Equality and diversity in the workplace

This research project focuses on the impact of gender equality in leadership and management on the growth of a company, with a case study on ASDA. It explores the importance of gender equality for the success of an organization, the impact of gender inequality on employee performance, and strategies that ASDA should adopt to promote gender equality at the workplace.

Research Project
1

Contents
Research Project..............................................................................................................................1
TITLE: Equality and diversity in the workplace.............................................................................3
A) INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................3
Research aim................................................................................................................................3
Objectives of research..................................................................................................................3
Research questions.......................................................................................................................3
Rationale of research...................................................................................................................4
B) LITERATURE REVIEW...........................................................................................................4
Importance of gender equality for success of an organisation....................................................4
Impact of gender inequality on performance of employees........................................................5
Strategies ASDA should adopt to promote gender equality at workplace..................................6
C) RESEARCH METHODOLOGY...............................................................................................7
D) DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION......................................................................10
Data Analysis.............................................................................................................................10
Data Interpretation.....................................................................................................................11
E) REASEARCH OUTCOMES....................................................................................................18
F) REFLECTION AND RECOMMENDATION FOR ALTERNATIVE RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY........................................................................................................................19
G) CONCLUSION........................................................................................................................19
H) RECOMMENDATIONS.........................................................................................................20
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................21
2

TITLE: Equality and diversity in the workplace
A) INTRODUCTION
Gender equality is a state where both gender are treated equally. Both genders get same
opportunities- economic, political etc. Organisations who support gender equality seen a
progress in their work and there working environment is also positive. Women and men both
work together without any kind of discrimination and this ensure their success. With diversity in
organisations, the chances to become successful increases (Flood and Howson, 2015). When
different mind work together, it leads to a better outcome. In this research project, the chosen
organisation is ASDA which is a British supermarket retailer which was established in year 1949
in London, United Kingdom. This report is based on the topic “To examine the impact of gender
equality in leadership and management on company's growth. A case study on ASDA.” The aim
and objectives of this study are mentioned below.
Research aim
Aim of this study is “To examine the impact of gender equality in leadership and
management on company's growth. A case study on ASDA.”
Objectives of research
Objectives in context of this research are mentioned below:
 To study the importance of gender equality for success of an organisation.
 To determine the impact of gender inequality on employee's performance.
 To identify various strategies that ASDA should adopt to promote gender equality at
workplace.
Research questions
The questions of this research are mentioned below:
 What is the importance of gender equality for success of an organisation?
 What is the impact of gender inequality on performance of employees?
 Which strategies ASDA should adopt to promote gender equality at workplace?
Rationale of research
The reason behind conducting this research is to analyse the influence of gender equality in
leadership and management on growth of company. This research helps in analysing the
3

significance of gender equality for success of organisation along with its impact on performance
of employees. It also helps in determining the strategies which helps in promoting gender
equality at workplace (Koskinen Sandberg, 2017). This research is significant as it helps the
organisation in attaining growth and success in market by maintaining gender equality at
workplace.
B) LITERATURE REVIEW
Importance of gender equality for success of an organisation
As per the view point of Hideg and Ferris, (2016), Gender equality is also known as
equality of sexes or sexual equality, is a state where both gender has equally access to
opportunities and resources irrespective of their gender. Both gender gets equal right in every
sphere whether it's economic, political or organisational. Gender equality is the ultimate aim of
every society. Gender equality is not only equal representation but more than that, it is strongly
connected to women's rights. According to a study, gender equality means both men, and women
and boys and girls, enjoy the same and equal rights, opportunities, resources and protections.
Accomplishing gender equality is main for workplaces not because only it is right thing or fair
but also because it is directly linked to country's development and overall economic
performance. It is also associated with economic growth and national productivity. Inequality
between men and women doesn't only affect singular - it can affect entire nation economies.
Gender equality benefits nation as a whole. An organisation working together without gender
inequality brightens future of all (Kato and Kodama, 2015). Both genders are equally eligible for
the same task. Sustainable development grows when gender discrimination ends towards women
and give them equal opportunities in the area of education and employment. Because when all
individuals get opportunities in organisations it will lead into a better future and better economic
results. Some organisation treat men and women equally while some don't. Those organisations
who treat both gender equally is more likely to see positive results and positive environment,
while the ones who don't give them equal opportunities ended up having not as successful as the
other ones. Both gender has their own advantages, when they both come together and work in
organisations the economy increase, productivity increase and the wellbeing of people increase.
Organisation with gender equality pays both men and women equally for the equal work.
Collectively work in organisations make a massive impact on its performance in market.
4

