Patrick F. McKay

Engaging the Aging Workforce: The Relationship Between Perceived Age Similarity, Satisfaction With Coworkers, and Employee Engagement

Business publications and the popular press have stressed the importance of creating conditions for meaningful employee expression in work roles, also known as engagement. Few empirical studies, however, have examined how individual or situational factors relate to engagement. Consequently, this study examines the interplay between employee age, perceived coworker age composition, and satisfaction with older (older than 55) and younger (younger than 40) coworkers on engagement using a sample of 901 individuals employed in the United Kingdom. Results indicated that satisfaction with ones coworkers related significantly to engagement. Moreover, perceived age similarity was associated with higher levels of engagement among older workers when they were highly satisfied with their coworkers over 55 and lower levels of engagement when they were not.

When and how is job embeddedness predictive of turnover? a meta-analytic investigation.

The present meta-analytic study introduces an overall model of the relationships between job embeddedness and turnover outcomes. Drawing on 65 independent samples (N = 42,907), we found that on-the-job and off-the-job embeddedness negatively related to turnover intentions and actual turnover, after controlling for job satisfaction, affective commitment, and job alternatives. In addition, the negative relationships between on-the-job embeddedness (off-the-job embeddedness) and turnover criteria were stronger in female-dominated samples and public organizations (collectivistic countries). Finally, turnover intentions, job search behavior, and job performance fully (partially) mediated the effect of on-the-job embeddedness (off-the-job embeddedness) on actual turnover. The research and practical implications of our findings are noted, in light of study limitations and future research needs.

What Are the Odds? How Demographic Similarity Affects the Prevalence of Perceived Employment Discrimination

Because research is needed to identify the conditions that facilitate or impede the prevalence of perceived workplace discrimination, the authors examined the effects of demographics and demographic similarity on the prevalence of sex- and race/ethnicity-based perceived workplace discrimination. Results from a national survey of 763 full-time, United States employees show perceived sex-based discrimination at work was more prevalent among female than male employees, and perceived race-based discrimination at work was more prevalent among Black and Hispanic than White employees. Additionally, perceived racial/ethnic discrimination was less prevalent among those with same-race/ethnicity supervisors. The effect of employee-coworker sex similarity on perceived sex discrimination was significant only for women, and the effects of supervisor-subordinate racial similarity on the prevalence of perceived racial discrimination varied between Black and White respondents, depending on employee-residential-community racial similarity.

A Reexamination of Black-White Mean Differences in Work Performance: More Data, More Moderators

This study is the largest meta-analysis to date of Black-White mean differences in work performance. The authors examined several moderators not addressed in previous research. Findings indicate that mean racial differences in performance favor Whites (d = 0.27). Effect sizes were most strongly moderated by criterion type and the cognitive loading of criteria, whereas data source and measurement level were influential moderators to a lesser extent. Greater mean differences were found for highly cognitively loaded criteria, data reported in unpublished sources, and for performance measures consisting of multiple item scales. On the basis of these findings, the authors hypothesize several potential determinants of mean racial differences in job performance.

Does Diversity Climate Lead to Customer Satisfaction? It Depends on the Service Climate and Business Unit Demography

Extending insights from Coxs interactional model of cultural diversity [Cox, T. H., Jr. 1994. Cultural Diversity in Organizations: Theory, Research and Practice. Berett-Koehler, San Francisco], we examine the influence of diversity climate on customer satisfaction, a key business-unit outcome. In addition, we explore service climate and minority and female representations as boundary conditions of the diversity climate--customer satisfaction relationship. Utilizing longitudinal data from 59,592 employees and 1.2 million customers of 769 store units of a large U.S. national retail organization, the results reveal that, as hypothesized, diversity climate is positively and significantly related to customer satisfaction measured a year later. Moreover, the diversity climate--customer satisfaction relationship is most strongly positive in predominately minority, highly pro-service store units, whereas female representation exhibits null moderating effects. These findings have important research and practical implications.

