Response of Companies to Equality and Diversity at Workplace

This report discusses the response of Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc to issues of equality and diversity at the workplace. It explores the concept of equality and diversity, identifies the issues faced by the company, and suggests ways to address them. The report also includes a project management plan, WBS, and Gantt Chart.

Managing a Successful
Business Project

TOPIC
“Response of companies to issues relating to equality and diversity at the workplace like
gender pay gap, sexual harassment, gender divide in leadership etc. so that the productivity,
opportunity and healthy competitiveness among the workers can be increased.” A study on Aston
Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc.
INTRODUCTION
In the contemporary world businesses have employees belonging to different nations,
religions, cultures having different set of beliefs, ideas, skills, resources and energies which help
the company in achieving a competitive edge. Promoting equality among employees of the
company is important so that equal opportunities can be given to all the workers so that their
potential can be fully utilized and a working environment free from discrimination of all types
can be established which helps the company in achieving its goals and objectives effectively
(Allaoui, Bourgault and Pellerin, 2019). Equality and diversity in the company help in inspiring
the employees so that they can be more creative, innovative and productive to the company and
better results can be gained. This report is based on Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc
which is a British autonomous manufacturer of luxury sports cars and grand tourers. It has over a
100 years of excellence in designing the automotive and creating world's most beautiful
automotive. This report will discuss about steps taken by the company to respond to the issues of
equality and diversity in workplace as car industry is majorly dominated by males. A small
research will be done to develop a project management plan along with Gantt Chart and WBS so
that the aims and objectives of the project can be successfully achieved.
TASK 1
P1 Project aims and objectives
The concept of equality and diversity at workplace is increasingly used by the
organisations as the increased globalisation has led to rise in the integration of businesses. This
has resulted in the increase in diversity at the workplace who have to be given equal
opportunities so that their potential can be fully utilized to achieve the company goals. Issues and
challenges that are generally faced in the company are gender pay gap, sexual harassment,
gender differences in leadership. These issues need to be successfully dealt with so that harmony

among workers can be created and a good working environment can be established (Araten-
Bergman, 2016).
Aim: To determine how Aston martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc responded to the problems
related to equality and heterogeneity at workplace so that the productivity, opportunity and
healthy competitiveness among employees can be enhanced.
Objectives:
 To understand the basic concept of equality and diversity at workplace.
 To determine the issues related to equality and diversity in Aston martin Lagonda Global
Holdings plc.
 To identify ways in which differences in gender pay gap, sexual harassment, differences
in leadership based on gender can be dealt with in the company.
Questions
 What is equality and diversity at workplace?
 Why are there issues related to equality and diversity at workplace?
 What are the ways in which these issues can be resolved?
P2 Project management plan
A project plan is a written representation which give details about each phase of a project
and defines the way in which project will be executed, monitored and controlled. It helps in
directing and guiding all the team members of the project so that the tasks of project can be
executed efficiently which will help in achieving the objectives of project (Bryson, 2018). The
elements of project management plan are:
 Cost: It is related the overall estimated expenses that will be required to be done so that
the project can be completed within time and budget and the expenses do not exceed than
the estimated amounts. Total cost of carrying out this project is shown as below:
Total Forecasted Budget
Particulars Amount
Promotion expenses £80
Cost incurred in technology £150
Other Expenses £200
Total Cost £430

