The antecedents, outcomes and mediating role of inclusion at work

PurposeThe current study heeds prior calls to test the hypothesis that perceptions of inclusion mediate the relationship between inclusive practices and employee outcomes.Design/methodology/approachUsing responses from 3,367 employees drawn from three time-separated surveys administered between 2020 and 2022 within a large retail fashion chain, structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted to examine the mediating role of perceptions of inclusion connecting inclusion's antecedents and outcomes. Exploratory multigroup SEM and relative weights analysis was conducted to examine the relative contribution of each antecedent of perceptions of inclusion across racial/ethnic groups.FindingsWe identified manager support, career support, organizational support, transparency, and employee recognition as antecedents of perceptions of inclusion, as well as work engagement, organizational commitment, and intent to stay as outcomes of perceptions of inclusion. Recognition indirectly relates to employee outcomes via perceptions of inclusion, but we did not find evidence of mediation for the other antecedents. Exploratory analyses suggest that career support and employee recognition are the most predictive antecedents of perceptions of inclusion overall. However, there are racial/ethnic group differences regarding which inclusive practices most contribute to perceptions of inclusion.Originality/valueResults uncover several directions for future research and suggest that to truly make employees feel both included and unique at work, organizations should focus on supporting employees' career development goals and recognizing their valuable contributions.