Impact of gender inequality on performance of employees
According to the view point of Ali, (2016), gender inequality in organisations means where
men and women doesn't access to same opportunities, same pay for the same amount of work. In
gender inequality in organisations one gender i.e. men put over the another i.e. women. It has
several negative impacts on individuals. The environment and productivity level decreases of the
organisation. Gender inequality has many forms, the main one is the difference in salary between
men and women doing same work. Gender receiving unequal treatment only based solely on
gender. Gender disparity have really negative effects, it affects individuals as well as an
economy performance of organisations (Krishnaswamy, 2016). Gender inequality has direct link
to mental health, people experience harassment in organisations which could lead to anxiety and
depression. Such acts not only affect victims of the harassment, but the vibes also extend towards
other members of the organisations. Morale, energy and the meaning of whole team snapped or
exhausted with the presence of inequality. Unfair treatment also increases level of stress which
can lead greater chances of illness. This situation causes employees to get absent from the job or
tardy because of health issues. When employees don't feel like doing work, they always avoid
work cost business productivity. Satisfaction in job comes with the autonomy and learning new
talents, but when there is sexes inequality happening in organisations, people never reach the
high level and thus they never satisfied with the job. Increased turnover- because a negative
impact on individual’s health and happiness, gender harassment increases the possibility of
employee turnover. Women more than men leave jobs because of the discrimination or inflexible
work hours or lack of females in organisations. If after that another woman joins and
discrimination continues, the cycle repeats. When sexual harassment exists in organisations, the
culture of company can be less involving in sexual harassment cases. Victims of sexual
harassment are less likely to come forward against the company's bad behaviour because they
feel their problem will not be address or taken seriously. This impacts the performance of
employees adversely (Kirton and Greene, 2015).
Strategies ASDA should adopt to promote gender equality at workplace
As per the view point of Winchester and Browning, (2015), there are some strategies that
organizations should follow to promote gender equality at workplace-
5

Reassess requirement of job for senior team of leadership - Companies that are recruiting
women for high positions should know what barriers they've built which prevents women to take
a step from filling them. Organization should consider all types of experience so the pool of
knowledge broadens in the organisation.
Expand applicant pool - if the aim is to create a diverse workplace, candidates also needs
to be heterogeneous. It should include both of gender as they have different capacities and
capabilities like women as engineers, contracting employees- both gender (Klarsfeld and et. al.,
2016).
Consider biases - Many organizations understand the concept unconscious bias, yet they
don't believe it happens in their company. Since it exists almost everywhere, hiring manager’s
resumes should not contain names in it, so that women don't need to face discrimination. And
organizations should not even ask their year gaps in resumes, which may be because of illness or
family.
Reconsider your interview process - all candidates should have the same criteria of
joining, so not only women are asked how many hours they could work. There should be same
questions for both men and women (Ozturk and Tatli, A, 2016).
Make sure all workers get the same opportunity - men spend usually more time with
senior officers, to work on major projects, they are more close to promotions. Organizations
should have standards so all employees follow the standard to progress their careers, so this will
ensure that all are getting same opportunities.
Minimize the pay gap - a major point to work on. Gender pay gap should be reduced as
much as possible. Both gender should get the same money for the same amount of work, there
should be no privilege in this (Klein, 2016).
Make sure all individuals have access to guides - organisation with mentors will have no
gender discrimination in their programs. Under mentors’ guidance organisation will rise and
shine.
C) RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research methodology is a process to collect information and data for taking research
decisions. There are several types of methodologies to collect data and information by
6

