Advertising Measurable Hiring Goals Attracts a More Diverse Pipeline

Final application rates were 5 percent higher for people who read the measurable diversity statement than for those who saw the vague statement, the researchers report.

The boost was particularly strong for White women, who were 10 percent more likely to apply. The application rate for members of underrepresented racial and ethnic groups rose 3 percent.

Prospective applicants might expect organizations that publicly communicate measurable diversity goals to be more likely to follow through on these commitments, the researchers explain. Members of the targeted underrepresented groups may therefore believe they are more likely to receive a job offer from an organization that advertises these goals, which may prompt some job hunters to apply when they might not have otherwise. They could also perceive that the organization genuinely cares about diversity—and might see a pro-diversity environment as a draw.

The measurable statement also made more of a difference for applicants with bachelor’s degrees than for those without. This contradicts any suggestion that communicating measurable diversity goals will attract less qualified marginalized workers, the researchers argue.

Follow-up studies sought to document women’s and racial and ethnic minority groups’ attitudes toward measurable diversity goals in order to understand their reactions. Participants recruited online—close to 1,800 in all—were asked to imagine they were software engineers who were considering applying for jobs at companies that differed primarily along one dimension: the way they communicated their diversity commitments. One company shared a vague, values-driven statement, while the others gave one of three measurable statements. The first was a ratio (hire one woman for every man), the second a representation target (hire 50 percent women), and the third a percentage increase (boost representation of women by 15 percent). The statements were targeted, so that when participants were members of underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, the goals they saw referred to hiring targets for “racial minorities” rather than women. Participants then reported their intentions to apply and their attitudes toward each company.

Both White women and members of underrepresented racial and ethnic groups reported expecting better chances of being hired at companies that communicated measurable diversity goals and viewing these companies as more genuine. Moreover, both anticipated experiencing more belonging at organizations that shared measurable goals expressed as a representation target or percentage increase. This runs counter to prior research, which suggests marginalized candidates hired under diversity goals may be worried about facing stigma as “diversity hires.” Instead, perceiving an organization as more genuinely motivated to diversify may also boost marginalized candidates’ beliefs that they will be socially accepted and supported.

The exception? Ratio goals. While White women’s anticipated belonging was unaffected by these, underrepresented racial and ethnic groups expected significantly less belonging at organizations that communicated a DEI commitment through ratio goals. These might feel like particularly zero-sum goals, increasing concerns about facing alienation, according to the study.

All participants still preferred measurable statements overall, which the researchers take to mean that even if applicants have some concerns about social inclusion, they may value strategic goal setting more. In general, companies that hope to diversify but struggle to attract underrepresented groups might consider publicly communicating measurable goals, the researchers conclude.

Kirgios notes that, in the current environment, some organizations will likely be pursuing DEI goals as much as ever internally but may abstain from communicating these initiatives externally if they are reluctant to garner unwanted attention. “If a company wants to attract a diverse workforce,” University of North Carolina’s Sekou Bermiss says, “there are many avenues to do this that do not run afoul of stated laws or executive orders.”

But Kirgios explains that language communicating concrete goals can be effective because it conveys that an organization has made a real, unwavering commitment to diversity. “As so many organizations pull back their DEI commitments, perhaps suggesting they were ‘cheap talk’ after all, even just a refusal to back down and remove diversity language from websites might become a signal of genuineness,” she says. For companies that are willing to do so, she adds, “communicating concrete, measurable goals should be more effective than ever at attracting marginalized candidates.”