Rutgers Business School - Newark and New Brunswick, Rutgers University, 100 Rockafeller Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
Disabil Health J. 2024 Jan;17(1):101513. doi: 10.1016/j.dhjo.2023.101513. Epub 2023 Aug 2.
Companies are increasingly attending to their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) statements in their public-facing documents, including job advertisements. Little is known about how various decisions about language type or placement within a job ad are received by marginalized populations, including those living with disabilities.
This study aims to explore various options for DEI statements within job ads, to assess whether these choices have a measurable impact on potential job seekers living with disabilities.
An experiment with a 2 × 2 × 2 design was used which varied the DEI language (legal/traditional or heartfelt), the placement at the top or the bottom of the job advertisement, and whether the company offered the opportunity to indicate a need for accommodations even before the interview. Quantitative and qualitative items measured general reactions to the statement, intent to apply to this company, willingness to disclose a need for accommodations, how supportive the company seemed, and impressions of the company's level of trustworthiness. Statistical tests include t-tests, z-tests for proportions, and regression-based tests for mediation.
Heartfelt statements and upfront placement inspired more positive reactions from participants, with trust mediating these positive relationships. However, participants also expressed skepticism that, regardless of language, bias would still exist in the reality of the job.
These results suggest that job candidates with disabilities are not indifferent to a company's DEI framing and prefer heartfelt language and earlier placement, though statements without direct evidence can raise suspicion about whether the actions would stay true to the words.
越来越多的公司在其面向公众的文件中，包括招聘广告，关注多样性、公平性和包容性（DEI）声明。对于语言类型或在招聘广告中的位置等各种决策如何被边缘化人群（包括残疾人群体）所接受，人们知之甚少。
本研究旨在探讨招聘广告中 DEI 声明的各种选项，以评估这些选择是否对残疾求职者产生可衡量的影响。
采用 2×2×2 设计的实验，其中包括 DEI 语言（法律/传统或真诚）、在招聘广告顶部或底部的位置以及公司是否提供在面试前表明需要住宿的机会。定量和定性项目衡量了对声明的总体反应、申请该公司的意向、披露住宿需求的意愿、公司看起来有多支持以及对公司可信度的印象。统计测试包括 t 检验、比例 z 检验和基于回归的中介检验。
真诚的声明和前置位置激发了参与者更积极的反应，信任中介了这些积极关系。然而，参与者也表示怀疑，无论语言如何，在工作的现实中仍然存在偏见。
这些结果表明，残疾求职者并非对公司的 DEI 框架漠不关心，他们更喜欢真诚的语言和更早的位置，但没有直接证据的声明可能会让人怀疑这些行动是否会言行一致。
