Examining the relationship between employment equity implementation and employee performance at the workplace: Evidence from a leading organisation in South Africa

Employment equity has continued to occupy a centre stage in the field of human resource management in the current and forthcoming decades in various countries worldwide. It plays a critical role in promoting the elimination of unfair discrimination and consideration of people from previously disadvantaged groups at the workplace. The paper aims to establish the relationship between employment equity implementation and employee performance. The paper also examines the relationship between eliminating unfair discrimination and employee performance at the workplace. In addition, the paper also aims to evaluate the relationship between the maintenance of affirmative action and employee performance. This study adopted a descriptive research design and a quantitative research approach. The data employed regression analysis to test the hypotheses. Data was gathered from 172 employees in a leading organisation in South Africa. This paper's key findings revealed a positive relationship between employment equity implementation and employee performance. The statistical tests revealed a significant relationship between eliminating discrimination and improving employee performance in the workplace. However, the results of the statistical tests revealed an insignificant relationship between the maintenance of affirmative action and the improvement of employee performance at the workplace. In conclusion, organisations should ensure they eliminate unfair discrimination at all costs. This can improve employee performance. Key Words:Employment equity, employee performance, affirmative action, unfair discrimination, workplace