PurposeThe goal of the present research is to investigate the association between observing consensual sexual behavior at work (e.g. flirting, joking) and job outcomes – specifically, job satisfaction and turnover intentions.Design/methodology/approachQuestionnaires were administered about observed consensual sexual behavior and job attitudes in two separate studies of working adults. Participants in Study 1 were 113 workers from 33 workplaces in the Midwestern USA; participants in Study 2 were 242 adults working in a variety of industries.FindingsIn support of the hypotheses, results from Study 1 indicated that employees who observed more sexual behavior at work reported lower job satisfaction. Study 2 replicated this result, but only for female employees. Observed sexual behavior at work was positively related to turnover intentions for both genders.Research limitations/implicationsIn both studies, the research design was cross‐sectional, which prohibits causal inferences about the data. Second, it was not possible to assess whether the observed sexual behavior occurred between friendly peers, married coworkers, or coworkers married to other people – thus it is unclear how this factor is related to employee reactions.Practical implicationsHuman resource managers should consider formulating policies regarding consensual sexual behavior at work to guide managers in handling potentially difficult situations, such as romantic relationships between peers.Originality/valueThis research is the first to explicitly link consensual sexual behavior at work with two specific job attitudes: job satisfaction and turnover intentions.

We conducted 2 Web‐based survey studies to examine factors associated with the incidence of workplace romance. In Study 1, results based on data collected from 197 employees indicate that their degrees of perceived workplace sexualization and task interdependence were related to their observations of workplace romance. In addition, employees were most likely to report participating in a workplace romance when workplace sexualization and male–female social contact were high. In Study 2, results based on data collected from 80 employees indicate that their degrees of perceived workplace sexualization was related to their observations of workplace romance. Taken together, the results of the 2 studies suggest that work context is associated with the incidence of workplace romance.

The purpose of the current research was to evaluate how gender stereotypes and sexist attitudes affect responses to hypothetical job applicants. In Study 1 (N=93) undergraduate and graduate students in the Southwestern USA evaluated a male, female, or gender-ambiguous resume. They also completed the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (ASI; Glick and Fiske 1996). Hypotheses were tested using ANOVA. Results suggested that participants who expressed more hostile sexist attitudes evaluated the gender-ambiguous applicant more negatively than a male or female applicant. In Study 2 (N=117), graduate and undergraduate participants were asked to indicate the gender of the ambiguous applicant. Those who scored high on hostile sexism, and perceived a gender-ambiguous applicant to be male, provided the most favorable evaluations.

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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide a summary of the current research on gender and diversity related topics presented at the 22nd Annual Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology Conference.Design/methodology/approachThe Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP), a division of the American Psychological Association, seeks to “enhance human well being and performance in organizational and work settings by promoting the science, practice, and teaching of industrial‐organizational psychology”. There were 22 posters and 13 symposia pertaining to gender and diversity issues presented at the 2007 conference. An overview of these papers is provided.FindingsResearch findings indicate that although there has been progress, women still face barriers in their organizations. In addition, research on race related issues continues to indicate that perceptions of discrimination impact employee attitudes.Originality/valueThe 2007 SIOP Conference continues to provide researchers and practitioners insight into the latest findings on diversity related topics. This year's conferences expanded diversity research beyond race and gender to further enhance knowledge on topics such as, religion, sexual orientation, and methodological issues.