 Scope: It relates to determining the extent to which the project will be able to achieve the
desired results. Proper methods and techniques of research are used in this report so that
the chances of the project success can increase and sameness and diverseness at
workplace can be established in the company. Time: It is related to the amount of time that will be required to successfully complete the
project. The time taken by researcher to finish this project is 2 months. Quality: It is related with collecting authentic information so that effective decisions can
be made which will help in completion of the project effectively on time. For this the
researcher uses both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection to ensure the
authenticity, reliability and quality of the data that is collected (Christian, 2019). Communication: Effective communication is the most important feature which helps in
completion of the project successfully by reducing conflicts and ambiguity of information
that is transferred at different levels of the project. Methods such as video-conferencing,
e-mails, voice messages etc. are used by the researcher so that transparency and
authenticity of information can remain intact. Risk: These are related to the barriers while efficiently conducting the project which will
reduce the efficiency and quality of research. The risk related to shortage of time and
resources, use of incorrect method of conducting research, inappropriate sample size etc.
are some of the risks faced by researcher.
 Resources: These are all the tools and assets that are required by the researcher to
conduct the project successfully so that the main objectives can be achieved. These
resources are human resources, statistical tools, technical and financial resources etc.
P3 WBS and Gantt Chart
Gantt Chart: A Gantt Chart is a horizontal bar chart which helps in representing a project
schedule including the time required to complete all the stages that are involved in the project
management plan so that the project gets completed on time (Erickson and et. al., 2014). This
helps the researcher in communicating the status of project to the project manager. It also helps
in identifying the hurdles that are involved in project completion so that the wasteful steps can be
eliminated and project gets completed on time.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) : It refers to breaking down the complete project into
smaller components which are easier to achieve within a specified time-frame. This helps in
reducing the complexity of the project by breaking them into smaller and understandable events
so that the team members can efficiently perform their task and achieve the objectives on time
and in an efficient manner (Hajro, Gibson and Pudelko, 2017). Better distribution of work among
team members along with effective communication can be established by using this tool. The
WBS for this project is given below:

TASK 2
P4 Small research by using appropriate research methods
Research is a systematic process by which information regarding a particular topic is
collected in order to enhance the knowledge about that topic which can help in solving existing
problems or in developing new theories. Following tools are used to collect, interpret and analyse
data so that efficient decisions can be made to achieve the research objectives.
Qualitative research method: This method helps in collecting information by
conducting open ended conversations with the sample size selected to conduct the research so
that a deep information about nature and behaviour of respondents can be gained (Henry and et.
al., 2014). The information gained in this way is difficult to present in a tabular or graphical
form. Interviews, surveys, observation etc. are some of its examples.
Quantitative research method: These are numerical data which can be represented in
tables and graphs thus better presentation and analysis of data can be done which helps in
efficient decision-making. Questionnaires, polls etc. are some of its examples.
Sources of data collection: Primary: These sources provides first hand and authentic data as the data is personally
collected by the researcher by using various methods like interviews, questionnaires,
polls etc. This process though authentic is time consuming and expensive.
 Secondary: These sources already contain data from previously recorded facts and
figures which can be directly used by the researchers to conduct their research. These
data may be obsolete and is presented by the perspective of other researchers.
Magazines, online available data, journals etc. are its examples.
Sampling: It is the process of selecting the number of observations that needs to be taken by the
researcher so that the chosen number of samples can give accurate information that is required to
achieve the objectives of research. Samples are selected based on the common characteristics or
features of the sample population. The researcher uses non-random type of sampling method and
chooses a sample size of 30 so that the research can be conducted properly (Iacobucci and Rosa,
2019).
Questionnaire
Quantitative questions

Q1) Do you understand the concept of equality and diversity at the workplace?
a) Yes
b) No
Q2) What is the importance of equality and diversity at workplace?
a) Provide equal opportunities to employees
b) Increase productivity
c) Competitive advantage to business
Q3) Is it important to have these factors at workplace?
a) Yes
b) No
Q4) What are the threats of diversity in Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc?
a) Increased level of conflicts
b) Communication barriers
c) Increased group-ism in company
Q5) What can be the best strategy to develop equality and diversity at workplace?
a) Training and development
b) Following Employment Legislations
Q6) What are the problems that occur if there is no equality in workforce?
a) Demotivation of workers due to unequal opportunities
b) Decrease in productivity
c) Increase in jealousy
Q7) Does diversity and equality at workplace help company to achieve its objectives?
a) Yes
b) No
Q8) Why having diversity at Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc is important?
a) Pool of varied ideas and talents will be available
b) Innovations will increase
Q9) How is the working environment of Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc?
a) friendly
b) Unfriendly
Q10) Strategies that can be used to increase equality at workplace?

