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

Aaron D. Nichols (), Jordan Axt (), Evelyn Gosnell and Dan Ariely
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Aaron D. Nichols: Boston University
Jordan Axt: McGill University
Evelyn Gosnell: Irrational Labs
Dan Ariely: Duke University

Nature Human Behaviour, 2023, vol. 7, issue 12, 2212-2227

Abstract: 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.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41562-023-01731-5

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