Recruiting for high reliability: attracting safety-minded applicants through language on company webpages

ABSTRACT Objective Job candidates are attracted to companies where they see their values fit in based on clues from recruitment materials. Safety-critical companies may aim to attract safety-minded applicants, through signals indicating that the organisation prioritises safety. Research shows that language related to safety outcomes (versus other outcomes) in recruitment materials can inform the preferences of safety-minded applicants. Rooted in theorising that high reliability organisations (HROs) are highly safety-focused and have low masculinity values, this study investigates the extent to which the relationship between company attractiveness and safety-focused and femininity-focused language used to describe the company, is moderated by potential applicants’ safety attitudes. Method In a within-subjects vignette study, participants (N = 197) rated the attractiveness of four fictitious companies, based on company webpages, and reported on their individual safety attitudes. Results Participants with higher safety attitudes rated companies as more attractive when language used in company descriptions focused on safety (and not business). This effect was amplified when the company description also emphasised low masculinity (i.e., feminine) values. Conclusions To attract applicants with higher safety attitudes, companies may benefit from using language that is focused on femininity, in addition to safety. KEY POINTS What is already known about this topic: (1) Language in recruitment materials can be used to convey informational signals about organisational values. (2) Person-organisation fit (P-O fit) is the compatibility between people and companies when they share similar fundamental characteristics; P-O fit predicts applicant attraction. (3) Using safety-focused language appears to be attractive for applicants who are more safety-minded. What this topic adds: (1) Further evidence that safety-focused language in company descriptions would be attractive to safety-minded applicants. (2) Femininity-focused language is also attractive to safety minded applicants. (3) Femininity- and safety-focused language work together in attracting safety-minded applicants.