a) Provide effective training
b) Encouraging equal participation
c) Gratifying of culture at company.
Qualitative questions
Q11) What are the problems related to equality and diversity at workplace?
a) Increase in gender pay gap
b) Sexual harassment
c) Gender divide in leadership
Q12) Ways in which issues related to equality and diversity at the company can be dealt
with?
a) Quick response to these issues
b) Equal opportunities without discriminating based on gender
c) Increasing women empowerment in the company
Q13) Any suggestions?
TASK 3
P5 Evaluate research data using tools and techniques
Q1) Do you understand the concept of equality and diversity at the
workplace?
Frequency
a) Yes 20
b) No 10
a) Yes b) No
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
20
10
Frequency

Interpretation: From the above graph it can be interpreted that out of the 30 employees
of Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc 20 knows about the concept of equality and
diversity at workplace while 10 have no idea about it. This shows that maximum employees are
aware of the fact that people belonging to different gender, religion, culture having different
beliefs, values, expectations and assumptions work together in an organisation and it is important
to establish equality among them to achieve company goals effectively (Islam, 2019).
Q2) What is the importance of equality and diversity at
workplace?
Frequency
a) Provide equal opportunities to employees 10
b) Increase productivity 15
c) Competitive advantage to business 5
0
4
8
12
16
Frequency
Interpretation : From the above graph it can be seen that 10 employees out of the 30
selected think that equality and diversity at workplace will provide equal opportunities to
employees, 15 think that it will increase their productivity while the rest 5 think that company
can gain a competitive in the market. It means that productivity of the employees can be
increased if equal and fair treatment is given to all the employees regardless of differences in
their religion, culture, gender, caste etc.
Q3) Is it important of these factors at workplace? Frequency
a) Yes 15

b) No 15
a) Yes b) No
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16 15 15
Frequency
Interpretation: The graph shows that 15 employees think that it is important to have
equality and diversity at workplace while the rest 15 do not think the same. It means that the 15
employees who knows the importance of equality and diversity at workplace have suffered some
sort of discrimination in the company and are dissatisfied by the way people are not treated
equally and not given fair treatment. This also shows that half of the people in the company
wants to establish concept of sameness and diverseness at workplace.
Q4) What are the threats of diversity in Aston Martin Lagonda
Global Holdings plc?
Frequency
a) Increased level of conflicts 10
b) Communication barriers 5
c) Increased group-ism in company 15

a) Increased level of conflicts
b) Communication barriers
c) Increased group-ism in company
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
Frequency
Interpretation : It can be concluded from the above graph that 10 out of the 30 respondents
think that diversity increase conflicts among the employees, 5 think that barriers to
communication increase with increase in diversity at the workplace while 15 respondents are of
the view that all the employees are divided into various groups with each group belonging to
some sort of similar characteristics or features. Communication barriers increase as the
employees working in the company belong to different nations, languages, religions etc. which
vary their level of interpretation of messages (Kordova, Katz and Frank, 2019). Also the
conflicts among workers increase as they haver different sets of skills, talents, values and beliefs
which clashes with each other and increase conflicts. Also people group together based on some
similarities so that they can feel connected to the company in some way.
Q5) What can be the best strategy to develop equality and diversity
at workplace/
Frequency
a) Training and development 20
b) Following Employment Legislations 10

a) Training and development
b) Following Employment Legislations
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
20
10
Frequency
Interpretation: From this graph it can be seen that 20 out of the 30 respondents think
that training and development programmes can help in dealing with the issues related to equality
and diversity at workplace while 5 think that following employment legislations by the company
can help in dealing with the issue. It means that maximum people think that it is important to
train the employees so that they can work together efficiently in the company.
Q6) What are the problems that occur if there is no equality in
workforce?
Frequency
a) Demotivation of workers due to unequal opportunities 10
b) Decrease in productivity 5
c) Increase in jealousy 15

