Stigmatization of Workers in the Quick Service Industry: A Theoretical Examination

• In Event: Roundtable: Stigmatization and Victimization in Criminal Justice Environments

Abstract

This paper covers a theoretical segment of a much larger research project, that being my (new) dissertation project. To some, it may come as no surprise the extent to which those who work in the quick food service industry are treated poorly by the customers they serve. The larger body of research this paper is derived from explores how the treatment of workers in this particular industry compares to those in other service industries, how the employees process the treatment they receive by customers, how the employees mitigate their perceptions of self in spite of this treatment (if at all), how customers perceive and discuss their treatment of quick service employees, and where customers perceive their social and socioeconomic statuses to be in relation to those of the employees that they’re interacting with. Lastly, this project examines instances of violence against workers in the quick service industry in terms of frequency, location, time of day, relationship between employee and assailant, and nature of incident to determine what traits in these interactions are most likely to lead to instances of violence. Ideally this could lead to better training for employees in order to prevent escalation of negative interactions into violence.

Author

• Melanie Norwood, University of Illinois at Chicago