Publisher
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Place of Publication
Chattanooga (Tenn.)
Abstract
Introduction Neurodiversity (ND) refers to the variation in how 15-20% of individuals experience, think, and work in the world (National Institute of Health, 2022). It includes conditions like autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, tourette syndrome, and sensory processing disorders (CDC, 2022; Hess, 2021). This study examines how neurodiverse individuals, people with disabilities, and neurotypical individuals value inclusive and neurodiverse language in job advertisements. We hypothesized that neurodiverse individuals and individuals with disabilities would place greater importance on inclusive and neurodiverse language in job ads compared to neurotypical individuals. This research seeks to identify ways to create more accessible job postings, potentially improving employment outcomes for ND individuals and enhancing organizational diversity. Method 192 participants completed an online survey that included assessing the importance of inclusive and neurodiverse language in job ads. Participants were categorized into four groups: without disabilities (n=77), with disabilities (n=15), neurodiverse (n=48), and both neurodiverse and with disabilities (n=52). A multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was conducted with group membership as the independent variable, language importance ratings as dependent variables, and age, race, gender, and education as covariates. Post-hoc pairwise comparisons were made to further examine between-group differences. Results The MANCOVA revealed a significant main effect between groups (Pillai's Trace = 0.17696, F(6, 208) = 3.3650, p = 0.003464), indicating overall differences among groups on the combined dependent variables. However, univariate post-hoc tests didn’t show statistically significant differences between groups for either dependent variable. Descriptive statistics revealed that individuals with disabilities reported the highest mean score for importance of inclusive language (M = 2.000, SD = 0.877), while the neurodiversity & disability group reported the highest mean score for weight given to neurodiversity-specific language (M = 3.423, SD = 1.258). Implications These findings have implications for both research and practice, particularly in the areas of recruitment, selection, and the development of EVPs. The results suggest that organizations should consider tailoring their job advertisements and EVPs to include inclusive language that resonates with neurodiverse individuals and those with disabilities. This approach could enhance an organization's ability to attract a diverse talent pool and position itself as an employer of choice. This study is limited due to it’s small sample size, low number of questions, and over-sampling of people with neurodiverse conditions. Overall, more research should be done analyzing how inclusive language may increase the attraction of a job advertisement.
Date
11-9-2024
Subject
Industrial and organizational psychology
Document Type
posters
Language
English
Rights
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Poster
Included in
Neurodiversity in Hiring: Language That Resonates
Introduction Neurodiversity (ND) refers to the variation in how 15-20% of individuals experience, think, and work in the world (National Institute of Health, 2022). It includes conditions like autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, tourette syndrome, and sensory processing disorders (CDC, 2022; Hess, 2021). This study examines how neurodiverse individuals, people with disabilities, and neurotypical individuals value inclusive and neurodiverse language in job advertisements. We hypothesized that neurodiverse individuals and individuals with disabilities would place greater importance on inclusive and neurodiverse language in job ads compared to neurotypical individuals. This research seeks to identify ways to create more accessible job postings, potentially improving employment outcomes for ND individuals and enhancing organizational diversity. Method 192 participants completed an online survey that included assessing the importance of inclusive and neurodiverse language in job ads. Participants were categorized into four groups: without disabilities (n=77), with disabilities (n=15), neurodiverse (n=48), and both neurodiverse and with disabilities (n=52). A multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was conducted with group membership as the independent variable, language importance ratings as dependent variables, and age, race, gender, and education as covariates. Post-hoc pairwise comparisons were made to further examine between-group differences. Results The MANCOVA revealed a significant main effect between groups (Pillai's Trace = 0.17696, F(6, 208) = 3.3650, p = 0.003464), indicating overall differences among groups on the combined dependent variables. However, univariate post-hoc tests didn’t show statistically significant differences between groups for either dependent variable. Descriptive statistics revealed that individuals with disabilities reported the highest mean score for importance of inclusive language (M = 2.000, SD = 0.877), while the neurodiversity & disability group reported the highest mean score for weight given to neurodiversity-specific language (M = 3.423, SD = 1.258). Implications These findings have implications for both research and practice, particularly in the areas of recruitment, selection, and the development of EVPs. The results suggest that organizations should consider tailoring their job advertisements and EVPs to include inclusive language that resonates with neurodiverse individuals and those with disabilities. This approach could enhance an organization's ability to attract a diverse talent pool and position itself as an employer of choice. This study is limited due to it’s small sample size, low number of questions, and over-sampling of people with neurodiverse conditions. Overall, more research should be done analyzing how inclusive language may increase the attraction of a job advertisement.
Department
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Dept. of Psychology