performing research in systematic way (Mackey and Gass, 2015). The most suitable means to
discuss several research methodologies is research onion. It's sub parts are as follows-
Research philosophy - it has beliefs and principles about data. It's main two branches are-
interpretivism and positivism. Interpretivism means it studies the nature of human being and its
behavior towards life. Positivism means it believes that knowledge acquired through
observations. In positivism approach findings are mainly quantifiable and
observable. Interpretevism philosophy is use in the study to collect and analyze data and
information in an appropriate way.
Research approach - research approach is divided into three parts- inductive, deductive,
abductive. Main distinctive point is relevance of hypothesis between deductive and inductive
approach (Kumar, 2019). Deductive approach checks validity of assumptions. While inductive
contributes to the new theories and generalization. Abductive approach begins with puzzles or
surprising facts. In this research, inductive approach is utilizing to gather in-depth data on topic.
Use of this approach will helps investigator in drawing valid research outcome.
Research strategy - it is a step by step process which gives direction to efforts and
thoughts. Different research strategies include case study, survey, interview, systematic literature
review etc. This research makes use of questionnaire for collecting data on the topic. The reason
behind selection of this tool in this research is that it helps researcher in gathering data from
respondents appropriately (Taherdoost, 2016). The questionnaire in relation to this specific
project is pasted below:
Questionnaire
Name:
Age:
Address:
Q 1) Do you have awareness of the concept of equality and diversity?
A) Yes
B) No
Q 2) Do you ever face gender inequality at workplace?
A) Yes
B) No
7

C) Sometimes
Q 3) According to you, what is the significance of maintaining gender equality at
workplace?
A) Declines turnover cost
B) Increase business performance
C) Makes great business sense
D) Improved staff retention
E) Greater profitability
Q 4) How maintaining gender equality in workplace impacts the success of ASDA?
A) Positively
B) Negatively
Q 5) As per your opinion, how gender equality impacts on performance of employees in
ASDA?
A) Positively
B) Negatively
C) Neutral
Q 6) To what extent do you agree with the fact that gender equality has direct relation with
the increased organizational performance?
A) Highly agree
B) Agree
C) Neutral
D) Disagree
E) Highly disagree
Q 7) According to you, which is the most appropriate strategy that can be adopt by ASDA
for promoting gender equality at workplace?
A) Reassess job requirement for leadership
B) Minimize pay gap
C) Provide all employees with similar opportunities
D) Reconsideration of interview process
E) Prioritizing work life balance
8

Q 8) Which benefit the organisation gets the most by promoting equality and diversity at
workplace?
A) Motivated workforce
B) Maximized productivity
C) Healthy workplace environment
D) Increased competitive advantage
E) Less employee turnover
Q 9) Suggest some other ways to improve performance of ASDA
___________________________
Researcher choice - researcher has three types of choices- qualitative, quantitative and
mixed used by the researchers in investigation. In this study, quantitative research method is use
to collect numerical data on topic which supports research in ensuring accuracy and validity of
outcomes of investigation.
Data collection method - Data in research can be collected via primary and secondary data
collection methods. This research make use of both types of data collection methods. The fresh
or firsthand data is collected through questionnaire and previously published books and journals
are used to collect secondary data. Use of both methods collectively help researcher in collecting
huge amount of data (Attia and Edge, 2017).
Sampling – It is the process of finding out number of observers from large population. The
sample size can be selected by using probability and non-probability method of sampling. In this
research, probability sampling method is taken into consideration in which random sampling
method is use to select sample size from large population. This helps researcher in eliminating
biasness. 30 respondents are selected to fill the questionnaire in this research.
D) DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
Data Analysis
Q 1) Do you have awareness of the concept of equality and diversity? Frequency
A) Yes 26
B) No 4
Q 2) Do you ever face gender inequality at workplace? Frequency
9

