How could corporate social responsibility alleviate social occupational stigma consciousness?

Purpose Although social occupational stigma consciousness reduces individuals’ well-being and work outcomes, research on strategies to mitigate social occupational stigma consciousness remains limited. Based on social identity theory, this study aims to systematically examine the mechanisms through which corporate social responsibility (CSR) influences hotel employees’ social occupational stigma consciousness. Design/methodology/approach Study 1 conducted a content analysis of hotel employee reviews posted on Glassdoor. Study 2 collected data from 372 hotel employees via the online survey platform Credamo. Study 3 extended the investigation by surveying 295 Chinese hotel employees to evaluate the proposed model in greater detail. Findings Social dirtiness was identified as the most prevalent form of occupational taint, highlighting the significance of social occupational stigma consciousness among hotel employees. CSR was found to reduce social occupational stigma consciousness mainly by increasing employees’ perceived respect, rather than by enhancing organizational identification. Moreover, responsible leadership moderated the relationship between perceived respect and social occupational stigma consciousness. Research limitations/implications Because this study relied on cross-sectional data, it could not fully identify or examine the dynamic causal relationships among the variables. Moreover, the model included only the social dimension of occupational stigma consciousness. Although Study 1 drew on online reviews from a broad range of sources, additional empirical samples from a wider range of hotels and geographic regions would further enhance the generalizability of the findings. Practical implications Hotel employees constitute an important occupational group for examining occupational stigma consciousness, which may undermine both employee well-being and job performance. By highlighting the role of organizational-level initiatives, particularly CSR, this study provides managers with practical strategies to help reduce employees’ occupational stigma consciousness. Originality/value The findings enrich the literature on occupational stigma and offer evidence-based strategies for hotel management to improve employee morale, motivation and engagement.