A classification of human resource management bundles for the inclusion of vulnerable workers.
Amber Kersten, Marianne van Woerkom, Goedele Geuskens and 1 others
PMID 38217565WHAT IT FOUND
Inclusive employers use six distinct HRM bundles.
Extensive bundles help larger firms hire diverse vulnerable groups. Smaller firms with focused or passive approaches still successfully hire specific groups, including those with cognitive disabilities or migration backgrounds. No single approach is necessary for inclusion.
Key findings
01Latent class analysis identified six distinct HRM bundles ranging from extensive practices to passive approaches.
02Extensive HRM bundles were more common among larger organizations and correlated with hiring a wider scope of vulnerable groups.
03Smaller organizations with narrow or passive HRM approaches showed a significantly higher chance to hire specific vulnerable worker groups compared to organizations with extensive bundles.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study is cross-sectional, so it cannot establish causality between HRM bundles and hiring outcomes. The data is from the Netherlands in 2019, limiting generalizability to other countries or time periods. The study measured hiring only, not the long-term retention or sustainable employment of the vulnerable workers. The list of HRM practices assessed may not be exhaustive of all inclusive strategies.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the 'Passive HR' bundle as evidence that doing nothing leads to inclusion. These employers still applied some practices or relied on informal mechanisms, and the study only measured hiring, not whether those workers were retained or supported effectively over time.