Warning! Diversity Recruitment Could Backfire

Many companies have adopted diversity recruitment initiatives to garner the interest of minority job applicants. The implicit message in these initiatives is that firms maintain supportive diversity climates. Minority job applicants that are subsequently hired may believe that the recruitment tactics used to entice them were misleading if actual work-place diversity climates are unfavorable. This article utilizes the person-organization fit, realistic job preview, and psychological contract literatures to illustrate how common diversity recruitment practices may contribute to increased turnover among new minority hires. Several suggestions are presented for strengthening the link between diversity recruitment and minority employee retention.

Responding to the Challenge of a Changing Workforce: Recruiting Nontraditional Demographic Groups

As a result of a shortage of qualified applicants and the changing nature of the demographic composition of the workforce, there has been a recent increase in interest among human resource professionals in the targeting of recruitment efforts toward specific subgroups of the population. Based on the professional literature, this article discusses principles for the recruitment of Older Baby Boomers, Generation Xers, and members of racial and ethnic minority groups.

Diversity Climate in Organizations: Current Wisdom and Domains of Uncertainty

Abstract Over the past decade, the U.S. workforce has become increasingly diverse. In response, scholars and practitioners have sought to uncover ways to leverage this increasing diversity to enhance business performance. To date, research evidence has failed to provide consistent support for the value of diversity to organizational effectiveness. Accordingly, scholars have shifted their attention to diversity management as a means to fully realize the potential benefits of diversity in organizations. The principal aim of this chapter is to review the current wisdom on the study of diversity climate in organizations. Defined as the extent that employees view an organization as utilizing fair personnel practices and socially integrating all personnel into the work environment, diversity climate has been proposed as a catalyst for unlocking the full value of diversity in organizations. During our review, we discuss the existent individual- and aggregate-level research, describe the theoretical foundations of such work, summarize the key research findings and themes gleaned from work in each domain, and note the limitations of diversity climate research. Finally, we highlight the domains of uncertainty regarding diversity climate research, and offer recommendations for future work that can enhance knowledge of diversity climate effects on organizational outcomes.

The role of proximal social contexts: Assessing stigma-by-association effects on leader appraisals

Prior research suggests that segregation in the U.S. workplace is on the rise (Hellerstein, Neumark, & McInerney, 2008); as such, leaders are more likely to lead groups of followers composed primarily of their own race (Elliot & Smith, 2001; Smith & Elliott, 2002). Drawing from theory on stigma-by-association, the authors posit that such segregated proximal social contexts (i.e., the leaders group of followers) can have detrimental effects on leader appraisals. Specifically, they argue that leaders of mostly Black follower groups experience stigmatization based on race stereotypic beliefs, which affects how they are viewed in the eyes of observers. The results of a large field study show performance evaluations generally tend to be lower when the proportion of Black followers is higher. Moreover, 3 experiments demonstrate that the impact of proximal social contexts extends to other outcomes (i.e., perceptions of market value and competency) but appears limited to those who are less internally and externally motivated to control their prejudice. Taken together, these findings explain how workplace segregation systematically can create a particular disadvantage for Black leaders.

The Impact of Store-Unit–Community Racial Diversity Congruence on Store-Unit Sales Performance

We introduce the racial diversity congruence concept to examine how matching levels of racial diversity between store-unit employees and community members relate to store-unit sales performance. In a field study of 220 retail store units, we found evidence supporting social identity theory and information-based perspectives on the racial diversity congruence–sales performance relationship. Specifically, results show that a match between store-unit racial diversity and community racial diversity positively related to store-unit sales performance. In addition, superior store-unit performance emerged when store units and communities had congruent levels of diversity at high (i.e., high-high racial diversity congruence) rather than low (i.e., low-low racial diversity congruence) levels. Moreover, we found asymmetrical incongruence effects whereby racially diverse store units in less-diverse communities outperformed store units with lower levels of racial diversity operating in diverse communities. The implications of our results are discussed in light of study limitations and future research needs.