In recent years, inclusivity efforts have aimed to eradicate discrimination and prejudice against the LGBTQ+ community. The advocacy has encouraged the community to be vocal in fighting for its rights, particularly in expressing their authentic selves in the workplace.
As a result, positive changes have been made in the modern era, particularly in how people perceive the LGBTQ+ community. This made Abbey Salvas ask: What about those who are trans and non-binary (TNB) in the workplace?
Unfortunately, there is limited research on workplace authenticity, especially with minoritized populations. So, Abbey aimed to study all trans and nonbinary (TNB) employees to understand their experiences with authentic identity expression at work.
To learn more about the study and its research process, ExpiWell conducted an exclusive interview with Abbey Salvas to explore authentic identity expression further.
Abbey Salvas’s study has three main goals:
Abbey also explained, “I was interested in determining what factors are necessary for stigmatized employees, in this case, TNB employees, to experience the benefits of authenticity. I chose social support as a key mediator of that relationship because previous research has shown that it is one of the most important factors for positive work outcomes for TNB folks.”
In addition, the research focused on how authentic expression affects TNB individuals and how negative stigma about unconventional expression can force them to hide their identity in the workplace.
Despite the progress made for the LGBTQ+ community, stigma remains for those who express themselves unconventionally. While certain norms are accepted by society, stepping beyond those can still lead to stigmatization.
Hence, Abbey Salvas added, “There was substantial variation both across individuals and within individuals over time in how authentically they were able to express their gender identity over the course of my study. I think, especially now, with trans folks being attacked through legislation and in the current political landscape, these decisions are as fraught as they’ve ever been.”
As an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, Abbey Salvas wanted to shed light on how authenticity and self-expression can positively impact TNB individuals. For this reason, Abbey used their study to learn more about the current workplace situation for minoritized employees.
Let’s examine the study findings further.
There are two main findings about authentic expression:
With these results, Abbey added, “One finding that was especially interesting to me was that authentic expression was not directly related to higher instances of discrimination at work. This is a positive finding on the one hand, but on the other, it could reflect a consistent level of discrimination for these individuals, regardless of how they express themselves at work on a given day.”
Additionally, you can apply practical implications to these findings, such as:
As such, Abbey Salvas’s study can be a good reference for future researchers exploring authentic expression in TNB individuals. They said, “I answer the call for increased research with this population as well as the call for a more dynamic approach to understanding authenticity at work.”
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Ecological Momentary Assessment is not just about exploring human behavior; researchers can also use this to spread inclusivity and fight for equality. Through this method, people can learn how we interact with each other and learn how to be more compassionate towards different individuals.
Abbey supported this message by saying, “I think EMA provides an important insight into the daily dynamics and effects of prejudice. Incorporating time effects into this research is essential for pointing to the real negative effects that everyday exclusionary acts can have on minoritized individuals.”
EMA researchers can also advocate for LGBTQ+ rights by including voices from different groups that can show their struggles and life experiences through research.
They added, “I think, as researchers, it is up to all of us to ensure that our research includes the voices of those populations that have historically not had their voices heard. LGBTQIA+ populations are one example, and in the case of TNB individuals, especially, a lot of research has ignored their presence and, therefore, their perspectives.
They also emphasized demonstrating inclusion through inclusive demographic items and avoiding binary sex comparisons to discuss “gender effects.”
Finally, Abbey shared their experience with ExpiWell and how the platform helped them conduct the study: “ExpiWell was a great tool that allowed me to deliver surveys on time to my participants easily. The customer service was exceptional, and having the whole process in one place was incredible.”
For Abbey, ExpiWell is not just a research tool but a platform that can be an instrument to learn about different people and how we can promote compassion and understanding for a better society.
The ExpiWell team is excited to have helped and facilitated Abbey Salvas’ research. We continue to work toward innovating and enhancing scientific discovery.
To explore more studies with Expiwell, we invite you to visit our Journal Publications section to learn about insightful research studies and discover how ExpiWell has facilitated critical experience sampling and ecological momentary assessment data collection.
Contact us through sales@expiwell.com if you are interested in using our platform!
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