Does keeping promises enhance employer brand attractiveness? The case of D&I policies within MAAMA

Purpose This study aims to investigate how the credibility of Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) commitments is constructed and verified within organizations. It challenges the communicative assumptions of corporate social responsibility (CSR)-fit and signaling theory by examining how employees experience and evaluate the alignment between proclaimed inclusion values and everyday organizational realities, and how this experiential congruence shapes employer brand attractiveness in Microsoft, Apple, Alphabet, Meta, Amazon firms (MAAMA). Design/methodology/approach A qualitative netnographic approach was adopted. The dataset comprises 1,281 Glassdoor reviews (2009–2024) from employees of MAAMA companies, complemented by environmental, social and governance reports. Analyses were performed using Iramuteq, employing hierarchical classification, concordance, and factor analysis. Findings The analysis reveals a dual dynamic. Employees express pride and attachment when inclusion commitments align with everyday realities but experience frustration when discourse is perceived as performative or imposed. This ambivalence highlights that credibility is not derived from messaging coherence but from how inclusion is enacted, verified, and co-owned by employees. Originality/value The study advances theory by reframing CSR-fit as Inclusion-fit, emphasizing experiential rather than reputational congruence, and by identifying three credibility-enhancing mechanisms – consistency, transparency, and co-design – that sustain authenticity under moral scrutiny. It contributes to employer branding research by showing that brand attractiveness depends on employees' ability to verify, not just receive, inclusion messages.