Persuasiveness of inclusive language in organizational communication
Persuasiveness of inclusive language in organizational communication

Summary/Abstract: The study hypothesized that employees better receive messages containing inclusive forms. A review of the existing literature on inclusive languageand its impact on employee well-being and organizational innovation was conducted. As studies from around the world show, inclusive language can:enhance the sense of belonging to an organization, provide a sense of security, and increase engagement. Inclusive language can lead to higher levels ofemployee creativity and innovation, and also reduce the likelihood of burnout. In our study, we examined whether inclusive language is understandableand whether it can influence the perception of the organization and employee engagement. To this end, we tested three versions of a message: exclusive,non-inclusive, and inclusive – on a sample of 1375 working individuals using the Computer-Assisted Web Interview (CAWI) method in collaborationwith IPSOS. Contrary to popular belief, inclusive language was not perceived as more difficult to understand. However, it did influence the assessmentof the organization's friendliness. The study indicates that inclusive language can be a valuable asset for organizations.

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