A) Yes 6
B) No 17
C) Sometimes 7
Q 3) According to you, what is the significance of maintaining gender
equality at workplace?
Frequency
A) Declines turnover cost 6
B) Increase business performance 8
C) Makes great business sense 5
D) Improved staff retention 6
E) Greater profitability 5
Q 4) How maintaining gender equality in workplace impacts the
success of ASDA?
Frequency
A) Positively 29
B) Negatively 1
Q 5) As per your opinion, how gender equality impacts on
performance of employees in ASDA?
Frequency
A) Positively 27
B) Negatively 2
C) Neutral 1
Q 6) To what extent do you agree with the fact that gender equality
has direct relation with the increased organizational performance?
Frequency
A) Highly agree 9
B) Agree 15
C) Neutral 3
D) Disagree 2
E) Highly disagree 1
Q 7) According to you, which is the most appropriate strategy that
can be adopt by ASDA for promoting gender equality at workplace?
Frequency
A) Reassess job requirement for leadership 4
10

B) Minimize pay gap 6
C) Provide all employees with similar opportunities 8
D) Reconsideration of interview process 5
E) Prioritizing work life balance 7
Q 8) Which benefit the organisation gets the most by promoting
equality and diversity at workplace?
Frequency
A) Motivated workforce 6
B) Maximized productivity 8
C) Healthy workplace environment 5
D) Increased competitive advantage 6
E) Less employee turnover 5
Data Interpretation
Theme 1: Awareness of the concept of equality and diversity
Q 1) Do you have awareness of the concept of equality and diversity? Frequency
A) Yes 26
B) No 4
11

Interpretation: As per the above mentioned graph, it can be interpreted that 26 out of 30
respondents are aware of the concept of equality and diversity and remaining four respondents
are not aware of the concept.
Theme 2: Ever face gender inequality at workplace
Q 2) Do you ever face gender inequality at workplace? Frequency
A) Yes 6
B) No 17
C) Sometimes 7
Interpretation: According to above graph, it can be said that 6 out of 30 respondents said that
yes they faced gender equality at workplace, 17 respondents said that they did not face gender
equality at workplace and the remaining seven respondents said they sometimes face gender
equality.
Theme 3: Significance of maintaining gender equality at workplace
Q 3) According to you, what is the significance of maintaining gender
equality at workplace?
Frequency
A) Declines turnover cost 6
B) Increase business performance 8
C) Makes great business sense 5
12

D) Improved staff retention 6
E) Greater profitability 5
Interpretation: The above graph depicts that according to 6 out of 30 respondents, the
importance of maintaining gender equality at workplace cost is decline turnover cost, according
to its respondents increased business performance is significance, 5 respondent said that makes
great business sense is the importance, six said that improve staff retention is the importance and
the remaining five respondents said that it is significant as it contributes in greater profitability of
an organisation.
Theme 4: The way maintaining gender equality in workplace impacts the success of company
Q 4) How maintaining gender equality in workplace impacts the
success of ASDA?
Frequency
A) Positively 29
B) Negatively 1
13

Interpretation: According to the above graph, it can be interpreted that 29 out of 30 respondents
said that maintaining gender equality at workplace influence the success of company positively
and the remaining one respondent go with negative influence.
Theme 5: The way gender inequality impacts on performance of employees
Q 5) As per your opinion, how gender equality impacts on
performance of employees in ASDA?
Frequency
A) Positively 27
B) Negatively 2
C) Neutral 1
14

Interpretation: According to the above graph, it is interpreted that out of 30 respondents, 27
said that gender equality impacts the performance of employees positively, two said that it
impacts negatively and the remaining one responded neutral on this.
Theme 6: Agreement with the fact that gender equality has direct relation with an increased
organizational performance
Q 6) To what extent do you agree with the fact that gender equality
has direct relation with the increased organizational performance?
Frequency
A) Highly agree 9
B) Agree 15
C) Neutral 3
D) Disagree 2
E) Highly disagree 1
15

Interpretation: The above graph depicts that 9 out of 30 respondents said that they are highly
agree with the fact that gender equality has direct link with increase organizational performance,
15 are agree with this fact, 3 respondents are neutral on this, two respondents disagree with this
and the remaining one respondent is highly disagreeing with this.
Theme 7: Most appropriate strategy to be adopt by ASDA for promoting gender equality at
workplace
Q 7) According to you, which is the most appropriate strategy that
can be adopt by ASDA for promoting gender equality at workplace?
Frequency
A) Reassess job requirement for leadership 4
B) Minimize pay gap 6
C) Provide all employees with similar opportunities 8
D) Reconsideration of interview process 5
E) Prioritizing work life balance 7
16

Interpretation: According to the above graph, it can be said that according to 4 out of 30
people, reassess job requirement for leadership is the appropriate strategy that can be adopted by
company to promote gender equality at workplace, six said that minimize pay gap is the strategy,
it said that provide employees with similar opportunities is the appropriate strategy, according to
five respondents reconsideration of interview process is the suitable strategy and the remaining 7
respondent said that prioritizing work life balance is the most appropriate strategy that can be
utilized by management of company.
Theme 8: Benefit of promoting equality and diversity at workplace
Q 8) Which benefit the organisation gets the most by promoting
equality and diversity at workplace?
Frequency
A) Motivated workforce 6
B) Maximized productivity 8
C) Healthy workplace environment 5
D) Increased competitive advantage 6
E) Less employee turnover 5
17

Interpretation: The above graph shows that out of 30 respondents, 6 people said that motivated
workforce is the benefits that company gets the most by promoting equality and diversity at
workplace, 8 respondents said that maximize productivity is the benefit, according to five
respondents healthy workplace environment is the benefit, 6 said that increase competitive
advantage is the benefit and the remaining 5 people said that less employee turnover is the
benefit that organisation gets the most.
E) REASEARCH OUTCOMES
According to the above data analysis and discussion, it has been found that maintaining
gender equality in workplace is very crucial for organisation as a positively impacts its
performance and lead it towards growth and success. gender inequalities exist within the
organisation, it impacts adversely on the performance and motivation level of employees which
ultimately declines the productivity of company. So, it is very necessary for the organisation to
ensure that men and women are treated equally at workplace and provided with similar
opportunities. Various strategies can be employed by an organisation for promoting gender
equality at workplace (Flynn, Haynes and Kilgour, 2017). These strategies include assessment of
job requirement for senior leader, consider biases, expand applicant pool, reconsider interview
process etc. All this will help in maintaining gender equality at workplace. By using appropriate
communication tools like emails and social media, the outcomes of research are communicated
appropriately to stakeholders.
18

F) REFLECTION AND RECOMMENDATION FOR ALTERNATIVE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Performing this research project provide me with various opportunities. I learnt many things
by conducting this project and good experience from it. This project helped me in improving my
skills and knowledge regarding various aspects. This helped me in increasing my knowledge
regarding the topic along with other areas also. Through this project, I enabled to identify my
strengths along with weak areas which further help me in taking appropriate measures to
improve those. It helped in improving my communication and team working skills. All the
activities of the research performed in well manner. However, time and cost are the two aspects
due to which I faced difficulty while performing the research. Due to lack of time, some of the
activities of research delayed. But, my team members helped me in performing all the activities
on time and finish the project on specified time. For improving my communication skills, I will
attend sessions on communication which will help in my growth and development. In future, if I
get the chance to perform the study again, the experience that I get from this is research will help
me a lot in performing the investigation more effectively. Apart from this, in this research,
quantitative research method is used. If I get chance to perform the research next time, I can use
qualitative method for collecting non numerical data on the topic in huge amount. In addition to
this, in this study, questionnaire tool is used. In future I can use interview for collecting
qualitative information on the topic.
G) CONCLUSION
As per the above mentioned report, it has been concluded that the organisation required to
maintain gender equality at workplace and treat all the employees who are working at similar
level in similar way. Management requires to ensure that all the employees are provided with
similar growth and development opportunities which creates a sense of satisfaction and
belongingness among employees and they enable to work more productively in organisation.
Apart from this, organisation requires to adopt appropriate strategies for promoting equality and
diversity at workplace. This will provide various benefits to organisation in terms of motivated
workforce, maximize productivity, increase competitive advantage, less employee turnover and
19

