Trends And Strategies To Address Age-Based Discrimination In Workplace – Virgin Blue Airline Pty Ltd

Rising issue of age discrimination

The term discrimination can be explained as the practice of treating an individual in a different manner from others. The number of cases of discrimination in the workplace is increasing due to which there has been a rise in the concern for the employees. Age discrimination at the workplace is a huge issue which can be explained as treating an individual differently due to its age where treating differently can be in the favour of the individual or against the individual based on the age of the individual (Doyle, 2017). One third of the Australians have gone through some form of age-based discrimination in the last one year. According to a survey conducted in Australia, the most common form of discrimination was related to age-based discrimination on the basis of the skills, learning abilities or cognition possessed by the older workers. Age-based discrimination can be direct or indirect and can be different for men and women (Simpson, 2015).

Age-based discrimination has been faced by the older people at everywhere due to which their quality of life is getting affected. There is a pressure on the older workers to get retire or to leave the job as they are near to their retirement age. Employers may feel that it is better to hire new and young employees rather than providing training to the older employees. Industries where these cases of age discrimination are commonly seen are education, manufacturing, construction, information technology, administrative services, essential services and professional service industry. Rejection is faced by the older workers during the recruitment process. It is moral and ethical issue which must be dealt in an effective manner for enhancing the quality of workforce and reducing the cases of age discrimination at the workplace (Ryan, 2014).

There are different signs of age discrimination which discloses that an individual is a victim of age discrimination practices. These signs include passing biased comments, promotion to others due to their age, disparate discipline, favouritism, comparisons, hiring of the employees of young age, change in the attitude of manager and employers and harassment. Cases of discrimination must be identified so as to eliminate these cases and enhance the quality of life of older employees (Ballman, 2011). Strategies must be adopted for eliminating the cases of age-based discrimination at the workplace.  

Age discrimination is an increasing issue which is being faced by a large number of people. Age-related issues have acted as a difficulty for the employees at the workplace. Discrimination is unlawful to practice which affects the older people at the workplace. It is vital to address this issue and adopting strategies for resolving this issue. The rise in the number of cases of age discrimination has affected the image of the company as well as the performance of the employees. It has also affected the satisfaction level of the employees. This rising issue has raised the concern and there is a need to address this issue. Dissatisfaction among the older employees has increased due to increase in the number of cases of age-based discrimination.

Signs of age discrimination

The aim of this research is to analyse the trend in the age-based discrimination which has affected the quality of life of older employees at the workplace. The focus will be on completing this research within the specified time period and completing it in an effective manner. The discussion will be made regarding the court case of Virgin Blue Airline Pty Ltd in 2015. A major focus of this research will be on the analysis of the case study of the older job seekers who are facing difficulty in re-entering the workforce and are getting affected due to the risk of unemployment due to their age.

The motive behind setting objectives is to set goals which are to be achieved by executing the activity. Objectives for this research project are mentioned below:

• To identify the effects of the age based issues on the different age groups as older employees are at higher risk to suffer from the age-based discrimination.
• To develop an understanding of the different policies which can be applied for resolving this issue of age-based discrimination with older employees at the workplace.
• To execute and implement age equality for providing better opportunities to the older employees at the workplace.

Research questions for this research project are mentioned below:

• What the impacts of age based issues on the older employees who are at risk of suffering from age-based discrimination?
• What the policies which can be applied for dealing with the rising number of cases of age-based discrimination in Virgin Blue Airline Pty Ltd.?
• How can age quality be executed and implemented for providing better opportunities to older people at the workplace?

Age discrimination is an important issue which is creating an impact on the older employees at the workplace. This research has been conducted on the topic “Age-Based Discrimination in Workplace – Virgin Blue Airline Pty Ltd.” so as to analyse the case of Virgin Blue Airline Pty Ltd. This research will help in developing the knowledge and understanding of the different aspects related to age-based discrimination with older employees at the workplace. This proposal has been executed with a motive to discuss the different aspects of age-based discrimination. This research proposal will develop the understanding of the different policies which acts as a measure for resolving the rising issue of age-based discrimination. Different strategies must be adopted for resolving this issue so as to deal with this issue. This research proposal will help in gaining a better understanding of the concept of age-based discrimination. This research will help in targeting the issue of age-based discrimination in a better manner by focusing on the issue and its impact on the older employees, satisfaction level of the employees and reputation of the business.

