TY - JOUR
T1 - Being different at work
T2 - How gender dissimilarity relates to social inclusion and absenteeism
AU - Jansen, Wiebren S.
AU - Otten, Sabine
AU - van der Zee, K.I.
PY - 2017/11
Y1 - 2017/11
N2 - We investigated how and when gender dissimilarity relates to two highly important individual work outcomes: social inclusion and absenteeism. We collected survey data among 397 employees from a university of applied sciences and combined these with data from the organization’s personnel administration. Our results indicate that dissimilarity was negatively related to perceived work group inclusion. In addition, this negative effect was stronger when the group was perceived to have a negative diversity climate. Finally, there was a conditional indirect effect of gender dissimilarity on absenteeism through inclusion. That is, being different from other group members in terms of gender was associated with higher absenteeism through lower levels of perceived inclusion, but only when the group was perceived to have a negative diversity climate. Together, the present research demonstrates that sometimes being different is associated with more absences and underlines the importance of establishing a positive climate for gender diversity.
AB - We investigated how and when gender dissimilarity relates to two highly important individual work outcomes: social inclusion and absenteeism. We collected survey data among 397 employees from a university of applied sciences and combined these with data from the organization’s personnel administration. Our results indicate that dissimilarity was negatively related to perceived work group inclusion. In addition, this negative effect was stronger when the group was perceived to have a negative diversity climate. Finally, there was a conditional indirect effect of gender dissimilarity on absenteeism through inclusion. That is, being different from other group members in terms of gender was associated with higher absenteeism through lower levels of perceived inclusion, but only when the group was perceived to have a negative diversity climate. Together, the present research demonstrates that sometimes being different is associated with more absences and underlines the importance of establishing a positive climate for gender diversity.
KW - absenteeism
KW - diversity climate
KW - gender dissimilarity
KW - gender diversity
KW - inclusion
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85030116252&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85030116252&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/1368430215625783
DO - 10.1177/1368430215625783
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85030116252
SN - 1368-4302
VL - 20
SP - 879
EP - 893
JO - Group Processes and Intergroup Relations
JF - Group Processes and Intergroup Relations
IS - 6
ER -