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1 – 10 of over 1000Chiara Tagliaro, Alessandra Migliore, Erica Isa Mosca and Stefano Capolongo
This paper aims to explore how the scientific literature and company reports have addressed inclusive workplace design and strategies to date.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore how the scientific literature and company reports have addressed inclusive workplace design and strategies to date.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper adopts a scoping review to answer the following question: To what extent is inclusion present in workplace design and related strategies? An analysis of 27 scientific papers and 25 corporate social responsibility reports of the highest-ranked companies in the Great Place to Work global ranking disentangles the main aspects related to workplace design and strategies for promoting inclusion.
Findings
This paper opens avenues for four macro-categories of diversity (psycho-physical aspects; cultural aspects; socio-economic conditions; and ability, experience and strengths) to support the development of inclusive workplace design and strategy. Besides, multiple spatial scales emerged as material and immaterial elements of the workplace encountering inclusion and diversity.
Originality/value
Nowadays, the workforce is becoming more diverse. Although diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) has become key to many organizations, it remains unclear how DE&I principles are applied in workspace design and strategies. This scoping review provides a novel perspective on the topic by integrating scientific knowledge and practice-based approaches which still address this matter independently.
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Itinpreet Kaur, Geeta Mishra and Rahela Farooqi
Although existing literature abounds with actual diversity research, there is scant work on perceived diversity. This research aims to investigate the impact of employees'…
Abstract
Purpose
Although existing literature abounds with actual diversity research, there is scant work on perceived diversity. This research aims to investigate the impact of employees' perception of workplace diversity on job satisfaction and turnover intentions. Further, the research analyses the gender-moderating effect between the hypothesized connection.
Design/methodology/approach
Current research work uses a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach to analyze the hypothesized connection with 222 full-time employees working in the Indian service sector.
Findings
Study results showed that employees' perception of workplace diversity has a significant negative impact on job satisfaction, while having a significant positive effect on employees' turnover intentions. Moreover, employees' perception of workplace diversity does not vary across gender.
Originality/value
Though research work on perceived diversity is scant and growing at a slow pace, the current study adds to the diversity studies by assessing diversity through employees' perceptions instead of gleaning the actual diversity index.
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Akriti Chaubey and Sunaina Kuknor
This paper aims to examine the barriers that act as a hindrance and are the reason behind the struggles for the successful practice of diversity and inclusion. It also provides…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the barriers that act as a hindrance and are the reason behind the struggles for the successful practice of diversity and inclusion. It also provides suggestions that organisations across the Asian region can adopt to have a conducive work environment to flourish diversity and inclusion.
Design/methodology/approach
Qualitative data were collected from 21 in-depth semi-structured interviews, where the male and female interviewee ratio was 6:4. The interviewees were diversity and inclusion leaders, diversity and inclusion consultants and human resources (HR) experts from Asian countries such as India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, UAE, Singapore, Bangladesh and Nepal. The interviewees belonged to varied industries, including information technology, automobile, manufacturing, engineering, logistics and independent consultants. Every interview recorded was transcribed, and an inductive content analysis technique was used using NVivo. Broad themes and several antecedents were identified which hinder the successful practice of diversity and inclusion.
Findings
There exists a patriarchal mindset in society as the main reason; that is why Asian countries are finding it difficult and are struggling to embrace diversity and inclusion successfully. There is a lack of awareness amongst managers about how inclusive gender diversity impacts the company’s financial status. Reports show that companies that have female board members have better profit margins in comparison to those that do not.
Research limitations/implications
This study was conducted within one industry setting, the service sector; therefore, the findings may not apply to other industries because of the different organisational cultures and HR policies.
Practical implications
This study offers managerial implications that can help the organisation foster and embrace diversity and inclusion by overcoming the barriers.
Social implications
There should be fair and equitable inclusivity of females in the workplace. Female employees should be heard without biases and discrimination and allowed to speak up with equity. Females should not be seen differently during organisational decision-making, participation and empowerment.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the few to explore the challenges faced by Asian region organisations to embrace diversity and inclusion by empirical evidence. The study shows how the Asian region struggles to go beyond gender diversity and move away from patriarchal hegemony, which is the study’s unique contribution.
