Gay, lesbian, and bisexual (LGB) individuals comprise the largest minority group among organization workers. However, studies on organizational conduct and policies regarding LGBs are very scarce.
The current quasi-experimental study examined how communication actions supporting diversity of sexual orientation in an organization's social media affect its attractiveness in the eyes of job seekers. The main objective of this research was to examine the impact of diversity-supportive cues in the hypothetical organization's social media on organizational attractiveness, person-organization fit (P-E fit), corporate social responsibility (CSR) perception, and organizational justice perception among heterosexual and LGBs job seekers. It was hypothesized that participants who review a diverse Facebook page (supporting diverse sexual orientation) will express a higher organizational attractiveness, perceived P-E fit, perceived CSR, and organizational justice compared to participants who reviewed a non-diverse page. Additionally, it was hypothesized that the relationship between the page type and organizational attractiveness will be mediated by perceived P-E fit, CSR perception, and organizational justice perception.
The study included 178 participants, half LGBs, with at least one year of work experience in an organization. Participants were asked to examine the Facebook page of one of two identical hypothetical organizations, except for one parameter - one supporting sexual orientation diversity and the other not, and then to answer several questionnaires on organizational attractiveness, P-E fit, CSR perception, and organizational justice perception.
The findings indicate that a diverse page led to higher organizational attractiveness, greater P-E fit, increased perception of corporate social responsibility, and higher organizational justice compared to the non-diverse page. In addition, LGB participants who viewed the diverse page perceived the organization as having higher CSR compared to heterosexual participants. Mediation analysis revealed full mediation, emphasizing the role of perceived fit and perceived social responsibility towards employees in organizational attractiveness.
Theoretical consequences and practical recommendations are discussed