Impact of Equality and Diversity in Reducing Age Discrimination at Workplace

RESEARCH PROJECT

Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................4
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW.....................................................................................................6
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY..........................................................................................9
CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATIONS..............................................................11
CHAPTER 5: RESEARCH OUTCOMES................................................................................................22
Covered in PPT.....................................................................................................................................22
CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS................................................................23
CHAPTER 7: REFLECTION AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ALTERNATIVE METHODOLOGY
.................................................................................................................................................................. 24
REFERENCES..........................................................................................................................................25

Title: To identify impact of equality and diversity practices in reducing age based
discrimination at workplace. A study on Next plc.
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
Background of Research
At workplace, discrimination is related to the prejudices and it occurs when a worker is to
be treated in an unfavourable manner due to race, pregnancy, religion, gender etc. It impacts
negatively on performance of staff members and also reduces the organisational productivity. In
the age discrimination, company does not treat the older workers as equal to the new workers. In
this context, practices of equality and diversity applied through company to minimizing the age
discrimination from organisation (Assari and Moghani Lankarani, 2018). Next plc is clothing,
home goods and footwear retailer. This has more than 700 stores and founded in year 1864. The
equality and diversity policy of Next plc stated that their staffs is integral to attaining business
objectives and believed in engaging the staff members which are necessary to attaining aim.
Next plc is equal opportunities and will assure to provide the equal career opportunities to all
staff without arising discrimination.
Rationale of Research
The effect of inclusion and inclusive policies in the elimination of age-based
discrimination on the working environment is currently being investigated. Discrimination effect
on efficiency, performance and productivity of workers is detrimental. This research helps to
recognize problems resulting from age discrimination against and practices of equality and
diversity for successfully mitigating the environment (Axelrad and James, 2016). The current
study is primarily personally and professionally carried out. Personal researchers are interested in
improving their understanding of discrimination at work. It can develop key skills and
knowledge. At the other hand, investigator can gain insight into study by conducting whole
research activities in their professional context.
Research Aim
To identify impact of equality and diversity practices in reducing age based
discrimination at workplace. A study on Next plc.

Research Objectives
• To understand workplace discrimination concept.
• To determine impact of equality and diversity practices in reducing age based
discrimination at workplace.
• To examine the various strategies used through company for minimizing the age
discrimination from workplace.
Research Questions
• Discuss about the workplace discrimination in context to organisation?
• How practices related to equality and diversity influence on preventing workplace
from age based discrimination?
• Which strategies company need to be used to reducing age based discrimination?

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
This includes the real knowledge of substantive findings, methodology and theory on a
certain topic. This is also an overview of a previous study on a subject. Literature review is way
in which information from a range of sources like magazines, books, blogs etc. is collected in
depth. Various authors offer their views on the subject that helps the investigator gather detailed
details.
Workplace discrimination
According to opinion of John Sherman (2020) Workplace discriminations arise when an
individual is treated harshly or unfairly due to his or her ethnicity, religion, and country of origin,
disability, veteran status or other attributes covered by law. Discrimination in the workforce
is biggest issues and needs to be tackled aggressively. Throughout the workplace, there are
different kinds of discrimination. One way to describe discrimination is to deny a job due to race
or gender and to unfairly treat others because of age, race, religion or gender. Discrimination
may lead to job stoppage, which may harm oneself or provoker.
Age discrimination is now more important than ever when firms strive to avoid
retirement and health care benefits by firing old people who might be on the verge of investing in
their pensions or who may need healthcare. Another reason is also that old employees may pay
more than the new employees, which only helps businesses replace older employees by new
ones. Such kinds of adjustments are not just those that are prejudicial to older employees and
take every chance to replace older jobs and generate new blood. Olders (+60) and younger (14-
17) in their early adolescence are mainly discriminated against by age. The several Americans
were fired, forced to retire or forced to leave a job because of their age (Biglio, 2020). Older
employers at workplace have been discriminated against for appearance and are believed to be
slow to accomplish required work. Managers are likely than elderly to employ a person who are
much younger and more attractive. Employers would also like to employ persons who can do the
necessary work. This is another way of discrimination against elderly people even though they
can do the job very well. The 1975 Age Discrimination Act is restricts the discrimination on age
basis at workplace.

Impact of equality and diversity practices in reducing age based discrimination at workplace
As per opinion of Angel Sharma (2020), there are two separate words for addressing
diversity and equal opportunities. Equal opportunities are connected with equal rights and are
deeply embedded in legal laws aimed at the proportion of minorities and women in top-level
organizational goals. Diversity management, however, is somewhat recent and is based on an
organizational strategy in which organisations focus not just on non-discrimination but also on
equality for all workers in workplace irrespective of their age and gender. HR diversity
management activities will preferably start with the evaluation of diversity practices in
organizations, which may be harmed by the lack of commitment to properly recorded policies
and maintaining records. The organizations will evaluate their demographic profile, the existing
corporate culture and the awareness of the various employee groups in order to find potential age
barriers to equality in the workplace.
The 2010 Equality Act helps in protect from age discrimination at workplace for
individuals of all ages. The legislation prevents not only recruiting but promotion, bonuses,
redundancies, compensation and the insurance of businesses. The legislation extends to all
workers. The company may take concrete action to tackle underrepresentation within the
workforce of similar age groups. Elimination of age requirements in legal and regulatory system
and the enforcement of equal rights laws, while raising recognition of workers ' rights as well as
protection of victims of age discrimination (Cherry, 2019). Equality, diversity and inclusion
policies should cover all the aspects related to work-life and understand various kinds of unfair
discrimination where applicable. Workers should do and reporting procedures, which encourage
people to raise concerns, should have specific explanations. Compensation for discrimination
against people of age and harassment is exempt, so that the amount of money an employment
court can give to a successful claimant is technically not limited. With up to one third of workers
older than 50 years, demographics in the workforce are shifting, with no retirement age and a
declining number of younger, ages are just not a problem.
Various strategies used through company for minimizing the age discrimination from workplace
Natalia Autenrieth (2020) stated that preventing workplace environment from age
discrimination is necessary to sustain old employees for longer time. There are some of the
strategies mentions below to minimize age basis discrimination: