The Unvaccinated against Covid-19: The Perils of (In)Voluntary Disclosure of Unvaccinated Status in Job Applications
by
Youngjin Kwon
Ph.D. Student
Management Information Systems
Fox School of Business
Temple University
Friday, Feb 4
In-person
11:00 am – 12:30 pm | Speakman 200
Abstract:
While 35% of people aged 18-39 years are not still fully vaccinated, nearly 8 in 10 vaccinated Americans blame the high number of Covid-19 cases on them. Further, many politicians have taken strong stances against the unvaccinated. Such examples have evoked concerns that the unvaccinated are stigmatized. In the meanwhile, the unvaccinated are on the verge of losing jobs and being rejected by their families, friends, and coworkers. Particularly in a management context, almost one-third of employers responded that they would automatically reject applicants without information about their vaccination, but, at the same time, firms are struggling with labor shortages during the Covid-19 pandemic. In this study, we examine the effects of (in)voluntary disclosure of unvaccinated status on hiring outcomes. Drawing upon stigma theory, intergroup theory, and relative deprivation theory, we study how (a) discovery on social media and (b) disclosure on resumes of unvaccinated status influence hiring outcomes. Our research model hypothesizes that hiring managers would negatively evaluate the unvaccinated because of (a) negative stereotyping about them (rule-following behavior), (b) concerns about potential coworkers (coworker stigmatization), and (c) hiring managers’ affect toward them (liking). Through an online experiment, we found that both discovery and disclosure negatively affect the three factors. Interestingly, however, disclosure can be an effective strategy to reduce negative stereotyping compared to discovery. By studying discovery and disclosure of stigma in a unique context, this study would provide not only theoretical contributions in the relevant literature but also practical implications regarding how firms and unvaccinated applicants address job applications.