The benefits of inclusive organizational behavior: Why diversity climate improves mental health and retention among women during a crisis.聽
The sudden proliferation of virtual work and isolation during the COVID鈥19 pandemic has resulted in mental health concerns and increased workplace exits, particularly for women. We examine how inclusive organizational behavior in the form of a positive diversity climate impacts stereotype threat, anxiety, and turnover intentions. Across two studies, we find support for the relationship between diversity climate and stereotype threat for women which relates to anxiety and turnover intentions. Capitalizing on a naturalistic experiment created by COVID鈥19, we find women report significant increases in anxiety and turnover intentions after the initial stay鈥恆t鈥恏ome orders. We explore the impact to mental health further and find that women working in an organization with a low diversity climate exhibited symptoms that increased to severe levels of anxiety (based on validated clinical cut鈥恛ffs) after the initial stay鈥恆t鈥恏ome orders. In contrast, women working in a more positive diversity climate did not experience as drastic an increase in anxiety. We interpret these findings through the lens of the job demands鈥搑esources model; as a critical job resource, diversity climate reduces gender鈥恠pecific job demands for women (i.e., stereotype threat), providing them the ability to cope when they are faced with unforeseen job demands.
Lacerenza, Christina N.; Johnson, Stefanie K.; Lambert, Brittany; Van Wagoner, H. Phoenix. The benefits of inclusive organizational behavior: Why diversity climate improves mental health and retention among women during a crisis. Journal of Organizational Behavior (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.). Nov2024, Vol. 45 Issue 9, p1344-1363.