teasing of them. The workers rated as unattractive by a control group were treated harshly more often than those considered attractive
This included being given menial tasks or jobs other people didn't want to do and being overlooked for promotion.
And this was the case even when other key factors were taken into account, including age, gender and how long they had worked at the health care facility.
The researchers also collected information on how agreeable or friendly the workers were, based on questionnaires completed by their spouses, partners or good friends.
The study found that disagreeable workers, like unattractive employees, were treated more harshly than their co-workers.
'Our findings revealed that both personality and appearance matter,' Scott said.
Knowing the potential targets of hurtful behavior could help managers monitor susceptible employees to prevent them from becoming victims or to provide counseling and social support if prevention attempts fail, he added.
The results appear in the research journal Human Performance.
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