Does non-financial reporting regulation increase diversity and equal opportunity disclosures? Evidence from Poland

Abstract

Purpose: The main aim of our study is to verify whether the implementation of non-financial reporting regulations, following the adoption of Directive 2014/95/EU, in-creased disclosures on diversity and equal opportunities in Polish listed firms. We study whether the diversity and equal opportunities disclosures differ significantly if we compare the information presented in companies non-financial reports in the pre-Directive period (2016) and the post-Directive period (2018). Methodology/approach: Guided by Clarkson et al. (2008), as well as by the Global Rerporting Initiative (GRI) standards, we have applied manual content analysis, using the coding scheme that is useful in capturing the types of disclosures. We implement Wilcoxon signed ranks test to verify the statistical significance of the differences be-tween the diversity and equal opportunities disclosures in the pre- and post-Directive periods. Findings: Our evidence suggests that disclosures on diversity and equal opportunities in Poland significantly increased after the implementation of the Directive, but the patterns of the prevalence of disclosure types have remained stable. Research limitations/implications: This evidence is provided for a relatively small sample of Polish listed firms (N=19) that issued CSR/sustainability reports in 2016 and 2018, which could be considered a limitation of our study. Nevertheless, our study has practical implications within the impacts of the regulatory framework of companies reporting schemes, as far as diversity and equal opportunities (DEO) disclosures are concerned. Originality/value: Our evidence fills an important gap within the studies that review the implementation of the Directive in developing European economies. At the same time, it provides evidence within the emerging field of studies that compare the various types of disclosures before and after the implementation of the EU Directive, which is relevant for revising the impact of regulatory frameworks on non-financial reporting.