Gender Pay Equality at Waitrose: A Comprehensive Report

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GENDER PAY EQUALITY IN WAITROSE

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Executive Summary
This research paper deals with the different aspects related to gender pay equality. This very
strong strategic management tool can help the organisation to encourage gender equality
within the organisation. Besides that, the organisation can actually also understand the
importance of gender equality within their establishment and it is very good for the
environment of the organisation. The employees will not be mistreated by other employees
because of the same pay structure. Through this, the organisation can actually establish the
fact that females and males should be paid the same for the same work. It is the only credible
logic that should be followed within an organisation and it can actually be actually very
beneficial for the growth and development of the organisation. There are different theories
associated with this topic that are also discussed in the course of this research that can help to
achieve a deep insight about the whole topic about gender pay equality.

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Table of Contents
Executive Summary...................................................................................................................2
Introduction................................................................................................................................4
Background of Waitrose.............................................................................................................4
Main Analysis............................................................................................................................5
Similar Attraction Theory.......................................................................................................5
Social Identity Theory............................................................................................................6
Impact of Gender Pay Equality in Waitrose...........................................................................6
Ways in which the policy is implemented in Waitrose..........................................................7
Risks evident in implementing the policy..............................................................................8
Mitigating the encountered risks............................................................................................9
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................9
Recommendations......................................................................................................................9
References................................................................................................................................11

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Introduction
In this twenty-first century, the position of the men and women has changed a lot in the
prospect of business organisations. The women tend to get more powers and
acknowledgement in the organisations that are very important for gender equality. The
gender pay equality focuses upon equal wages to both men and women. This theory has a lot
of credibility in the business platform. There are times when the payment of the men and
women are far different from each other even though they both tend to serve the same
activities and provide the same functions for the company. This is very inappropriate for
women. Thus, the gender discrimination is exercised within an organisation. This can raise a
lot of conflicts and dissatisfaction amongst the employees of the organisation. There can be a
barrier between the men and women that is very harmful to the environment of the
organisation. With conflicts like this, the organisation can actually face a lot of problems
regarding the quality of the products and reputations in the long run. In this research paper,
the different aspects related to gender pay equality has been discussed in the context of
Waitrose organisation. In order to maintain a huge organisation like this, the different
features and aspects of gender pay equality should be focused upon in order to be equal and
liberal with gender. Thus, the environment within the organisation can be better with time
and it is only for the betterment of the organisation as well as the employees of the
organisation.
Background of Waitrose
Waitrose is one of the most popular chains of supermarkets in the United Kingdom. This is
subsidiary under the John Lewis Partnership. This organisation is considered as one of the
biggest employees owned retailers. This is established in the year of 1904. Therefore, it can
be said that this organisation is a very old organisation. The owners of this organisation
initially were Wallace Waite, David Taylor and Arthur Rose who had designed the plan for
initiating this business. After a few years, David Taylor separated from this brand. That is
why this organisation is named after the remaining two owners (Szydlowska, 2018). After the
initial struggle, the organisation has grown a lot in the business platform. That is why this
organisation is acknowledged as one of the most popular supermarket platforms in Britain.
There are different strategies that the organisation has taken in order to experience growth
and development. This organisation has grown a lot in the past few years. There are many
employees working for this organisation. The employees are actually an important part of this

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organisation that is why their decisions are taken into consideration when it comes to the
health of the organisation in general. Waitrose is one of those companies who have thought a
lot about the employees. The different choices and the demands of the employees are taken
into consideration by this organisation as well (Johnson et al. 2018). This organisation is
taken for the discussion in this research paper is because of the different implementation of
the strategic management tools within the organisation. As there are many employees in this
organisation the numbers of men and women are balanced in this organisation but in recent
years they have to focus upon the gender pay quality. Both the men and women serve the
same service for the organisation and that is why it can be said that both of them are eligible
for the equal payment in this organisation. This can actually increase the satisfaction level of
the employees (Redfearn et al. 2019). The strategic management tool like the gender equality
payment will help the organisation to achieve a certain height in the business platform.
Main Analysis
Similar Attraction Theory
The theory that is associated with gender pay equality is the Similarity attraction theory.
According to this theory, people tend to get attracted to a similar person. This psychological
phenomenon can be seen within the general people. There are some important aspects
through which the people tend to find the similarity with the others. In an organisation, the
pay structure can actually be one of the important aspects that can end many relationships
within the organisation (Van Hoye and Turban, 2015). The people of the organisations tend
to get along with the people with the same pay structure. Otherwise, a sense of inferiority can
be seen within the people working for the organisation and this can certainly have an effect
upon the surrounding environment of the organisation. The similarity-attraction theory
mainly focuses on the fact that the employees of the organisation can have different conflicts
due to the different pay structure based upon gender only. This can also accelerate gender
discrimination within the organisation. That is why according to the similarity-attraction
theory the pay structure of the certain organisation should be the same in order to avoid
conflicts between the employees (Mitteness et al. 2016). This scenario is very applicable for
Waitrose as well. It has been discussed earlier that this organisation is very huge on its own.
There are many employees working for this organisation. Men and women both are there
working for the organisation. If the pay structure for both of them is, same then it can build a
good relationship between all the employees and it is very good for the organisation and the

