Exploring U.S. Retail Employees’ Experiences of Corporate Hypocrisy

ABSTRACT

Corporate hypocrisy (CH) exists when people believe that firms are not what they claim to be. Much of the previous research has focused on how consumers may perceive firms as hypocritical and how that might affect firms’ sales and profits, but little has been researched on CH as experienced by employees. This study explored CH experienced by employees in the U.S. retail sector, which is predominantly comprised of part-time, low-income personnel. Through in-depth interviews of 16 retail employees, the study revealed that for participants, inconsistencies in both supervisors’ and corporate claims and actions resulted in perceived CH in employees. This, in turn, seemed to be related to participants’ feelings and future employment intentions. The study findings offer important implications for leaders and managers of U.S. retail companies, as they show how employees perceive, feel about, and act in response to CH.

KEYWORDS:

• Employees
• hypocrisy
• management
• retail

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Saheli Goswami

Saheli Goswami is a doctoral student in the Department of Textile and Apparel Management at the University of Missouri. Her research interests include corporate behaviors and responsibilities, organizational ethics, and employee relations within the global supply chain in textile and apparel industry. She can be reached at [email protected].

Jung E. Ha-Brookshire

Jung E. Ha-Brookshire, PhD, is an associate professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Textile and Apparel Management at the University of Missouri. Her research interests include global supply chain, sourcing strategies, sustainable production and consumption of textile and apparel, and firm/industry identity issues. She can be reached at [email protected].