Moving From Diverse To Inclusive Workplaces: Organizational Claims Can Promote The Self-Selection of Inclusive Job Seekers

Authors:

Abstract: Organizations that facilitate inclusion more effectively attract and retain a diverse workforce; however, finding empirically backed strategies for promoting inclusive behavior has been challenging. Here, we suggest a solution for creating more inclusive organizations: promoting the self-selection of inclusive workers. Specifically, we examine whether organizational claims about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) attract more inclusive job seekers. In two preregistered experiments (N = 1,212), we examined how participants’ tendency to behave inclusively (as rated by long-term workgroup members) predicted their interest in (Experiment 1) and decision to work for (Experiment 2) organizations demonstrating varying degrees of commitment to DEI. We find that the most inclusive job seekers self-select into—and the least inclusive self-exclude from—organizations making resource-backed claims that express a deep commitment to DEI. Our findings highlight that organizational claims induce applicant sorting based on their inclusivity and offer a practical tool for promoting inclusivity in organizations.

Track: DEI

Keywords: inclusion; diversity; organizational claims; hiring; applicants