Central European Business Review 2023, 12(4):105-122 | DOI: 10.18267/j.cebr.334

Influence of Inclusive Work Environment and Perceived Diversity on Job Satisfaction: Evidence from Poland

Jolanta Maj ORCID...¹

¹ Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Management, Department of Management Systems and Organizational Development, Wroclaw, Poland, Jolanta.maj@pwr.edu.pl

Organizations are increasingly operating with a multicultural and diverse workforce. Researchers and practitioners have recognized that diversity is a double-edged sword and can result in many significant benefits but can also present challenges in organizations. Therefore, the goal of the paper is to analyse the influence of perceived diversity, a perceived inclusive organizational culture and an inclusive diversity paradigm on employee job satisfaction. In order to analyse the research problem, a quantitative approach was chosen. The research was conducted on a representative sample (n = 1 035) of Poles using a research panel. The data analysis showed a statistically significant, positive correlation between perceived diversity and job satisfaction, as well as a statistically significant, positive correlation between an inclusive work environment (defined as an inclusive organizational culture and an inclusive diversity paradigm) and job satisfaction. The paper broadens our understanding of the role of diversity and inclusion for job-related attitudes. It shows managers that developing an inclusive, diverse workplace can have an influence on job satisfaction. The paper contributes to research into diversity, inclusion and job satisfaction by addressing diversity, an inclusive work environment and its consequences for an organization from the perspective of the employees and their perception of the analysed issues.
Implications for Central European audience: Central European countries are rather homogenous in terms of socio-demographic diversity dimensions, especially in comparison to the US and Western European context, where the vast majority of diversity and inclusion research has been conducted. When analysing employee attitudes, it may be important to look not only at objective variables but turn towards their perception by the employees, who in this case are raised in the homogenous Polish society. Thus, the paper contributes to the literature by presenting a CEE context and gives managers operating in this region insight into how diversity and inclusion affect job satisfaction.

Keywords: inclusion; inclusive work environment; diversity; perceived diversity; job satisfaction

JEL classification: D23, M12, M14

Received: October 15, 2022; Revised: February 8, 2023; Accepted: February 9, 2023; Prepublished online: June 5, 2023; Published: September 29, 2023  Show citation