Interracial frontline encounters: How White customers’ stereotype threat affects Black frontline employees’ immediate job outcomes

Abstract

Interracial interactions are often laden with concerns about being assimilated by group stereotypes. This study examines the “White-and-prejudiced” stereotype threat, which can be triggered in White customers when interacting with Black frontline employees. Our findings, derived from two field studies and two experiments, reveal short-term positive effects of the White stereotype threat on the job performance effectiveness of Black frontline employees. For example, White customers buy more and intend to tip more when interacting with a Black relative to a White frontline employee. These short-term positive behavioral shifts toward Black frontline employees are especially present when the frontline employee is categorized in terms of race but diminished when the frontline employee is individuated. The implications of our findings are managerially relevant because employees from marginalized racial groups are often overrepresented in frontline and in service occupations in several countries including Europe and the United States. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)