SEIN Research
Critical approaches to diversity (management)
Our research critically examines mainstream diversity management practices, questioning their effectiveness in addressing structural inequalities and power asymmetries in organisations. We engage with alternative, critical diversity perspectives that move beyond instrumental approaches, focusing on intersectionality, resistance, and the politics of inclusion. The entire research group integrates a critical diversity management approach across their different strands of work.
Some publications include:
- Zanoni, P., & Van Laer, K. (2024). Critical diversity studies. In Encyclopedia of Equality, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (pp. 37-42). Edward Elgar Publishing.
Sustainable Human Resource Management and Employment
This research area focuses on sustainable approaches to human resource management and employment, with particular attention to workplace well-being. Our work examines work-life balance, employee well-being, and the concept of "workable work." We explore how sustainable HRM practices can foster long-term, inclusive employment structures. Prof. Dr. Koen Van Laer researches employee well-being and burnout, providing insights into how workplace environments impact mental health. Tim Gielens focuses on sustainable approaches to human resource management, while Laura Engels works on sustainable employment strategies for people distant from the labour market.
Some publications include:
- Cretskens, I., Ramaekers, K., Caris, A., & Van Laer, K. (2024). Leadership Impact on Employee Well-being: The Order Picker’s Voice. IFAC-PapersOnLine, 58(19), 718-723.
- Scholz, F., & Van Laer, K. (2023). 18 Burnout From an Extended Social Model Perspective: Lived Experiences of Burnout, Lasting Burnout Effects and Returning to Work. De Gruyter Handbook of Disability and Management, 305.
Race, Ethnicity & Migrant Workers
This research area explores how race, ethnicity, and migration shape labour market experiences, workplace inclusion, and employment inequalities. We examine the systemic challenges migrant and racialised workers face, including discrimination, precarity, and barriers to career advancement, while also considering strategies for fostering equitable employment practices. Our work contributes to critical debates on racial capitalism, migration regimes, and structural inequalities in labour markets. Prof. Dr. Koen Van Laer investigates these topics through a critical diversity and inclusion lens, focusing on power dynamics in organisations. PhD candidate Charlotte Vermeijen examines these issues through the lens of racial capitalism and secularism, bringing a religion-focused perspective. PhD candidates Jessica Fiorelli and Joanna Beeckmans also explore race, ethnicity, and migration from an intersectional perspective.
- Bogaers, S., Van Laer, K., & Zanoni, P. (2024). Conditional openness to racio-ethnic otherness: Exploring white employers’ ambivalent self-Other constructions in the everyday work of reproducing whiteness. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 40(4), 101364.
- Bogaers, S., Van Laer, K., & Zanoni, P. (2024). Conditional openness to racio-ethnic otherness: Exploring white employers’ ambivalent self-Other constructions in the everyday work of reproducing whiteness. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 40(4), 101364.
- Theunissen, A., & Van Laer, K. (2023). Exploring the politics of linguistic difference: the construction of language requirements for migrants in jobs traditionally conducted by local native speakers. Culture and Organization, 29(3), 211-225.
- Van Laer, K., & Zanoni, P. (2020). Ethnicity, race, and national identity in management and organization studies. The Wiley Blackwell companion to race, ethnicity, and nationalism, 487-506.
Religion in the workplace
Our research on religion aims to understand the dynamics of religious inequality in the workplace, as well as how religious employees themselves navigate this.
Koen Van Laer’s work has focused on the experiences of Muslim employees with (navigating) religious inequalities and the way these religious inequalities become reproduced and/or addressed through organisational policies and practices.
In Charlotte Vermeijen’s PhD research, the attention is geared towards the taken-for-granted norms and assumptions which (re)produce religious inequality in the workplace. By applying the concepts of (political) secularism and racial capitalism, the aim is to better understand the construction of a (racialised) religious difference in light of its capitalist exploitation.
Some publications include:
- Van Laer, K., & Janssens, M. (2014). Between the devil and the deep blue sea: Exploring the hybrid identity narratives of ethnic minority professionals. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 30(2), 186–196. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scaman.2013.08.004
- Van Laer, K. (2015). Managing Muslim Employees and Islamic Practices at Work: Exploring Elements Shaping Policies on Religious Practices in Belgian Organizations. In Managing Religious Diversity in the Workplace. Routledge.
