A Warm Welcome or A Cold Connotation? Welcoming Language Reduces Anticipated Belonging
The Department of Sociology is excited to host Dr. Sonia Kang on March 4 for our 2024-25 Distinguished Speaker Series.
Dr. Kang, Professor of Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management at the University of Toronto, will present a lecture titled “A Warm Welcome or A Cold Connotation? Welcoming Language Reduces Anticipated Belonging.”
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ABSTRACT
Dr. Sonia Kang
Many organizations attempt to signal an inclusive workplace culture via linguistic nuance in their recruitment and selection materials. For instance, many organizations state that they “welcome” applications from members of underrepresented groups. Little is known about how this common practice shapes job seekers’ perceptions.
We theorize that, while well-intentioned, welcoming language sends a counter-productive message to the very people it aims to attract. Here, we first examine the prevalence and features of various types of diversity recruitment language in a sample of 914 job postings in the United States and Canada (Study 1a), and 410 corporate diversity statements from Fortune 500 companies (Study 1b). Our archival study reveals that welcoming language (e.g., “all employees are welcome regardless of race, nationality, colour, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability or age”) is commonly used to target underrepresented groups, and is significantly more prevalent than belonging language (e.g., “we are committed to fostering an environment where belonging thrives, and diversity, inclusion, and equity are infused into everything we do”).
Next, we deductively test the appeal of welcoming language with a series of pre-registered online experiments in the context of gender inclusion in STEM. In Study 2a, female participants (N = 200) indicated being more likely to apply to job ads with belonging (vs. gender-neutral or welcoming) language. In Study 2b (N = 593), we document a novel mechanism that explains why welcoming (vs. belonging) language decreases anticipated belonging: it is perceived as insincere; this explanation holds even when controlling for social identity threat. In Study 3, we find that both male and female participants (N = 372) who were asked to choose recruitment language that signals genuine inclusion of women preferred belonging language over welcoming language. In Study 4, we find that women (N = 1332) with stronger social dominance orientation and modern sexist attitudes are more inclined to accept an offer for a job that is advertised using welcoming (vs. belonging) language, whereas women with stronger egalitarian orientation and feminist attitudes preferred jobs from organizations using belonging language.
Together, these findings suggest that, despite its positive intent, ubiquitous welcoming language may create sorting mechanisms that inadvertently reinforce existing barriers to diversity and inclusion by appealing to job candidates who are more supportive of the status quo.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Dr. Sonia Kang holds the Canada Research Chair in Identity, Diversity, and Inclusion, and is a Professor of Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management at the University of Toronto, where she is also a Faculty Research Fellow at the Rotman School of Management’s Institute for Gender and the Economy (GATE) and Chief Scientist, Organizations in the Behavioural Economics in Action Research Centre at Rotman (BEAR).
Sonia is also Special Advisor on Anti-Racism & Equity at the University of Toronto Mississauga. Sonia earned a B.Sc. (Hons) in Psychology from the University of Alberta, an M.A. and Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Toronto, and completed a SSHRC Post-Doctoral Fellowship at Northwestern University.
Find out more about Dr. Kang here.
ACCESSIBILITY
We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals to engage fully. To be respectful of those with allergies and environmental sensitivities, we ask that you please refrain from wearing strong fragrances. To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact us through the RSVP form or email us at soci.communications@ubc.ca.
