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The current study aimed to (1) explore the prevalence and processes associated with microaggression, along with (2) the consequences of such instances on the queer employees’ life.

For this purpose, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted on 29 LGBTQIA + persons (21–42 years). The qualitative data were analysed through the thematic analysis method (a hybrid of theoretical and inductive thematic analysis). Nadal and colleagues’ (2010) taxonomy on sexual orientation and transgender microaggression was used as a theoretical lens for detecting the acts of microaggression.

The result revealed eight themes: i.e. (1) overt discrimination (bullying and sexual harassment); (2) workplace discrimination; (3) environmental microaggressions; (4) interpersonal microaggressions; (5) mental health effects; (6) disclosure dilemma; (7) consequences on job-related functioning; and (8) policy changes. Microaggression was more common as compared to overt forms of aggression such as bullying. The study detected a serious lag in the implementation of queer-friendly policies in Indian organizations. Experiences of overt discrimination and microaggressions hinder the work performance and the psychological well-being of queer employees.

LGBTQIA + microaggression is not explored in the Indian workplace context.

This paper aims to examine the effect of three types of health-related claims (health, nutrition and ingredient) and product healthiness on situational skepticism toward the claims that appear on the front-of-package of food products. The effect of situational skepticism on the purchase intention of the product is further examined.

Two experimental studies were conducted with a 3 (health-related claims: health claim vs nutrition claim vs ingredient claim) × 2 (product healthiness: healthy vs unhealthy) between-subjects factorial design. Study 1 investigates the effects within a single product category (Biscuits) and Study 2 the effects across product categories (Salad and Pizza).

The results demonstrate that situational skepticism is the highest for health claims, followed by nutrition claims and the least for ingredient claims. In addition, situational skepticism is higher for claims appearing on unhealthy products vis-à-vis healthy ones. Finally, situational skepticism mediates the relationship between claim type, product healthiness and product purchase intention.

This study contributes to the field of nutrition labeling by advancing research on information processing of nutrition labels through the lens of the persuasion knowledge model (Friestad and Wright, 1994). Specifically, this study contributes to a nuanced understanding of claim formats on how the language properties of the claim – its vagueness, specificity and verifiability – can affect consumer perception. This study finds that higher specificity, verifiability and lower vagueness of ingredient claims lead to lower skepticism and hence higher purchase intention.

Furthermore, this study incrementally contributes to the ongoing discussion about the claim–carrier combination by showing that health-related claims are better perceived on healthy compared to unhealthy products. Hence, managers should avoid health washing, as this can backfire and cause harm to the reputation of the firm.

From a public policy point of view, this study makes a case for strong monitoring and regulations of ingredient claims, as consumers believe these claims easily and hence can be misled by false ingredient claims made by unethical marketers.

The scope of research on skepticism has largely been limited to examining a general individual tendency of being suspicious (i.e. dispositional skepticism) in health-related claims as well as other areas of marketing. In this research, the authors extend the scope by examining how specific types of claims (health vs nutrition vs ingredient) and product healthiness jointly impact consumer skepticism, i.e. situational skepticism.