- Van Laer, K., & Essers, C. (2023). The Regulation of Religion by Secular Work Practice: Exploring Muslim Employees’ Performance of Religious Practice. Journal of Management, 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1177/01492063231161344
Intersectionality
Research on workplace inclusion focuses on creating environments where all employees feel valued, respected, and able to fully participate. Researching inclusion with an intersectional approach recognises that employees’ experiences are shaped by intersecting identities and related social structures, such as race, gender, class, sexuality, ability, and age. By applying intersectionality, we seek to address these complex dimensions, striving for the inclusion of historically disadvantaged groups and the creation of inclusive organisations, addressing the full spectrum of belonging and marginalisation. SEIN participates in the European Horizon project INSPIRE, which is the European Centre of Excellence on Inclusive Gender Equality in Research & Innovation: Creating Knowledge & Engaging in Collaborative Action. PhD candidate Joanna Beekmans’ work in this context focuses on intersectionality in Higher Education and Research Institutes policies. Meanwhile, PhD candidate Jessica Fiorelli researches inclusion in science and technology work from an intersectionality perspective.
Some publications include:
- Beekmans J., Zanoni P., Van Laer L., ‘Intersectional policies in Higher Education and Research: a scoping literature review’ 23 October 2023 10.5281/zenodo.10033570.
Disability and Neurodiversity in the workplace
Our research focused on disability in the workplace aims to expose ableism in the workplace and its constraining outcomes in organisations.
This includes research on neurodiversity (e.g., employees with autism, ADHD, dyslexia and dyscalculia...) in which we specifically address how organisations tend to favour neurotypical workers and how we can unlock the strengths of a neurodiverse workforce.
Some publications include:
- Jammaers, E., & Fleischmann, A. (2024). Unveiling affective disablism at work: a structural approach to microaggressions. Disability & Society, 1-24.
- Jammaers, E. (2023). Theorizing discursive resistance to organizational ethics of care through a multi-stakeholder perspective on disability inclusion practices. Journal of Business Ethics, 183(2), 333-345.
- Van Laer, K. (2023). Enduring inequalities and employment barriers facing young adults living with spina bifida. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 65(6).
- Van Laer, K., Jammaers, E., & Hoeven, W. (2022). Disabling organizational spaces: Exploring the processes through which spatial environments disable employees with impairments. Organization, 29(6), 1018-1035.
- Van Laer, K., Verbruggen, M., & Janssens, M. (2021). Understanding and addressing unequal career opportunities in the ‘new career’era: an analysis of the role of structural career
Animal Organisation Studies
The newly emerging discipline of Animal Organisation Studies takes an interest in the uses and abuses of animals within organisations and management. More specifically, the discipline aims to expose normalised patterns of animal violence and exploitation (often in for-profit organisations) and, at the same time, identify more promising and sustainable alternatives to animals and organisations.
SEIN members bring diverse perspectives and areas of focus to the field of Animal Organisation Studies (AOS). For example, Lille Dumortier’s PhD research explores ways to incorporate animal voices in research in management and organisation studies and examines issues within the animal industrial complex, such as chicken farming. Meanwhile, Prof. Dr. Eline Jammaers focuses on the intersection of animals and human diversity, studying topics like the role of guide dogs for disabled people and women in equestrian sports.
Some publications include:
- Jammaers, Eline, and Astrid Huopalainen. 2023. “I Prefer Working with Mares, Like Women, Difficult in Character but Go the Extra Mile”: A Study of Multiple Inequalities in Equine (Sports) Business.” Gender, Work & Organization 30(6): 2049–2068. https://doi.org/10.1111/gwao.13044.
- Jammaers, E. (2023). On ableism and anthropocentrism: A canine perspective on the workplace inclusion of disabled people. Human Relations, 76(2), 233-257. Dogs https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/00187267211057549
- Huopalainen, A., & Jammaers, E. (2024). “Making the unimaginable imaginable?” The power of artmaking in understanding animal vulnerabilities and “humanimal” relationality in Organization Studies. Organization, 13505084241238584. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/13505084241238584
Organisational Space
- Jammaers, E. (2023). On ableism and anthropocentrism: A canine perspective on the workplace inclusion of disabled people. Human Relations, 76(2), 233-257. https://doi.org/10.1177/00187267211057549
- Van Laer, K., Jammaers, E., & Hoeven, W. (2022). Disabling organizational spaces: Exploring the processes through which spatial environments disable employees with impairments. Organization, 29(6), 1018-1035. https://doi.org/10.1177/1350508419894698
- Klinksiek, I. D., Jammaers, E., & Taskin, L. (2023). A framework for disability in the new ways of working. Human Resource Management Review, 33(2), 100954. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2023.100954
- Van Laer, K., & Essers, C. (2024). The Regulation of Religion by Secular Work Practice: Exploring Muslim Employees’ Performance of Religious Practice. Journal of Management, 50(3), 1002-1028. https://doi.org/10.1177/01492063231161344