CALL FOR PAPERS
Leading the Way: Hispanic Voices Continue to Transform Organizations
Special Issue in Research in Human Resource Management Peer Reviewed Series, Emerald
Guest Editors: Donna Maria Blancero, Elizabeth Muniz, and Julio C. Canedo
Proposal Deadline: August 1, 2025
Final Decisions on Proposals: Oct 1, 2025
Final Paper Deadline: June 1, 2026
Introduction
For years, Hispanic workers have been playing an increasing and vital role in today's workforce, contributing significantly across industries. Despite this growing influence and significant contributions, they continue to face unique challenges that hinder their career growth, engagement, and overall workplace satisfaction. While demographic shifts have positioned Hispanic employees as essential to many industries, organizations often struggle to address their specific needs and to utilize their unique talents. This often leads to gaps in leadership representation, limited career development opportunities, and the absence of genuine inclusion.
Research consistently shows that Hispanic employees face barriers such as implicit bias, limited access to advancement opportunities, and organizational policies that are not culturally responsive (Blancero, Olivas-Lujan, & Stone, 2014). These challenges are further compounded by language barriers and cultural differences, which can complicate day-to-day interactions and influence performance, retention, and overall job satisfaction (Aguirre, 2020). It is increasingly clear that organizations need to go beyond superficial diversity efforts and implement strategies that prioritize equity and inclusion in a way that resonates with Hispanic employees.
This special issue seeks to explore these critical issues within organizational settings, inviting research that examines how workplaces can create more inclusive and supportive environments for Hispanic workers. We welcome contributions that offer empirical findings, theoretical developments, or case studies-particularly those that present actionable strategies for improving workplace equity, fostering inclusion, and ensuring that Hispanic voices are heard and valued. Our goal is to drive meaningful change by highlighting what truly works in making organizations more inclusive and equitable for Hispanic employees (Martinez & Gutierrez, 2021).
Topics of Interest
We invite scholars to submit papers that explore these issues and propose solutions to enhance the workplace experience for Hispanics. We welcome submissions that explore a wide range of work and organizational topics, including but not limited to:
Ø Addressing Workplace Bias and Discrimination: Exploring the extent and impact of bias and discrimination faced by Hispanic employees, along with solutions to minimize unconscious bias in hiring, performance evaluations, and promotions (Roberson & Kulik, 2007).
Ø Effective Recruitment and Retention Practices for Hispanic Employees: Investigating strategies to attract and retain Hispanic talent, including culturally relevant recruitment practices, mentorship programs, and retention strategies that address specific challenges. As well, issues of use of AI would be useful in this area.
Ø Advancement and Leadership Development for Hispanic Employees: Analyzing the barriers to leadership roles and development opportunities for Hispanic employees, and strategies to improve Hispanic representation in senior management and executive positions (Kerr & Kerr, 2021; Nkomo, 2015).
Ø Cultural Identity, Cultural Values, and Organizational Climate: Investigating how cultural identity and cultural values influence the work experiences of Hispanic employees and how organizations can foster an inclusive organizational climate that celebrates diversity (Stone & Stone-Romero, 2008; Stone-Romero, Stone, & Salas, 2003).
Ø Language and Communication Barriers in the Workplace: Exploring how language proficiency affects workplace integration, career advancement, and collaboration for Hispanic employees, and the role of language support programs in improving these outcomes (Blancero et al., 2014).
Ø Work-Life Balance and Supportive Policies: Analyzing the unique work-life balance challenges faced by Hispanic workers, particularly those balancing family and cultural obligations, and how organizations can provide more flexible policies to meet these needs (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024).
Ø Organizational Practices and Legal Frameworks: Investigating how organizational policies and legal requirements affect Hispanic workers, focusing on compliance, equal opportunity, and how organizations can bridge gaps to create more equitable environments (Cole, 2019)
Ø Mental Health and Well-being of Hispanic Employees: Investigating the mental health challenges faced by Hispanic workers, particularly in high-stress work environments or in industries where they are underrepresented. This could include topics like access to mental health resources, stigma surrounding mental health in Hispanic cultures, and how organizations can support employee well-being (Gonzalez et al., 2021).
Ø Remote Work and Hispanic Employees: Exploring how the shift to remote or hybrid work has affected Hispanic employees, including the impact on work-life balance, engagement, career advancement, and access to organizational resources. This topic could also address the digital divide, and the barriers Hispanic workers face in adapting to new work arrangements (De La Rosa et al., 2022).
Ø Intersectionality of Race, Gender, and Socioeconomic Status: Analyzing how Hispanic employees' work experiences are shaped by the intersection of race, gender, and socioeconomic status. This could include the compounded effects of discrimination and bias in the workplace and how organizations can adopt an intersectional approach to diversity and inclusion efforts (Crenshaw, 1989; Aguirre & Martinez, 2021)
Ø Pay Equity and Compensation Gaps: Examining wage disparities and pay equity issues affecting Hispanic employees, and exploring the factors that contribute to compensation gaps, such as educational attainment, discrimination, and occupational segregation. This topic could also look at organizational policies designed to address these gaps (Rubery & Grimshaw, 2011).
Ø Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and Hispanic Leadership Networks: Exploring the role of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and Hispanic leadership networks in promoting career advancement, community building, and organizational support for Hispanic employees. This topic could address how ERGs contribute to talent retention and leadership development (Roche, 2020).
Ø Resilience and Adaptive Leadership Among Hispanic Workers: Investigating how Hispanic employees demonstrate resilience and adaptive leadership in challenging work environments, and how organizations can harness these strengths to foster more inclusive leadership cultures (Bonanno, 2020).
Ø Unique Contributions of Hispanics to Organizations. Each cultural sub-group makes a number of unique contributions to organizations. For instance, Hispanics are, on average, higher in collectivism than Anglo-Americans. As a result, they may help individuals in organizations gain knowledge on working effectively in a team or group. .
Ø Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on Hispanic Communities: Examining how organizations' CSR initiatives impact Hispanic communities, including workplace initiatives, partnerships with Hispanic-focused organizations, and community outreach. This topic could explore how CSR can be leveraged to strengthen relationships between companies and Hispanic employees (Matten & Moon, 2008).
Submission Instructions
Authors interested in contributing a manuscript should submit a proposal (1 to 3 pages) by August 1, 2025. Proposals should include:
- An overview of the research topic and its relevance to Hispanic work challenges.
- A brief literature review and identification of the research gap.
- A description of the research methodology or theoretical framework.
- The potential contributions of the research to organizations and workplaces.
Please submit proposals to dblancero@bentley.edu and to Elizabeth.Muniz@untdallas.edu. Authors whose proposals are accepted will be invited to submit full papers. All papers should follow the APA Version 7 style guide, and include complete contact information for each author.
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Submitted papers will undergo a double blind peer review process conducted by at least two subject matter experts in the field.
All final manuscripts must be fifty pages or less including references, tables, etc., and conform to the APA 7th edition style guide. In addition, all final submissions must include a title page, abstract, complete author contact information, and a bio for each author (200 words or less.) Please contact the guest editors noted below if you have questions.
About the Journal
Research is HRM is a peer reviewed research series that publishes monographs, literature reviews, and new theoretical models on Human Resource Management, Organizational Behavior, Industrial and Organizational Psychology and Research Methods. It is not a book, but a recurring research series that is designed to publish multiple volumes on human resource management and related fields. Books are stand alone, and have a beginning, middle, and end. Research series are ongoing issues that advance knowledge on a specific topic.
Guest Editors:
Donna Maria Blancero
Professor
Department of Management
Bentley University
dblancero@bentley.edu
Elizabeth Muniz
Associate Professor
School of Business
University of North Texas at Dallas
Elizabeth.Muniz@untdallas.edu
Julio C. Canedo
Associate Professor
Department of Management
Marilyn Davies College of Business
University of Houston Downtown
canedosotoj@uhd.edu
References
Blancero, D., Olivas-Lujan, M. R., & Stone, D. L. (2014). Understanding the challenges Hispanic employees face in U.S. organizations: A comprehensive examination of bias and advancement barriers. Journal of Workplace Inclusion, 9(2), 113-128.
Bonanno, G. A. (2020). Resilience and adaptive leadership: The role of individual strengths in organizational success. Journal of Organizational Psychology, 15(3), 98-109.
Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2024). Work-life balance trends among Hispanic employees in the United States. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Crenshaw, K. (1989). Demarginalizing the intersection of race and gender: A Black feminist critique of anti-discrimination doctrine, feminist theory, and antiracist politics. University of Chicago Legal Forum, 1989(1), 139-167.
De La Rosa, A., Lopez, J., & Martinez, E. (2022). The impact of remote work on Hispanic employees: Navigating the digital divide. Journal of Remote Work Studies, 10(2), 78-94.
Gonzalez, R., Hernandez, M., & Rivera, L. (2021). Mental health challenges in the Hispanic workforce: Addressing cultural stigma and support needs. Mental Health and Diversity Journal, 5(2), 150-167.
Kerr, J., & Kerr, A. (2021). Advancing Hispanic leadership: Barriers and strategies in corporate America. Leadership Quarterly, 32(4), 256-276.
Martinez, A. E., & Gutierrez, D. L. (2021). The Hispanic workforce in the 21st century: Overcoming barriers and building opportunities for advancement. Journal of Workplace Diversity, 14(3), 135-152.
Matten, D., & Moon, J. (2008). "Implicit" and "explicit" CSR: A conceptual framework for a comparative understanding of corporate social responsibility. Academy of Management Review, 33(2), 404-424.
Nkomo, S. M. (2015). The effectiveness of DEI programs for Hispanic employees: Addressing cultural needs in U.S. organizations. Diversity and Inclusion Journal, 11(3), 87-103.
Roberson, Q. M., & Kulik, C. T. (2007). Stereotype threat at work: A model of the effects of equal opportunity context on racial discrimination. Academy of Management Review, 32(2), 546-569.
Roche, K. (2020). Employee resource groups and Hispanic leadership networks: Strengthening support in the workplace. Organizational Development Journal, 18(2), 92-109.
Rubery, J., & Grimshaw, D. (2011). Gender and the minimum wage: A cross-national analysis of wage equity among Hispanic employees. International Labor Review, 150(2), 187-210.
Stone, D. L., & Stone-Romero, E. F. (2008). The influence of cultural identity on work experiences: Insights for inclusive organizational climates. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(4), 1027-1040.
Stone-Romero, E. F., Stone, D. L., & Salas, E. (2003). The influence of culture on role conceptions and role behavior in organisations. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 52, 328-362.