Objective policies, subjective realities Organizational determinants of workplace inclusion in hiring

In this dissertation, I examine organizational hiring policies and the perception thereof as important elements of the organizational context of workplace inclusion. I build on the idea that inclusion is shaped not only by actual discrimination in resource distribution but also by employees' perceptions of both the processes and outcomes of that distribution. Grounded in the premise that organizations function as critical sites where inequality is created, maintained, or challenged, I investigate how organizational policies affect workplace inclusion with particular focus on hiring, the gateway through which employees enter organizations and access valued resources. Across four empirical chapters drawing on field experimental data from the UK and original conjoint data and survey data from the Netherlands, I conclude that creating truly inclusive workplaces requires not merely implementing policies but ensuring those policies are known, understood, perceived as legitimate, and designed to balance fairness with feasibility. The dissertation contributes a multidimensional framework for understanding how objective resource distribution, perceived legitimacy of organizational efforts, and subjective experiences of the resource distribution collectively constitute workplace inclusion. Ultimately, this work demonstrates that workplace inclusion cannot be achieved through broad diversity mandates, but rather through carefully designed policies that address the organizational context of discrimination, and employees’ and hiring managers’ understanding and interpretation thereof.