0
4
8
12
16
Frequency
Interpretation: This graph shows that 10 out of the 30 respondents are of the view that
demotivation among workers increase if equal opportunities are not given to them to grow. 5
think that the productivity of workers decreases while the other 15 respondents think that
inequality leads to jealousy among workers. Equal opportunities should be given to the workers
based on the level of their talents and skills without discriminating them on the behalf of race,
caste, gender, religion etc.
Q7) Does diversity and equality at workplace help company to
achieve its objectives?
Frequency
a) Yes 25
b) No 5

a) Yes b) No
0
5
10
15
20
25
25
5
Frequency
Interpretation: This graph shows that 25 respondents think that diversity and equality at
workplace can help the company in gaining its goals and objectives while the rest 5 do not think
the same. Diversity and equality is important at workplace so that all the employees can be given
equal opportunities without discriminating them based on differences in caste, sex , religion etc.
This will help in motivating them and increasing their productivity which will help in achieving
company objectives efficiently.
Q8) Why having diversity at Aston Martin Lagonda Global
Holdings plc is important/
Frequency
a) Pool of varied ideas and talents will be available 20
b) Innovations will increase 10
a) Pool of varied ideas and talents will be available
b) Innovations will increase
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
20
10
Frequency

Interpretation: From the above graph it can be seen that 20 respondents are of the view
that diversity in company will bring a pool of varies ideas from people having different set of
skills, values, ideas, experiences etc. The other 10 respondents think that diversity will help in
bringing innovation in the company as people will come up with varied solutions to different
situations which will help in thinking creatively to solve a given problem.
Q9) How is the working environment of Aston Martin Lagonda
Global Holdings plc/
Frequency
a) Friendly 10
b) Unfriendly 20
a) Friendly b) Unfriendly
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
10
20
Frequency
Interpretation: From the above graph it can be seen that 10 respondents are of the view
that the working environment at Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc is friendly while the
other 20 respondents do not think the same. This means that these 20 respondents must have
faced problems due to issues that are created because of equality and diversity at the workplace.
Q10) Strategies that can be used to increase equality at workplace/ Frequency
a) Provide effective training 15
b) Encouraging equal participation 10
c) Gratifying of culture at company. 5

a) Provide effective training
b) Encouraging equal participation
c) Gratifying of culture at company.
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
Frequency
Interpretation: From this graph it can be seen that 15 people think that effective training
methods can help in dealing with the issues that are faced due to equality and diversity at the
workplace, 10 think that encouraging equal participation help in dealing the same while 5 think
that gratifying of culture at company can bring positive results. Thus all these methods can be
used in the company to solve the issues that are faced due to equality and diversity in the
workplace.
Q11) What are the issues related to
equality and diversity at workplace/
Explanation
a) Increase in gender pay gap It means that there is a difference in the salaries for
men and women even when the work done by both
are same and both uses same level of skills and talents
(Minbaeva, 2018).
b) Sexual harassment It is unwelcome sexual behaviour which may lead the
person to feel offended, humiliated or intimidated.
c) Gender divide in leadership It means that only male leaders are chosen to lead a
project, group or an event as females are thought of
being incompetent.

Q12) Ways in which issues related
to equality and diversity at the
company can be dealt with?
Explanation
a) Quick response to these issues The employers must respond quickly to address to these
issues so that the problems faced because of these issues
can be eradicated.
b) Equal opportunities without
discriminating based on gender
Employers must ensure that equal opportunities are given
to people irrespective of their gender group based on the
talents, skills and qualifications they possess (Ng and
Rumens, 2017).
c) Increasing women empowerment
in the company
Employers must work towards empowering women by
initiating such programmes which gives importance to
women in the company and how they contribute towards
company success so that other male employees can treat
women equally.
P6 Recommendations based on research and data analysis
Equality and diversity at workplace can help Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc
in motivating its employees so that they can work together efficiently so as to achieve
organisational goals (Rao and Roberts, 2018). This can also help in reducing conflicts among the
workers and building a friendly environment so that innovative thinking can be promoted
because of the people belonging to different set of skills, qualifications, talents etc. working
together which can help in gaining a competitive advantage in the market. Following are the
recommendations by which this can be done :
 Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc should build an inclusive environment and
must encourage equal participation of workers so that their personal and professional
growth can be ensured.
 Performance based incentives must be given to the employees which will help in
improving their efficiency and productivity and lead to increase in profitability of the
company.

