Abstract
While past research has shown that diverse demographic characteristics (e.g., race/ethnicity, gender, and age) may contribute to variability in organizational experiences, much of the research in our field has treated organizational theories and processes as though they function the same for everyone, a belief that Avery and Volpone refer to as the universality assumption (2020). This symposium seeks to push past this universality assumption by highlighting research that explores demographic-based differences in organizational experiences. Across four studies, the papers in our symposium highlight the impact of individual demographic characteristics (race/ethnicity, gender, class, and family status) on outcomes such as belonging, well-being, career advancement and discrimination. Furthermore, we find that organizational policies and practices as well as broader social structures may contribute to observable demographic-based differences in employees’ organizational experiences. Together the studies in this symposium explore how, by understanding the impact of diverse demographic characteristics on employees’ organizational experiences, research in our field as well as organizations themselves may become more inclusive.