This research is expected to develop the knowledge and understanding of the concept of age-based discrimination in a better manner so as to target this issue and resolving this issue. All the aspects of this research are based on the age-based discrimination. Research questions and objectives have been set so as to target this rising issue. There are various aspects which are related to this research topic and these will be discussed in this research. Different signs of the age-based discrimination have been discussed in this research so as to develop a better understanding of this concept and related aspects.

Strategies to eliminate age discrimination

Discrimination on the basis of age has affected every industry at large. Numerous cases have been identified where traces of age-based discrimination have been found. Different bodies are working for reducing the number of cases of age-based discrimination so as to enhance the satisfaction level among the older employees at the workplace. According to the data collected in the year, 2015 27 % of the people of age above 50 have suffered through age-based discrimination (Roussin, 2015). A national inquiry was launched in April 2015 into the Employment Discrimination against older Australians and Australians with a Disability by the Australian Human Rights Commission (Marchiondo, et. al., 2014).

A case of age discrimination has been identified in Virgin Blue Airline Pty Ltd. where discrimination has taken place at recruitment process. In this case of age-based discrimination of Virgin Blue Airlines Pty Ltd., only one out of the 750 candidates who was of age above 35 was successful in securing a job within Virgin Blue Airlines Pty Ltd. for the duration of 12 months. The appealed court stated that the selection criterion was a subjective measure where only inexperienced and young assessors have favoured young people. Appealed court ordered Virgin Blue Airlines Pty Ltd. to pay compensation to every candidate or applicants ranging between $7,000 and $12,000 for the damages suffered by them and for paying off their legal cost (Kunze, et. al., 2011).

Another case of Virgin Blue Airline Pty Ltd. is related to a group of experienced Ansett flight attendants applied have applied for a position in Virgin Blue Airlines. They got selected for the second stage of recruitment process where they all got rejected for the next round by Virgin Blue Airlines. That group of flight attendants were between the age group of 36 to 56 and they stated that they have suffered age-based discrimination as they were treated differently from the other young candidates applied for the same position regardless of their capabilities, experience and competency (Ganim, 2015). The Anti-Discrimination Tribunal of Queensland was in the favour of the flight attendants as the committee has found out that during the recruitment process assessors engaged in the group assessment process were mostly young and selected young people by unintentionally exhibited bias. All those flight attendants were awarded compensation for the age-based discrimination they have suffered (Irving, 2017).

Employers must address these issues by following different policies which have been formulated by different bodies. Employers must appreciate the value of older employees which will help in improving the productivity and enhancing the participation of the workforce in the activities of the business. Employers must review their recruitment processes for ensuring that no age-based discriminatory practices are carried out in the company (Koelmeyer, 2016). Policies must be implemented for the flexible working arrangements for the purpose of promoting flexible working for the older employees at the workplace. Fair Work Act 2009 has also implemented the flexible working arrangements for the employees who are above 55 years of age. The value of older employees must be recognised by the employers as these older employees possess knowledge of the different aspects of business and the manner in which different situation need to be dealt in. Injury prevention strategies must be implemented for providing safety to the older employees at the workplace (Marchiondo, et. al., 2016).

Virgin Blue Airline Pty Ltd. Case studies

Different policies have been formulated by the government of Australia for the safety of employees from the age-based discriminatory practices at the workplace. These policies and acts include Sex Discrimination Act 1984, Age Discrimination Act 2004, Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986, Racial Discrimination Act 1975 and Disability Discrimination Act 1992. All these acts have favoured a no age-based discrimination society so as to provide equal opportunities and promote age equality (Billett, et. al., 2011). Age discrimination act 2004 has placed its focus on no discriminatory practices are being varied out on the basis of the age of the employee. Older employees bring various benefits for the business with them as they possess knowledge and understanding of the manner in which business operates and have capabilities to develop others by contributing towards the growth and success of the business (N. Ruggs, et. al., 2014).

