Impact of Equality and Diversity on Work-Life Balance at M&S

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of work-life balance, equality, and diversity within the context of Marks & Spencer (M&S). It begins with an executive summary and introduction, outlining the importance of these concepts in the modern workplace. The report delves into a literature review, exploring the definitions and benefits of equality, diversity, and work-life balance, while also examining the challenges associated with each. The research methodology, including primary and secondary methods, quantitative and qualitative research approaches, and sampling techniques, is clearly defined. The report then presents the findings of the data interpretation and analysis, providing insights into the impact of equality and diversity on work-life balance and employee experience. Finally, the report concludes with a summary of key findings and recommendations, emphasizing the significance of fostering a balanced and inclusive work environment at M&S to enhance employee productivity, satisfaction, and overall organizational success. The report also includes references and appendices for further context and information.

Research Project

Contents
Executive Summary...............................................................................................................................3
INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................................4
Literature Review....................................................................................................................................5
Research Methodology.........................................................................................................................6
Timeline.....................................................................................................................................................9
Data Interpretation and Analysis......................................................................................................10
CONCLUSION........................................................................................................................................15
REFERENCES........................................................................................................................................16
Appendix.................................................................................................................................................17

Executive Summary
The report is based on equality and diversity and its importance within a workplace. The
report also talks about the importance of work-life balance in the workplace and how can a
company promote the same. The organization for this report is Marks and Spencer which is a
British multinational retailer of household, clothing, food and beverage products. Lastly, the
report also analyzes the benefits and challenges of work-life balance. And determines impact of
equality and diversity work life balance in order to enhance experience of employees.

INTRODUCTION
Equality within an organization is about ensuring that every employee gets an equal
opportunity is not treated separately. On the other hand, diversity is concerned with differences
among employees within the workplace between both individuals as well as groups. Companies
today are increasingly promoting this concept within their systems in order to enhance the
overall productivity of the employees (Bark, Kragt and Robson, 2016). The topic chosen for this
report is “The work-life balance and enrichment experiences” and why are they necessary.
Marks and Spencer is a British multinational retailer that offers high quality household, clothing,
food and beverage products to the customers. It was found by Michael Marks and Thomas
Spencer in the year 1884 and is headquartered in London. United Kingdom (Chalip and
Hutchinson, 2017). Marks and Spencer has various brands under its name like M&S,
Autograph, Limited, Rosie etc.
Research Aim
“To analyze the impact of Equality and Diversity on work-life balance in order to provide
enriched experiences to employees.”
Research Objectives
 To understand the concept of equality and diversity at a work place.
 To analyze the benefits and challenges of work-life balance.
 To determine the impact of equality and diversity over work life balance in order to
enhance experience of employees.
Research Questions
 What is the concept of equality and diversity at a work place?
 What are the benefits and challenges of work-life balance?
 What is the impact of equality and diversity work life balance in order to enhance
experience of employees?
Rationale for choosing the topic and its importance
The rational behind choosing this topic is to understand the importance of work-life
balance in order to enhance the overall productivity of employees within the company. It will
also help in learning about the concept of equality and diversity in a workplace. It is important for
the employees to have a work-life balance in order to maintain their productivity levels.

Literature Review
Equality and Diversity is an important concept today in organizations as it ensures that
everyone within the workplace gets and equal opportunity and there is no discrimination.
Equality can be viewed as providing the same opportunity for everyone and diversity being
giving every individual the opportunity to freely express themselves without any prejudice and
discrimination (Isomöttönen and Tirronen, 2016). Having a well diverse workforce helps to
increase creativity and productivity of the firm. Additionally, reduced fear and discrimination
also help substantially improve performance and boost the brand’s reputation on the global
marketplace. Marks and Spencer promotes the concept of equality and diversity in its workplace
by ensuring that all employees who work for the firm are given equal opportunities to enhance
their overall experience as well as knowledge.
This can be achieved through various measures such as identifying and preventing
unconscious bias, putting the right policies in place and being proactive in safeguarding the
interests of all employees and customers. Being a global consumer brand, Marks & Spencer
has put in considerate effort in its activities and media representations to show their interests in
this subject matter which has helped showcase the values of the firm to its target audience. This
can also be done by promoting equality between both male and female employees. It should
also be made sure that they are paid the same amount of salaries. Also, a diverse workforce
can help a company in understanding the needs and preferences of the customers in a much
more effective way (Why is diversity in the workplace important?, 2020).
There are many benefits of having a good work-life balance that can help employees in
feeling more in control of their work and as a result can lead to an increase in their overall
productivity. They feel more confident and feel like coming to office every day which leads to a
reduction in absenteeism (Leavy, 2017). It has been seen that companies that promote work-life
balance in their systems have happier and less stressed staff. The employees are more regular,
committed and engaged to their jobs. Having a work-life balance is important for both the
company as well as its employees as it can significantly contribute to the overall performance of
the company and help it retain employees for a longer time.
Apart from having many advantages, work-life balance can also pose many
disadvantages. It can lead to an increase unrealistic demands at work like weekend meetings
and a lot of pressure. Lack of resources can also act as a drawback because it can impact the
overall way in which business activities are conducted (McMahon and McMahon, 2016).
Therefore, in order to overcome this disadvantage, a company can promote creativity in its

