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A field study of the impacts of workplace diversity on the recruitment of minority group members

Author

Listed:
  • Aaron D. Nichols

    (Boston University)

  • Jordan Axt

    (McGill University)

  • Evelyn Gosnell

    (Irrational Labs)

  • Dan Ariely

    (Duke University)

Abstract

Increasing workplace diversity is a common goal. Given research showing that minority applicants anticipate better treatment in diverse workplaces, we ran a field experiment (N = 1,585 applicants, N = 31,928 website visitors) exploring how subtle organizational diversity cues affected applicant behaviour. Potential applicants viewed a company with varying levels of racial/ethnic or gender diversity. There was little evidence that racial/ethnic or gender diversity impacted the demographic composition or quality of the applicant pool. However, fewer applications were submitted to organizations with one form of diversity (that is, racial/ethnic or gender diversity), and more applications were submitted to organizations with only white men employees or employees diverse in race/ethnicity and gender. Finally, exploratory analyses found that female applicants were rated as more qualified than male applicants. Presenting a more diverse workforce does not guarantee more minority applicants, and organizations seeking to recruit minority applicants may need stronger displays of commitments to diversity.

Suggested Citation

  • Aaron D. Nichols & Jordan Axt & Evelyn Gosnell & Dan Ariely, 2023. "A field study of the impacts of workplace diversity on the recruitment of minority group members," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 7(12), pages 2212-2227, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nathum:v:7:y:2023:i:12:d:10.1038_s41562-023-01731-5
    DOI: 10.1038/s41562-023-01731-5
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    References listed on IDEAS

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