Research design or method: Different research methods are available which can be used for the collection of data. Analysis has been made of these different research methods and these research methods are Descriptive – Qualitative, Descriptive – Quantitative, Co-relational / Regression Analyses, experimental and mixed method (Wilson, 2016). Mixed method has been selected from the different research methods which is a sum of both qualitative and quantitative research methods (Toledo-Pereyra, 2012). Primary and secondary sources of data collection will be used which will help in the collection of the relevant data for the research and execute it within the specified timeframe (Kumar, 2011).

Research approach: two approaches are available for this research which will help in the execution of the research project in an effective manner and maintaining the reliability of the data presented in the research. These two approaches are qualitative approach and quantitative approach. The qualitative approach can be explained as a collection of quality data with the help of structured and semi-structured techniques (Quick & Hall, 2015). A quantitative approach can be explained as a collection of measurable data with the help of statistical, mathematical or computational techniques (Walter, 2013).

Research strategies: a strategy has been constructed for the execution of this research in a systematic form. All the activities will be carried out one after one as per the action plan so as to make sure that nothing has been missed out. Different steps will be followed for covering the important aspects without skipping out any aspect.

Data collection and analysis: For the collection of data, primary and secondary sources of data collection will be used. Primary sources of data collection can be explained as the raw form of data which is specifically collected for the activity and is first-hand information (Thomas, 2015). The questionnaire will be used for the collection of primary sources of data collection. The questionnaire will be presented to the employees of Virgin Blue Airline Pty Ltd. Secondary sources of data collection can be explained as the data which has already been collected and used by others for their work and is more reliable than primary sources (Kuada, 2012). Internet articles, notifications and websites will be used for the purpose of collection of secondary sources of data (Turkenburg & McAuley, 2013).

Employer policies and government acts against age discrimination

Research techniques and procedures: for the analysis of the collected data, random sampling technique will be used. Random sampling will provide equal opportunity to every sample of getting selected and will help in the analysis of the data present in large quantity (Ibrahim Al-Omari, 2014).

Choice: every alternative will be analysed in an effective manner so as to choose the most suitable or appropriate alternative.

Research timeframe: This research program has been divided into different activities and time has been allocated to every activity. This will ensure the completion of this research program in an effective manner. It is vital to complete the project within the specified span of time for maintaining the relevancy of the research.

Ethical consideration: term ethics can be explained as the line which distinguishes right and wrong. During the execution of this research program, the focus will be on completing this research program by following the principles including honesty, confidentiality, integrity and authenticity. Data will be collected and presented in a fair manner so as to maintain the authenticity of the project and confidentiality will be maintained for keeping the details of the respondents hidden.

A collection of data and targeted market: data is collected after targeting the market from where data will be collected. For the research project, data will be collected from the employees of Virgin Blue Airline Pty Ltd.

Limitations: Few limitations can affect this project and these limitations include:

• Limited availability of time for the completion of the project.
• Lack of access to the data for the collection of data.
• Limited availability of the resources can also act as a limitation for this research.
• Random sampling technique will be used for the analysis of the data due to the availability of data in large quantity. This can affect the reliability of the research data.

The organisation of the study will be done in the below-mentioned manner:

Chapter 1: Preparation of research proposal so as to develop an outline or provide an idea of the different aspects which will be discussed in the research program. The research proposal will cover an overview of the different aspects of the research.

Chapter 2: This chapter will discuss the literature review which will be based on the secondary sources of data collection. Data collected with the help of secondary sources of data collection will be presented in the literature review.

Chapter 3: Chapter three will discuss research methodologies which will cover different techniques or methods used for the purpose of collection of data for the research. Different methods and techniques will be used for maintaining accuracy, authenticity and reliability of the research.