system. Marks and Spencer promotes a work-life balance in its system to ensure that the
productivity levels of all the employees in the system is always high. This has helped it in
attaining the position of being one of the market leaders in the industry despite being an old
brand.
Equality and Diversity can affect the work-life balance significantly and promote a
healthy environment within the workplace. It has been seen that when employees share their
personal responsibilities with their team members and vice versa, diversity is created within the
organization. If all the employees within a company are treated equally, they tend to have
balance between their work as well as life. As a result, they are more oriented towards their jobs
and also satisfied with the work. On the other hand, companies that do not promote work-life
balance in their workplace are likely to have a workforce that is not enthusiastic about work and
also not committed to the job.
Also, diversity can affect the workplace negatively which can include miscommunication,
rise of different barriers etc. while companies with a diverse culture have people who have
different thoughts, beliefs, customs and values (McNiff, 2016). Since Marks and Spencer has
operations in the different parts of the world, it has employees working from various distinct
backgrounds working for it. Due to this, there is creativity and uniqueness in the culture of the
company. It also supports the idea of work-life balance and provides various opportunities to the
employees like flexible working hours, working from home etc. Thus, it can be said that equality
and diversity can have both positive as well as negative impacts on the work-life balance of
employees in a workplace.
Research Methodology
Research Methodology can be defined as a collection of procedures that are used in
order to identify, select as well as analyze information about a particular topic. It helps in making
effective decisions so as to attain goals and objectives. Cause and effect relations can also be
understood among various variables (Oakley, 2018). Apart from this, research methodology
holds importance in helping the research identify patterns and trends in different variables.
Therefore, every research should have a section of research methodology so that reliable and
accurate data is gathered and desired results are obtained. It also helps in making the research
valid and reliable.
Primary Methods – Primary methods of research include gathering first hand data from
the respondents. And since the data that is collected does not have any bias, it can be relied

upon and can be considered to be accurate (Sapouna and Pamer, 2016). The different primary
methods of collecting information are questionnaire, observation, surveys, field tests, focus
group, group discussion etc. The researcher can collect similar information from all the
respondents through primary methods. Also, the researcher can tailor different methods based
on the need of research. Data collection is an important component and can help in making
sound decisions. Data collection through primary methods involve more cost as well as time in
comparison to secondary methods of a research. Lastly, primary methods are generally used to
get an in-depth exploration of the research topic.
Secondary Methods – Secondary methods of research involve collecting data through
sources that already contain information. These methods are relatively cheap and also, involve
a less amount of time as compared to primary methods (O'Leary, 2017). Some examples of
secondary methods for collecting information are journals, online websites, information available
on various government and non-government sites, diaries, public libraries/books etc. There are
chances that data which is available through these sources is not completely relevant to the
research of a researcher. He/she might have to alter the same as per his/her needs. The
data/information which is collected through secondary methods is majorly aimed at gaining a
broader understanding of a particular problem (Secondary Research- Definition, Methods and
Examples, 2020). Also, the accuracy and reliability of the information is also not completely
guaranteed.
Quantitative Research – It can be defined as a structured investigation which involves
gathering information that is quantifiable and can be represented in the form of numbers,
statistics and graphs. The different techniques that are used to collect information for a
quantitative research are more structured that those used in a qualitative research. The different
ways in which data can be collected for this kind of research include interviews, both face-to-
face as well as telephonic, surveys, online polls, questionnaires, observations etc. The results
that are obtained by analyzing the information are usually based on large sample sizes
(Research Guides, 2020). Also, in such a research, the researcher has a research question that
is clearly defined. This is a primary research and primary methods like a questionnaire has been
used to collect information from the respondents that can be further analyzed in order to get a
better understanding of the research problem.
Qualitative Research – It is a type of research that primarily focuses on collecting data
from open-ended methods of communication (Paulsen and Høyer, 2016). The main purpose of
conducting a qualitative research is to understand underlying reasons behind a particular