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Shehla Malik and Shadma Shahid
With every successful organization embracing various facets of diversity in this new era, one such facet that is lesser talked about but has huge potential to bring organizational…
Abstract
Purpose
With every successful organization embracing various facets of diversity in this new era, one such facet that is lesser talked about but has huge potential to bring organizational success is “Generational Diversity.” This paper emphasizes the significance of multiple generations in the workplace and suggests organization led strategies for achieving the benefits of generational diversity.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper draws on extant literature and knowledge in the field of generational diversity. By reviewing the characteristics, values, work styles and perspectives of multiple generations, this paper offer several strategies to successfully manage and leverage generational diversity.
Findings
This paper provides an overview of generational diversity and insights on its relevance at workplace. Besides, it also enlists and emphasizes eight different strategies that can help the organizations embrace and leverage the strengths of multiple generations at workplace.
Practical implications
Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) teams responsible for nurturing a diverse and inclusive culture at work can design and implement the strategies specified in this paper as per the suitability of their cohort(s) of employees to achieve the benefits of multigenerational workforce in organizations.
Originality/value
Generational diversity at workplace is an important factor toward achieving organizational success. For organizations with age-diverse workforce driving relentlessly toward success, there is a need to design and implement customized strategies and practices for managing multiple generations successfully. This study attempts to address this need by highlighting several organization led strategies to manage multiple generations successfully at workplace.
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Sucharita Maji, Nidhi Yadav and Pranjal Gupta
The inclusion of LGBTQ + persons (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and having other sexual orientations and gender identities) is a crucial step in improving gender…
Abstract
Purpose
The inclusion of LGBTQ + persons (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and having other sexual orientations and gender identities) is a crucial step in improving gender diversity in the workplace; however, till date, it remains a significant challenge for human resource management professionals. The current study critically examines this issue of an inclusive workplace for LGBTQ + people through a systematic review of the existing research that has empirically studied their experiences at the workplace. It also examines the resistance and challenges organizations face in LGBTQ + diversity training and provides future research avenues.
Design/methodology/approach
For systematically reviewing the literature, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) model has been used. A total of 101 empirical studies have been reviewed.
Findings
The result shows that LGBTQ + people encounter multiple negative workplace experiences, including proximal (hiring discrimination and housing discrimination) and distal workplace discrimination (unsafe work climate, microaggressions and harassment). These aversive experiences lead to work stress while also mandating that people manage their sexual identity and style of dressing. This stress, in turn, impacts their work–family outcomes, job satisfaction and decision-making with regard to their careers.
Originality/value
The paper provides a holistic understanding of the aversive workplace experiences encountered by sexual minorities.
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Zhuang Ma, Linpei Song and Jun Huang
This study aims to examine newcomers experiencing maladjustment due to cognitive diversity, specifically, how maladjustment affects their turnover intentions; the mediating role…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine newcomers experiencing maladjustment due to cognitive diversity, specifically, how maladjustment affects their turnover intentions; the mediating role of reported workplace bullying; and the buffering effect of perceived inclusive practices in the hospitality sector.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors collected time-lagged data from 403 respondents and analyzed the data through hierarchical regression analyses using statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) 25.0.
Findings
Role ambiguity, low self-efficacy and social exclusion could each lead to newcomers’ reported workplace bullying (NRB). Perceived inclusive practices buffered the impacts of role ambiguity and social exclusion. NRB negatively mediated the relationships between role ambiguity and NRB; and social exclusion and NRB.
Practical implications
Hospitality practitioners should specify work procedures to minimize role ambiguities and record service processes to correct mistakes, reward veterans who help newcomers improve self-efficacy, invite newcomers to develop inclusive practices and review employee comments on third-party platforms to understand factors responsible for turnover intention.
Originality/value
This study contextualized cognitive diversity into newcomers’ maladjustment-bullying-turnover model in China’s hospitality industry. It highlighted the buffering effect of perceived inclusive practices in the relationships between maladjustment and reported bullying and turnover intentions among newcomers and confirmed the important role of self-efficacy in addressing adverse work events.
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Ferdinando Paolo Santarpia, Valentina Sommovigo and Laura Borgogni
Drawing on Shore and colleagues' model of inclusive workplaces (2018) and the perceptions of social context framework (Borgogni et al., 2010), this study aims to develop and…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on Shore and colleagues' model of inclusive workplaces (2018) and the perceptions of social context framework (Borgogni et al., 2010), this study aims to develop and provide a preliminary validation of the Social Drivers of Inclusive Workplaces (SDIW) scale.
