Antecedents and consequences of the disability stigma for frontline employees: A qualitative study

The employment of people with disabilities (PWDs) is an important growing topic in contemporary society. Despite legal protections and increasing awareness of the importance of inclusion and diversity, PWDs still face significant barriers to employment worldwide, particularly in service industries. As hiring PWDs becomes more prevalent, scholars have only recently begun to study consumers’ perceptions of frontline employees (FLEs) with disabilities, especially intellectual disabilities, and their potential to stigmatize FLEs with disabilities. As such, we explore consumers’ perceptions of FLEs with disabilities to understand the attitudes, biases, and behaviors that may influence their interactions with such employees. Using a thematic coding analysis, we develop a framework for understanding the antecedents and consequences of disability stigma for FLEs. Drawing on this framework, we present the results of a qualitative study examining consumer perceptions of FLEs with disabilities working in restaurants, highlighting the key themes that emerged from our analysis. Specifically, we uncover internal influences and customer affect toward PWDs as antecedents to consumers’ perceptions of FLEs with disabilities while consumer behavior and firm actions as consequences. Nevertheless, these matters remain prominent issues for businesses working to create more inclusive and welcoming environments for all customers and employees, regardless of disability status.