After the ink dries: Body art disclosure decisions by white‐collar employees

Abstract This exploratory study contributes to the literature on disclosing concealable stigmatized identities (CSI) by positing authenticity and identity centrality as antecedents to disclosing body art within a workplace context. We analyze identity centrality and its effect on amplifying or suppressing disclosure and/or fear of disclosure of white‐collar professionals' body art. The research question focuses on whether white‐collar employees believe they can be authentic and disclose body art in the workplace and whether there are adverse career outcomes associated with disclosing body art. Findings suggest authenticity was only related to the degree of disclosure through fear of disclosure, highlighting the role that fear played in the disclosure decision. Identity centrality moderated the relationship between authenticity and fear of disclosure. Both fear of and degree of disclosure were indirectly related to turnover intentions through affective organizational commitment. Given the limited research on body art as a stigma and its disclosure by white‐collar professionals, we believe this study adds to the CSI literature by offering insights into the impact that changing social mores associated with body art may have on the willingness of white‐collar professionals to disclose it.