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health of the employees as well (Wilson et al. 2016). According to the similarity-attraction
theory, the organisation can focus upon the similar pay structure of men and women within
its radar because it has the capability of reducing the conflicts and confusion amongst the
employees and thus the quality of the products can be good as well.
Social Identity Theory
Another theory that is associated with the gender equality payment is the Social Identity
Theory. This is a very important aspect to focus upon the gender equality payment. If the men
and women both are given the different pay scale after serving the same service for a certain
organisation then it is an encouragement towards gender discrimination (Hogg, 2016). The
social identity is a very important part of gender equality. If the pay structure for the men and
women are different from each other than it actually reduces the strong social presence in the
society. This is very harmful to women in general. However, in the present scenario, the
gender equality is insured but still there can be the dominance of the male over the women. It
can start with the organisations only. If the organisation tends to treat the men and women,
just as the same then it can make the position of the women stronger and they can be treated
equally as the male employees (Zeugner-Rot et al. 2015). This depends a lot upon the pay
structure of the male and female. If the pay structure of the men and women is the same then
it can actually ensure a better place for the moment in the specific organisation. Social
identity is one thing that should be acquired by both male and female and it starts from the
organisation. This scenario is applicable in the context of the Waitrose as well. The
organisation has many male and female employees who have a lot of contribution to the
success of the organisation. According to this theory if the male and female are treated
equally within an organisation the first thing is the similar pay structure for both of them. It
can help the women to get an equal position as the male within the organisation (Cannella et
al. 2015). This can also have a lot of impact on the reputation of the organisation.
Impact of Gender Pay Equality in Waitrose
The organisation Waitrose is a very important and popular industry within the country. This
chain of supermarkets has gained a lot of success in the business platform of the United
Kingdom. This organisation is the employee-owned retailer that is unique in this country. As
this organisation is an employee-handled organisation, there are many employees within this
organisation (Wright, 2016). Besides that, the choices and the opinions of the employees
matters a lot for this organisation. There are many male and female employees working for

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this organisation. They work for the different types of functions within the organisation. If the
genders are not given equality then it can create a lot of confusion and conflicts between the
employees of the organisation. The genders should not be discriminated against within the
organisation and that can make the environment of the organisation far better and
comfortable for the employees. Besides that, the organisation can also face a lot of loss of the
employees due to the impact of gender discrimination that is very harmful for the
organisation as well (Wilshaw et al. 2015). As the opinions and the roles of the employee, for
this organisation is very crucial their satisfaction from the organisation matters a lot for the
success of the establishment.
In recent times, the organisation has played a lot of focus upon the different strategies that
can establish the gender equality within the organisation. One of the major strategies for this
is equal pay for both male and female. This method is very logical and readable at the same
time. In addition to that is can have a lot of positive impact on the environment of the
organisation (Wilshaw, 2018). After implementing the strategies regarding the equal pay
structure the organisation can actually gain a lot of trust and confidence of the female
employees which is great for the surrounding of the organisation. Te gender equal payment
can actually establish a good relationship between the male and female workers of the
organisation. After this, they can work together for a certain environment within the
organisation. This unity between the male and the female is very much needed for the
establishment of a good example of gender equality within the organisation. If the
organisation sets the pay structure for both the male and female just the same then they are
ensuring gender equality on their behalf. After that, the female workers cannot be mistreated
by the other workers as well. They can share the same position just like the male workers in
general (Clark et al. 2017). This can help the organisation to build a very healthy
environment within its proximity and the participants of the male and female employees will
be great for the growth and expansion of the organisation.
Ways in which the policy is implemented in Waitrose
At first, the organisation has given a lot of attention to the pay scale of the employees. If there
is a misbalance in the pay structure of male and female then it can actually have a lot of
impact on the different pay structure of the employees. At first, the organisation has to look
after the different functions that are delivered by the employees of the organisation (TOPIĆ
and TENCH, 2017). Other than that, the females and the males will not be discriminated