Chapter 4: During this chapter, collected data will be analysed using sampling technique and evaluation of the collected data will be done.

Chapter 5: In this chapter, the conclusion will be drawn from the evaluated data so as to present the findings of the research and recommendations will be provided along with the areas for future research.

The estimated budget for this research project is $ 11,000. Estimates have been made regarding the different activities of the research which will incur a cost. The explanation for these different estimated expenses is provided below:

• Travelling expenses will be incurred for the collection of data using a primary source of data collection. The questionnaire will be presented to the employees of Virgin Blue Airline Pty Ltd.
• Salary will be given to the individuals who will be collecting data from the employees of Virgin Blue Airline Pty Ltd.
• Stationary expenses will be incurred as questionnaire printed on papers will be distributed to the respondents.
• Data collection will incur a cost as data will be collected using primary as well as secondary sources of data collection.
• The consultation will be done with the expert for maintaining authenticity and accuracy of the data presented in the research.

References

Ballman, D. (2011). Nine Signs of Age Discrimination. AOL.

Ballman, D. (2015). 3 Ways To Prove You Weren’t Hired Due To Age Discrimination. AOL.

Billett, S., Dymock, D., Johnson, G., & Martin, G. (2011). Last resort employees: Older workers’ perceptions of workplace discrimination. Human Resource Development International, 14(4), 375.

Doyle, A. (2017). Age Discrimination Issues in the Workplace. The Balance.

Ganim, H. (2015). Never reveal your true age – age discrimination in the workplace. Lexology.

Ibrahim Al-Omari, A. (2014). Estimation of entropy using random sampling. Journal of Computational and Applied Mathematics, vol. 261, no. 1, pp. 95-102.

Irving, J. (2017). Age discrimination in the workplace happening to people as young as 45: study. The conversation.

Koelmeyer, A. (2016). Wise, worldly and working: Age discrimination and employment. Smart company.

Kuada, J. (2012). Research methodology: a project guide for university students. 1st edn, Samfundslitteratur, Frederiksberg C [Denmark].

Kumar, R. (2011). Research methodology: a step-by-step guide for beginners. 3rd edn, SAGE, Los Angeles.

Kunze, F., Boehm, S. A., & Bruch, H. (2011). Age diversity, age discrimination climate and performance consequences – a cross organizational study. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 32, 264-290.

Marchiondo, L. Gonzales, E. & Williams, L. (2014). Ageism at work and its impact on health. Paper presented at the Society for Industrial-Organizational Psychology (SIOP), O’ahu, HI.

Marchiondo, L., Gonzales, E., & Ran, S. (2016). Development and Validation of the Workplace Age Discrimination Scale. Journal of Business and Psychology, 31(4), 493.

1. Ruggs, E., R. Hebl, M., Singletary Walker, S., & Fa-Kaji, N. (2014). Selection biases that emerge when age meets gender.Journal of Managerial Psychology,29(8), 1028-1043.

Quick, J. & Hall, S. (2015). Part three: The quantitative approach. Journal of perioperative practice, vol. 25, no. 10, pp. 192.

Roussin, C. (2015). Age differences in the perception of new co-worker benevolence. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 30(1), 71-86.

Ryan, L. (2014). The Ugly Truth About Age Discrimination. Forbes.

Simpson, S. (2015). Age equality: five examples of discrimination against young workers. Personnel Today

Thomas, J. A. (2015). Using unstructured diaries for primary data collection. Nurse researcher, vol. 22, no. 5, pp. 25.

Toledo-Pereyra, L.H. (2012). Research Design. Journal of Investigative Surgery, vol. 25, no. 5, pp. 279-280.

Turkenburg, J. P. & McAuley, K. E. (2013). Data collection and processing. Acta Crystallographica Section D, vol. 69, no. 7, pp. 1193-1194.

Walter, M. (2013). Indigenous statistics: a quantitative research methodology. Left Coast Press, Walnut Creek, CA.

Wilson, V. (2016). Research Methods: Mixed Methods Research. Evidence Based Library and Information Practice, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 56-59.

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