Design/methodology/approach
Using inductive and deductive approaches, items were developed. The resulting pool of 28 items was administrated to 1,244 employees using an anonymous online survey. The factor structure of the SDIW scale was tested through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Reliabilities were estimated. Alternative models were tested through CFAs. Nomological validity and measurement invariance across gender were explored.
Findings
The EFA revealed a three-factor structure, including inclusive colleagues, supervisors and top management. This solution was confirmed by the CFA and outperformed all alternative models, showing good reliabilities. Measurement invariance across gender was confirmed. Correlations indicated that the SDIW total score and each dimension were positively associated with belongingness needs satisfaction and affective commitment, while negatively related to interpersonal strain, negative acts and turnover intention.
Practical implications
This study provides practitioners with a reliable tool to map social drivers of inclusion within workplaces in order to design tailored interventions.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the inclusion literature, as it is the first to provide a scale that simultaneously measures employees' perceptions of inclusive behaviours enacted by the three main social actors within the workplace.
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With the rising concern for employment equity, accompanied by the potential for social media backlash and boycotts of company brands, products, and services, organisations are…
Abstract
With the rising concern for employment equity, accompanied by the potential for social media backlash and boycotts of company brands, products, and services, organisations are focussing on equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in the workplace. They develop programmes and initiatives and allocate resources to these efforts. While there has been some progress, companies have also faced challenges that stymied the effectiveness of those programmes and the intended outcomes for their organisations. Based on in-depth interviews with 28 employees of organisations in various industries, this chapter identifies challenges at three levels based on employee perceptions. The findings categorise these challenges at the individual employee (micro) level, the organisational (meso) level and the national (macro) level. Furthermore, the findings suggest steps to remove some of those challenges, or at least minimise their negative impact on organisational EDI policies and practices.
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Terence Chia and Andrew R. Timming
Diversity and inclusion initiatives are normally centred on legally protected traits such as race and gender. As the legal framework expands to ensure that underrepresented…
Abstract
Diversity and inclusion initiatives are normally centred on legally protected traits such as race and gender. As the legal framework expands to ensure that underrepresented workers are protected, there exists a subset of the workforce who have diversity characteristics that are legally unprotected. For example, individuals who have visible tattoos can face employment discrimination when they are looking for work or looking to progress their careers. To add to the challenge, the perception of stigma is fluid and expectations related to the appearance of employees are determined by managers' perceptions of consumers' preferences. Drawing theoretically from self-categorisation theory and information processing theory, we discuss how the creation of a marketing and brand proposition framework can help to build an organisational identity that can benefit consumers and the organisation simultaneously. We also discuss the practical implications and strategies that organisations can consider to reduce such workplace discrimination.
Muhammad Ali, Mirit K. Grabarski and Marzena Baker
Neurodiversity refers to a spectrum of neurological differences. Little is known about the benefits and challenges of employing neurodivergent individuals in the retail industry…
Abstract
Purpose
Neurodiversity refers to a spectrum of neurological differences. Little is known about the benefits and challenges of employing neurodivergent individuals in the retail industry and how knowing neurodivergent individuals/neurodiversity practices are linked to benefits/challenges. This study provides these insights using the lenses of the value-in-diversity perspective, stigma theory and intergroup contact theory.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from an online survey of retail supervisors and co-workers from Australia, resulting in 502 responses from various retail organizations.
Findings
The findings indicate that supervisors have higher awareness of neurodiversity and perceived benefits of neurodivergent employees. Knowing neurodivergents was positively associated with perceived benefits and disclosure challenges and negatively associated with equity and inclusion challenges. Neurodiversity practices were positively associated with benefits of neurodivergent employees, negatively associated with disclosure challenges and equity and inclusion challenges in small stores, and positively associated with equity and inclusion challenges in large stores.
Originality/value
Current empirical research on workplace neurodiversity is scarce. This study provides pioneering evidence for awareness of workplace neurodiversity in the retail industry and the impact of knowing neurodivergent employees/neurodiversity practices on benefits and challenges. It differentiates between supervisors' and co-workers’ perceptions, highlighting the importance of exposure to information in reducing stigma.
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