Same same but different? Representing diversity on organizational websites in Brazil

Changes in workforce demographics have contributed to the increase in discussions regarding diversity and organizations have responded by developing initiatives that address the needs of a diverse workforce. In Brazil, firms´ diversity efforts have been somewhat timid when compared to other regions of the world such as the United States and Europe. Research shows that Brazilian organizations tend to focus mostly on policies and practices that are required by federal law, despite the existence of a very diverse population. Statistics show a significant increase in the participation of women in the workforce as well as in their role as heads of households. Still, in practice, massive inequalities abound. The present research addresses the diversity discourse utilized by firms operating in Brazil, particularly with regard to gender and work-family issues by contrasting the approach utilized by local companies with that of multinationals. Since organizations use their websites as public relations tools to communicate to stakeholders the organization´s values that are supported by the firm and its leaders, we expect to find nuances in the discourses that are impacted by national context. Similar studies have been conducted in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe and results have indicated that organizations tend to steer the meaning of diversity towards their particular interests. Multinationals, for example, often adapt their discourse for commercial interest – such as attracting talent – and for legislative purposes that vary from country to country. The research focuses on domestic and foreign organizations operating in Brazil that fall under the medium (100 to 499 employees) and large categories (500 employees and above). The organizations have been selected based on their status as a diversity-supportive company according to the Best Places to Work list (published in Brazil) and the Top Global Diversity list. Hence, we expect these companies to be diversity-friendly and work-family-friendly, which allows the researchers to focus on the organizational discourse. As a result, in addition to determining the extent to which organizations address diversity on their website, we expect to examine the diversity dimensions that are emphasized online by local and multinational companies as well as the types of policies and programs that are salient. Some of the data collected includes the mentioning of diversity, the depth of discussion, the description of initiatives, the way certain dimensions are emphasized or not and whether work-life and work-family issues are included in the diversity message. The analysis also hopes to delve deeper into the conceptualization of diversity and whether it is focused on those who are different (non-white-male) or inclusive of all. This study is part of a wider research project and it is still in progress. Findings and recommendations for researchers and practitioners will be available in time for the WFRN Conference in June.