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against within the organisation. If one male employee and female employees are in the same
position and delivering the same service within the organisation then the organisation will
balance the salary structure of them. This can actually give a lot of confidence towards the
female employees who are used to being discriminated throughout every prospect of society.
The organisation should also implement different strategies so that the female employees will
not be discriminated against or ill-treated by the male employees or the other employees for
that matter. The implementation of the same pay structure can actually make a strong position
for female employees (Hughes et al. 2019). If the position and the salary structure of the
female employees are the same as the male employees then it can mend the toxic relationship
between the male and the female employees within the organisation. The females will feel
more secure within the organisation. With the agreement of the employees, the organisation
should implement the different strategies and most importantly the equal pay structure for
both the male and females.
Risks evident in implementing the policy
Many people do not agree with the equal pay structure of both male and female employees.
When the pay structure of the female and the male tends to be the same as the male workers
can demand the hike in their pay structure. It is very evident that it can create many conflicts
within the environment of the organisation. Besides that, the employees who do not approve
of the same pay structure of both females and males can create a lot of objections and
obligations for the functions of the males. Sometimes in order to establish the female
empowerment, the male workers can be ignored by the organisation. It can create a lot of
risky situation for the organisation. The male workers can be dissatisfied with the
organisation and the different policies if they think that they are ignored within the
organisation. The main theme is about balancing the genders and to implement or encourage
any kind of gender discrimination within the organisation (Wood, 2016). However, that
means that the male and female should be given the same kind of attention by the superiors of
the organisation. In most of the cases in the process of encouraging, the female empowerment
the males are ignored which is not the goal of the organisation at all. These are some of the
risks that can be there in the process of implementation of the gender equality payment within
the organisation.

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Mitigating the encountered risks
Initially, the organisation has to ensure the real and actual gender equality within the
organisation. Waitrose is an organisation that is majorly handled by the employees. That is
why the decisions and the opinions of the employees matters a lot to the organisation. The
employees should be taken for the discussion within the organisation. The employees should
have an idea about the different ideas and the thought processes behind the implementation of
the different strategies to ensure gender pay equality. Besides that, employees should
understand the importance of gender equality. The main idea behind this should be given
away to the employees. The people beyond their genders will be paid with the same salary
structure for the same kind of services they are providing. The risks of the male workers
feeling like being left out should be mitigated with the proper conversation with them. The
organisation should also understand the fact that there is no female empowerment or the male
empowerment this is about gender equality within the organisation. The workers should feel
the same about each other and no one within the organisation should be mistreated by the
other person.
Conclusion
It can be concluded from the above discussion that gender pay equality is a very important
mechanism within the strategic management tools. This mechanism can ensure the actual
gender equality within the organisation that is very important for establishing conflict and
tension free environment within the organisation. There are different kinds of strategies to
implement the policies of equal pay to both males and females within the proximity of the
organisation. The organisation should focus on the different beneficial ways through which
the implementation can be less time consuming and less confusing between the workers of
the organisation. Thus, the organisation can actually implement the different policies of the
gender pay equality within the organisation and this can be beneficial for the employees of
the organisation and the reputation and the reputation of the organisation as well.
Recommendations
It has been discussed above that there are many different risks associated with the
implementation of the gender pay equality within the organisation. The organization should
follow some steps to avoid or reduce the different confusion and conflicts that can arise due
to this policy within the organisation. The organisation should put focus upon the

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communication between the employees. The communication and the discussion can actually
reduce a lot of tension and problems from the employees. The different types of programs
should be conducted in order to make workers aware of the importance of gender equality.
After that, they can accept the different decisions taken by the organisation for the betterment
of gender equality within the organisation. The organisation should give a notice about this
abrupt change within the organisation so that it cannot make the employees confused. As this
is a kind of change in the scenario or the policies of the organisation there is a severe need for
the change management initiatives within the organisation. Thus, the organisation can
actually manage all the problems regarding the implementation of the different policies
within the organisation. After following these steps, the organisation can actually achieve
many benefits and there will be a lot of acceptance of the new policy amongst the workers
within the organisation.

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