 Training and development programmes must be started in the company so that all the
employees can be motivated to build an inclusive work culture and the problem of group-
ism will also decrease.
P7 Reflection
I am glad and thankful to Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc for giving me the
opportunity to conduct a research for them regarding the topic “how do companies respond to the
issues relating to equality and diversity at workplace so that productivity, opportunity and
competitiveness can increase in the company”. This project helped in enhancing my knowledge
about effects of equality and diversity in the company and how the issues can be efficiently dealt
with. This project also helped in refining my research skills by which I can get future
opportunities to conduct research in various fields. My communication skills, influencing power,
time management skills, decision-making capabilities improved during this project. Barriers
faced by me were related with presence of inadequate resources and lack of time but I addressed
these problems by making a project management plan, Gantt chat and WBS model. Thus I was
able to achieve objectives of research successfully.
CONCLUSION
From this report it can be concluded that it is important for the organisations to have
equality and diversity at workplace so that a pool of employees having varied set of skills and
talents can be gained and by establishing equality all the employees can work together efficiently
to achieve company goals and objectives. This gives the company a competitive edge in the
marketplace as the increased productivity of employees will help in producing better results for
the company. Thus problems due to gender pay gap, sexual harassment, gender difference in
leadership can be addressed by efficiently applying equality at the workplace.

REFERENCES
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strengthening and sustaining organizational achievement. John Wiley & Sons.
Christian, K. A., 2019. A Qualitative Multiple Case Study of Small Business Leaders'
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Erickson, W.A and et. al., 2014. The employment environment: Employer perspectives, policies,
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Ng, E. and Rumens, N., 2017. Diversity and inclusion for LGBT workers: Current issues and
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leadership environment. In The Palgrave International Handbook of Women and
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projects. International Journal of Managing Projects in Business. 12(1). pp.120-143.

APPENDIX I
Template for evidence collection to be attached with the report by the learner:
Project Logbook for the chosen organisation:
Name of the learner: Name of the Supervisor:
Project Title: Response of companies to
issues relating to equality and diversity at
the workplace like gender pay gap,
sexual harassment, gender divide in
leadership etc. so that the productivity,
opportunity and healthy competitiveness
among the workers can be increased.A
study on Aston Martin Lagonda Global
Holdings plc.
Date:
Update of weekly research/ tasks
achieved (Account for a minimum of six
weeks with dates)
 What have you completed?
 Did you fulfil Task requirements?
 Are you on track and within
deadlines set?
 Did you need to make any
changes to your project
management plan?
Comments
I have finished my research on the issues that arise in
organisations due to equality and diversity at the
workplace.
Yes
Yes
No
Any risks and / or issues identified?
 Did you identify risks/issues with
a lack of skills required for
undertaking research tasks?
Yes, I encountered some problems related to managing
time and utilizing the limited resources efficiently so that
efficient results can be drawn.

 Did you identify any additional
risks/issues that have an impact
on the project management plan?
No
Problems encountered
 What barriers did you face?
 How did you overcome them?
Because of my lack of time management skills there was
delay in some of my work.
To overcome this situation of delayed work I did overtime so
as to finish my project work on time.
New Ideas and change of project
direction
I require additional 1 week time for completing my project
in an even better manner.
What Have I learnt about myself this
week?
 How did I feel when I had to deal
with tasks/problems?
 Did I find it useful to complete the
tasks?
 How well have I performed?
What did I contribute?
 What can I improve on next
week?
 How might this learning apply in
the future?
I felt enthusiastic during the complete project as the topic
for my research was quite interesting which kept me
going.
Yes
I gave my best to the project and efficiently utilized my
skills so that results drawn from my research can help the
company positively.
It has enhanced my research skills which can help me in
getting future projects.

Tasks planned for next week
 Which tasks are priority?
 Have you set aside sufficient time
for completion?
Collection of trustworthy and reliable data and their
interpretation is my priority.
Yes
Project plan status to date (on, ahead,
behind)
Supervisor comments to address
Signature of the Supervisor and date:

APPENDIX II
Template for Performance Review to be attached with the report by the
learner: