Do Jobseekers Value Diversity Information? Evidence from a Field Experiment and Human Capital Disclosures | Harvard Business School |

Talent Acquisition
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Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) remain a top priority for many organizations. As pointed out in my one-page summary on 2023 talent priorities according to seven sources, several sources identified DEI as a priority. However, making meaningful progress in DEI requires organizations to not only prioritize it, but also to implement practices that have an impact. To help practitioners identify which research-supported practices enable DEI, I have shared several resources, including a 1) 61-page DEI report by World Economic Forum that provides five success factors common across DEI efforts, 2)  a 50-page report by the Center for Employment Equity with six chapters (each addressing a particular DEI topic), and 3) a 62-page report by the Wharton School of Business that examines the relationship between seven categories of DEI practices and twelve workplace outcomes (e.g., burnout). To add to this list of research-based practices, this 64-page Harvard Business School paper investigates the question: how does information about the diversity of a potential employer’s workforce affect individuals’ job-seeking behavior? Results show that disclosing diversity information (e.g., a diversity score) in job postings increases the click-through rates of jobseekers. Other findings are discussed. Organizations can use these four research-based resources to determine which practices have the greatest impact on DEI.