problem. The results of a qualitative research cannot be expressed in the form of numbers of
graphs. Instead, they are presented in the form of facts and figures. A researcher can collect
data for a qualitative research in various ways like observation, focus groups etc. Also, the
sample size of this kind of research is comparatively smaller than that of a quantitative research
(Reale and Zinilli, 2017). Therefore, a qualitative research helps in understanding the behavior
and perception of customers in the market. This kind of research is basically used to understand
the complex interactions and issues between human beings.
Sampling – It is a method that is used so that relevant information can be gathered from
the respondents and analyzed. In this process a pre-determined number of observations are
taken out from a larger population. The sample is then is then analyzed in order to obtain
desired results. Also, the size of the sample depends on the type of analysis that is being
performed in the research. There are two types of sampling, namely- probabilistic and non-
probabilistic. In context to this research, random sampling has been used wherein each sample
has an equal probability of getting selected. Sampling within a research involves less time and
ensures that the accuracy of data collected is also high. The sample size of this particular
research is 25 respondents.
Questionnaire – A questionnaire can be defined as research instrument that contains a
series of questions in order to gather information about a particular topic. It is one of the most
cost-effective ways to gather information from the respondents (Pitcher and et. al., 2017).
Information or data that is collected through questionnaire is reliable and accurate. In context to
this research, a questionnaire has been used to gather data from the respondents. Also, the
questionnaire helps in collecting similar information from all the respondents at the same time.
But there are also disadvantages that are associated with using questionnaire in a research.
One of the main disadvantages is that some respondents might lie and provide wrong answer
which can affect the overall results of the research.
Limitations and Possible Difficulties
While conducting this research, there are chances that the researcher may face some
limitations and difficulties. The difficulties might be related to funds or time available with the
research to carry out the research in a detailed manner. Having a poor research design can also
pose difficulties in carrying out the research (Thomas, 2017). Apart from this, there might be a
case wherein some respondents do not fill up accurate information, lie or choose to not answer
a particular question. This can have an impact on the final outcome of the research leading to

the results not being accurate. Lack of knowledge about the research topic can also limit the
research from being completely reliable.
Timeline
Work Breakdown Structure
WBS or Work Breakdown Structure can be defined as breakdown of a complete project
into various small components that can be managed easily (Polonsky and Waller, 2018). A work
breakdown structure also helps in monitoring the overall progress of the project. The main
purpose of a work breakdown structure is to help in reducing complex tasks in to activities that
can be monitored and evaluated effectively. By implementing this concept, a project manager
can easily examine the progress of various tasks in a project. The concept also helps in
completing and delivering a project well within time (Quinlan and et. al., 2019). The progress of
completing the schedule of a project is also an added advantage of a work breakdown structure.
Once a task is broken down into small and manageable activities, each activity is assigned to a
team member. This way the efficiency of the project is also maintained and it is completed,
delivered in time.
Gantt Chart
A Gantt Chart can be defined as a chart that explains the schedule of a particular project
within an organization. It was developed by Henry Gantt between the years 1910 and 1915. It is
often used in Project Management and outlines the schedule in a horizontal graphical
representation. A project manager can view the different tasks in a project as well as their
duration individually (What is a Gantt Chart?, 2020). Gantt charts are a useful tool because they
can be created and used easily. Different tasks in this research will be carried out in different
time frames. Each task will be allotted a deadline and it will be completed within that time
duration to ensure that the complete project is delivered on time.

Data Interpretation and Analysis
Q1 Do you have any knowledge about how equality and diversity is related to employee
motivation at a workplace?
Response Frequency
Yes 18
No 7

Yes No
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
Frequency
Interpretation
On the basis of above graph, it can be stated that 18 respondents have knowledge
about how equality and diversity in is related to employee motivation at a workplace while 7
respondents think otherwise.
Q2 What should Marks and Spencer do in order to promote work life balance in the
workplace?
Response Frequency
Encourage efficient work 8
Allow work from home 7
Allow flexible working hours 10
Encourage efficient
work Allow work from home Allow flexible working
hours
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Frequency

Interpretation
From the above graph, it can be said that 8 respondents think that encouraging efficient
work, 7 think that working from while 10 think that allowing flexible working hours should be
adopted by Marks and Spencer to promote work life balance in the workplace.
Q3 What are the challenges that Marks and Spencer can face due to lack of equality and
diversity in their workplace?
Response Frequency
Lack of control 5
Poor skilled employees 12
Increased stress level 8
Lack of control Poor skilled
employees Increased stress
level
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Frequency
Interpretation
From the above graph, it can be stated that 5 respondents think that lack of control, 12
repondents think that poor skilled employees and 8 think that increased stress levels are some
of the challenges that Marks and Spencer can face due to lack of equality and diversity at its
workplace.
Q4 Do you agree that work-life balance important among employees at a workplace?
Response Frequency
Agree 15