healthy workplace environment. In organisations employees should focus on more diversity as it
is good for individuals as well as for economy.
H) RECOMMENDATIONS
Maintaining gender equality at workplace is crucial for the management of company. It is
necessary for the manager to ensure that equality is maintained within the firm. For maintaining
and promoting gender equality at workplace, it is recommended that organisation should treat all
the employees equally and provide them with equal opportunities to grow and develop. This will
help in increasing motivation and satisfaction level of employee and make them able to work
productively in organisation. Moreover, management of ASDA should ensure that the employees
working on same level will get equal pay and women are also placed on top positions similar to
the man. This can help in maintaining equality at workplace and promoting the healthy work
environment which is free of biases. Apart from this, organisation should also follow all the
employment legislations in order to protect the rights of employees which ultimately makes them
satisfied and more productive at workplace. This will lead the organisation towards higher
productivity and growth.
20

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Ali, M., 2016. Impact of gender-focused human resource management on performance: The
mediating effects of gender diversity. Australian Journal of Management, 41(2), pp.376-
397.
Attia, M. and Edge, J., 2017. Be (com) ing a reflexive researcher: a developmental approach to
research methodology. Open Review of Educational Research, 4(1), pp.33-45.
Barak, M.E.M., 2016. Managing diversity: Toward a globally inclusive workplace. Sage
Publications.
Flood, M. and Howson, R. eds., 2015. Engaging men in building gender equality. Cambridge
Scholars Publishing.
Flynn, P.M., Haynes, K. and Kilgour, M.A. eds., 2017. Overcoming challenges to gender
equality in the workplace: Leadership and innovation. Routledge.
Hideg, I. and Ferris, D.L., 2016. The compassionate sexist? How benevolent sexism promotes
and undermines gender equality in the workplace. Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology, 111(5), p.706.
Kato, T. and Kodama, N., 2015. Work-life balance practices, performance-related pay, and
gender equality in the workplace: evidence from Japan.
Kirton, G. and Greene, A.M., 2015. The dynamics of managing diversity: A critical approach.
Routledge.
Klarsfeld, A., and et. al., 2016. Comparative equality and diversity: main findings and research
gaps. Cross Cultural & Strategic Management.
Klein, U., 2016, January. Gender equality and diversity politics in higher education: Conflicts,
challenges and requirements for collaboration. In Women's Studies International
Forum (Vol. 54, pp. 147-156). Pergamon.
Koskinen Sandberg, P., 2017. Intertwining gender inequalities and gender‐neutral legitimacy in
job evaluation and performance‐related pay. Gender, Work & Organization, 24(2),
pp.156-170.
Krishnaswamy, K.N., 2016. Management Research Methodlogy: Integration of Principles,
Medthods and Techniques. Pearson Education India.
Kulkarni, M., Boehm, S.A. and Basu, S., 2016. Workplace inclusion of persons with a
disability. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal.
Kumar, R., 2019. Research methodology: A step-by-step guide for beginners. Sage Publications
Limited.
Mackey, A. and Gass, S.M., 2015. Second language research: Methodology and design.
Routledge.
Ozturk, M.B. and Tatli, A., 2016. Gender identity inclusion in the workplace: broadening
diversity management research and practice through the case of transgender employees in
the UK. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 27(8), pp.781-802.
Ravazzani, S., 2016. Understanding approaches to managing diversity in the
workplace. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal.
Sanyal, C., and et. al., 2015. Diversity and inclusion depend on effective engagement. Human
Resource Management International Digest.
21

Taherdoost, H., 2016. Sampling methods in research methodology; how to choose a sampling
technique for research. How to Choose a Sampling Technique for Research (April 10,
2016).
Winchester, H.P. and Browning, L., 2015. Gender equality in academia: a critical
reflection. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 37(3), pp.269-281.
22