Come Work With Us: Inclusivity, Performance, Engagement, and Job Satisfaction as Correlates of Employer Recommendation

Abstract: Employee referral is a critical component of talent acquisition. Yet, its underlying correlates remain understudied. Using three years of annual surveys of US public employees ( n2019 = 1,133, n2020 = 1,190, n2021 = 1,330), the results showed that perceptions of workplace inclusion culture and leadership performance orientation were positively associated with employee engagement, which, in turn, was associated with job satisfaction. Engagement and job satisfaction were positively associated with employer recommendation, sequentially linking the conceptual indirect effects of inclusion culture and performance orientation on willingness to recommend one’s workplace. Utilizing even short employee surveys may yield notable insights for administration to model employee referral and recommendation intentions.