Samantha G. Deane is a PhD Candidate in the Human Resources Department of the School of Management and Labor Relations at Rutgers–New Brunswick. Deane’s research focuses on the workplace experiences of employees with stigmatized identities, including people with disabilities, racial minorities, and people with differing political affiliations. Deane joined Rutgers from industry, where she worked in Human Resources across a variety of roles. She earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Emory University, a Master of Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University, and a Master of Science in Industrial Relations and Labor Relations from Rutgers University.

Love or Hate: Testing Effects of (Dis)Liking Politically (Dis)Similar Coworkers

In today’s politically polarized environment, people’s relationships with politically similar and dissimilar coworkers are influenced by tendencies to like similar people and dislike dissimilar people. This project seeks to identify which is stronger and understand what these dynamics reveal about a workplace’s ability to sustain or undermine democratic pluralism. Using a vignette experiment, this study will examine the effects of coworker political affiliation on an individual’s attitudes and behaviors, to illuminate barriers to deliberative democratic dialogue. Addressing these biases could help create organizational environments where employees talk to one another, exploring their differing perspectives and taking accountability for partisan influences.