Beyond Inclusion: Examining the Role of HRM Practices in Government Agencies

Recently, there has been a significant shift toward equality, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace, particularly for LGBTQI+ employees in several countries. However, research addressing this issue within public administration, specifically concerning HRM practices in public service organizations, remains relatively scarce. Drawing on social identity theory (SIT), our study aims to fill this gap by examining the relationship between HRM practices and job satisfaction and engagement of LGBTQI+ employees in government agencies, with a focus on perceived supervisory support. We analyzed two waves of data collected from 268 LGBTQI+ federal employees working in US government agencies. Our findings reveal that HRM practices directly impact job satisfaction and engagement of LGBTQI+ employees. Additionally, perceived supervisory support was identified as a mediator in these relationships. This article addresses the critical issues of equality, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace and provides insights for designing more effective HRM practices to tackle these challenges.