Thomas Cati S, Fruhen Laura S, Wee Serena
School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
Aust J Psychol. 2023 Apr 3;75(1):2195007. doi: 10.1080/00049530.2023.2195007. eCollection 2023.
Job candidates are attracted to companies where they see their values fit in based on clues from recruitment materials. Safety-critical companies may aim to attract safety-minded applicants, through signals indicating that the organisation prioritises safety. Research shows that language related to safety outcomes (versus other outcomes) in recruitment materials can inform the preferences of safety-minded applicants. Rooted in theorising that high reliability organisations (HROs) are highly safety-focused and have low masculinity values, this study investigates the extent to which the relationship between company attractiveness and safety-focused and femininity-focused language used to describe the company, is moderated by potential applicants' safety attitudes.
In a within-subjects vignette study, participants ( = 197) rated the attractiveness of four fictitious companies, based on company webpages, and reported on their individual safety attitudes.
Participants with higher safety attitudes rated companies as more attractive when language used in company descriptions focused on safety (and not business). This effect was amplified when the company description also emphasised low masculinity (i.e., feminine) values.
To attract applicants with higher safety attitudes, companies may benefit from using language that is focused on femininity, in addition to safety.
求职者会根据招聘材料中的线索，被那些他们认为自身价值观相符的公司所吸引。安全关键型公司可能旨在通过表明组织将安全置于优先地位的信号，来吸引注重安全的求职者。研究表明，招聘材料中与安全结果（相对于其他结果）相关的语言能够反映注重安全的求职者的偏好。基于高可靠性组织（HROs）高度注重安全且具有较低男性气质价值观的理论，本研究调查了潜在求职者的安全态度在多大程度上调节了公司吸引力与用于描述公司的注重安全和注重女性气质的语言之间的关系。
在一项被试内 vignette 研究中，参与者（n = 197）根据公司网页对四家虚构公司的吸引力进行评分，并报告他们个人的安全态度。
当公司描述中使用的语言侧重于安全（而非业务）时，安全态度较高的参与者对公司的评分更高。当公司描述还强调低男性气质（即女性气质）价值观时，这种效应会增强。
为了吸引安全态度较高的求职者，公司除了使用注重安全的语言外，使用注重女性气质的语言可能也会有所帮助。
