An investigation into age discrimination in the Ghanaian workplace

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Date
2014-07-25
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Abstract
Age discrimination is where different treatment is given to different persons because they are too old or too young. In the Ghanaian society there is this culture or belief that the elderly person is always right, wiser and more respectable than the young, and this has been transferred to or manifested at the workplace. Age discrimination unlike the other forms of discrimination seems to be a worldwide problem both in the society and workplace. Johnson (2006), a British legal publisher has said age discrimination and ageism for that matter will affect more people at some stage in their lives than any other discrimination, since the laws of the land has allowed it to continue. The study examined the causes and effects of age discrimination in the Ghanaian workplace, the impact of this problem on the desired performance, productivity and growth in the Ghanaian workforce and suggests possible ways to reduce or minimize age discrimination at the Ghanaian workplace. The study also has the following specific objectives of identifying the categories of age discrimination at the Ghanaian workplace, the impact of age discrimination on productivity of employees in the Ghanaian workplace, the impact of age discrimination on commitment of employees and the role unions play in preventing age discrimination in the Ghanaian workplace. The method employed in conducting the study involved the use of questionnaires with close-ended questions followed by quantitative analysis, to find out the views of personnel on age discrimination in the Ghanaian workplace. The quantitative data analysis involved figures and numerical analysis with the help of statistical instruments specifically SPSS. After a thorough analysis of the data collected for the study, the researcher found that age discrimination is not quite an issue in organisations in Ghana as were indicated by the various banks (HFC, Barclays, Sinapi Aba and Noble Dream) and KMA even though it suggested some level of impact on productivity and commitment. The researcher concluded that although there is not much noise being made about age discrimination at the Ghanaian workplace, it is important to note that age discrimination is not good for business and ageist remarks can make work unbearable for the person at the receiving end. The recommendation here is that, from a practical perspective, improving ageism climates in the workplace could positively affect employee retention, commitment and productivity in the Ghanaian workplace.
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A thesis Submitted to the Department of Managerial Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (HRM OPTION).
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