Dressed to kill

: an experimental study on job descriptions and worker attraction in advertising market agencies in Portugal

Abstract

Based on the AMO framework, which has been widely utilized by researchers to assess the attractiveness of human resource practices, the proposition of incorporating a novel dimension, denoted as Sustainability, has been posited. This extension encompasses a suite of practices that contemporary investigations assert as pivotal determinants of employee attractiveness. Furthermore, drawing from a review of how researchers have utilized the AMO framework, a selection of human resource practices was undertaken for each dimension. For the new Sustainability dimension, practices were chosen based on their frequent citation by researchers as being crucial components of an attractive employer value proposition. A survey was conducted among the advertising agencies in Portugal to gauge the perceived value of bundles of practices by employees, using a policy capturing technique to simulate a decision-making scenario akin to that of a job seeker, rather than simply requesting participants to rate a list of practices. Additionally, a projective technique was utilized to mitigate socially desirable responses and capture nuanced details regarding which human resource practices hold greater importance within the dimensions perceived as more attractive by participants. The results did not yield statistically significant findings regarding the attractiveness of the dimensions; however, they indicated a tendency towards a preference for the Motivation and Sustainability dimensions (at a significance level of 10%). Conversely, the results concerning the most significant human resource practices within each dimension were statistically significant, revealing a notable emphasis on competitive salary, contractual security, work flexibility and employer-provided health support, including mental health.

Date of Award	9 May 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Sérgio Paulo de Jesus Moreira (Supervisor)