Identifying Age Discrimination: Equality and Diversity at Next plc

This research project investigates the impact of equality and diversity practices in mitigating age-based discrimination within the workplace, using Next plc as a case study. The study explores the concept of workplace discrimination, specifically focusing on age-related biases. It examines the effectiveness of equality and diversity initiatives in reducing age discrimination and identifies strategies employed by Next plc to minimize such biases. The methodology includes a literature review, a positivism research philosophy with a deductive approach, and a questionnaire-based data collection strategy with a sample of 40 participants using random sampling. The findings, analyzed through data interpretations from questionnaires, aim to provide insights into the prevalence of age discrimination and the efficacy of implemented practices. The project also includes a discussion of ethical considerations and recommendations for alternative methodologies. The project highlights the significance of addressing ageism to enhance organizational productivity and foster an inclusive work environment.

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:

Addressing prejudice and negative stereotypes regarding older workers-Ageism or
awareness sessions that break up stereotypes regarding older workers, enhance the identity of the
workforce; encourage their positive contribution to the workplace and advantages for age
inclusivity. Encouraging intergenerational interaction is through mentorship and workshop
schemes.
Encouraging age-inclusive and age-diverse workplaces- Promote age and age-
diversity at work through financial rewards for employers, capacity building for aging and
collaborations with local stakeholders to promote far further-reaching and positive change
(Dipboye, 2016).
Provide training- Employ a consultant to carry conduct training to increase employee
awareness if company has no in-house experience. Allow all workers to participate. The training
will pursue substantive improvements in understanding and actions and find things like not only
"discrimination" or "harassment," but also the reasons for their harm, causes and their complete
inadmissibility. Make sure staff know what to do if they encounter it or are exposed to it.
Enhance and foster the obligation of individuals.
Embracing Multigenerational Workplace- Multi-generational workplace is only way
to prevent prejudice against ages. Each of your workers should contribute, irrespective of age to
success of the company. However, it involves the development of a culture which welcomes
employees and respects their individual qualities and their age (Jones, 2016).
.

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Methodology of an investigation is relates to procedure of systematically collecting data
on the investigation. It focus on helping researcher collect reliable information. Numerous useful
methods have been included in this section of the project, which are listed:
Research philosophy- Positivism is being used, since it analyzes the data and provides
genuine facts and evidence. This philosophy of research is used as it involves aspects of study
that can be explored effectively. This is largely focused on a hypothesis that is to be checked
during the testing process using current theory.
Research approach- The section for methodology is main part as this consists two
distinct approaches, inductive and also deductive. The Deductive approach is applied because it
facilitates study quantitative and numerical details over a shorter time frame. Other approach that
is not suited because this requires information and associated costs in connection with deductive
approach (King and Bryant, 2017).
Research Choice- This is key components of research methodology, from which
researchers can effectively interpret and interpret data on different topic areas. Two choices of
research are primarily used to gather reliable data, qualitative and quantitative. A researcher can
use a quantitative research choice to provide relevant information on a particular subject. Once
such quantitative choice is selected, a researcher can obtain reliable data which will help in find
valid results.
Research strategy- It also covers many parts including cases, surveys, interviews and
also more. This is a significant part of the study. Questionnaire is right strategy for collecting and
associated with primary data or information from the sample size which is connected with the
research topic described (Nelson, 2016).
Data collection- This is key research phase that contributes mainly to the reliability of
the overall study and its validity. The collection of data defines how data is collected through
various sources. Two different forms of data collection are primary and secondary.

The primary approach used for conducting the current investigation is the gathering of
facts directly from and out of hand. A questionnaire has been developed to gather data from
primary source, consisting of questions relating to specific fields of research (Reavley, Jorm and
Morgan, 2017).
Sampling- This is an effective tool and way of collecting the appropriate facts and
statistics from the wide population that could be used by the researchers. Researchers can collect
valid data for this purpose when a research report is completed. There are two kinds,
probabilistic and non probabilistic sampling methods here. In this, a researcher uses sample size
in a different way, using probabilistic methods and techniques. The study chooses 40 participants
using random sampling method. It is suitable as this gives equal chance to the selected
participants (Temple and et. al., 2019).
Ethical consideration- The key acknowledgement of the study is to follow research
ethics in order to perform exploration well organized and raising chances of problem when
performing a research adequately. In this project, researchers must ensure the security and safety
of private information to their respondents, since the individual doesn't really care about the
provision of information as they have problem of lacking their privacy. For approval of the
project, the researchers must submit a consent form for respondents’ results (Wainwright and et.
al., 2019).

CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATIONS
Questionnaire
Q1) Do you know regarding age discrimination in context to organisation?
a) Yes
b) No
Q2) At workplace, do you feel that discrimination exist on age basis?
a) Yes
b) No
Q3) As per your opinion, age discrimination reduces the organisational productivity?
a) Yes
b) No
Q4) In which way, age discrimination influence on employees performance?
a) Positive manner
b) Negative manner
Q5) What kind of complexities faced through company from arisen the age discrimination?
a) Increase employee turnover
b) Reduce employees performance
c) Minimize organisational productivity
Q6) According to your viewpoint does implementing practices related to equality and
diversity in minimizing age discrimination?
a) Yes
b) No
Q7) Which different practices of equality and diversity, company needs to be used in
preventing age discrimination?
a) Identify and prevent unconscious bias
b) Put equality policies
c) Use objective criteria
Q8) Do you feel that old employees gives more contribution in increasing organisational
productivity due to their experience?

a) Yes
b) No
Q9) What benefits company get from reducing age discrimination?
a) Enhancing motivation
b) Positive working environment
c) Increasing organisational profitability
Q10) Suggest ways through which company can sustain old staff for longer tine period.
Data sheet
Q1) Do you know regarding age discrimination in context to
organisation?
Frequency
a) Yes 36
b) No 4
Q2) At workplace, do you feel that discrimination exist on age
basis?
Frequency
a) Yes 15
b) No 25
Q3) Does age discrimination reduces the organisational
productivity?
Frequency
a) Yes 35
b) No 5
Q4) In which way, age discrimination influence on employees
performance?
Frequency
a) Positive manner 25
b) Negative manner 15
Q5) Which kind of complexities faced through company from
arisen the age discrimination?
Frequency
a) Increase employee turnover 15
b) Reduce employees performance 10
c) Minimize organisational productivity 15
Q6) According to your viewpoint does implementing practices

related to equality and diversity in minimizing age
discrimination?
Frequency
a) Yes 25
b) No 15
Q7) Which different practices of equality and diversity, company
needs to be used in preventing age discrimination?
Frequency
a) Identify and prevent unconscious bias 25
b) Put equality policies 10
c) Use objective criteria 5
Q8) Do you feel that old employees gives more contribution in
increasing organisational productivity due to their experience?
Frequency
a) Yes 30
b) No 10
Q9) Which benefits firm get from reducing age discrimination? Frequency
a) Enhancing motivation 10
b) Develop positive working environment 20
c) Increasing organisational profitability 10
THEME 1: Know regarding age discrimination
Q1) Do you know regarding age discrimination in context to
organisation?
Frequency
a) Yes 36
b) No 4