Age discrimination and employee commitment: the role of diversity management in the Nigerian banking industryAge discrimination and employee commitment

Decades of HR diversity management research in the Global North has examined the impact of negative stereotypes on organisational outcomes. Yet, understanding is limited in the Global South, notably in post-colonial countries like Nigeria, where indigenous multi-ethnicity complicates perceptions of employee commitment and discrimination against specific social identities. This study investigates the relationship between age discrimination and employee commitment, moderated by diversity management, within the Nigerian banking industry. Utilising a quantitative explanatory approach and drawing on social exchange theory, data through survey questionnaires were collected from purposively selected 656 employees working in the Nigerian banking sector. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), confirmatory factor analysis, and Cronbach alpha techniques were employed for hypothesis testing and reliability assessment. The findings reveal a negative association between perceived age discrimination and employee commitment within the Nigerian banking sector. The findings suggest a need for integrating diversity management policies with HR practice fairness (policy-practice exchange), tailored to the contextual nuances of employee inequality experiences (context-experience exchange). The study contributes to HRM theory and practice. Drawing on social exchange theory, we show that diversity management in Global South organisations necessitates prioritising the integration (or exchange) of HRM practice with practice fairness. This approach is crucial for fostering employee commitment and addressing discrimination based on specific identities like age.