subject code: BUS201

Subject Name: Skills for Workplace Success

Your Task :

Nick Phillips has requested that your Human Resources Consulting Firm (3-4 people) to submit a proposal to assist his company. The proposal needs to address the following issues:

• The importance of having an appropriate organizational structure as the company grows;

• What can be done about decreasing bullying behaviour in the workplace?

• How to create a positive workplace culture that embraces and respects multiculturalism and diversity. This also includes promoting an ethical workplace.

Case Study Report:

A medium-size financial services consulting firm, Phillips Financial Services, has been experiencing some workplace culture issues. The founder / CEO, Nick Phillips, has just doubled his staff to 50 over the past six months despite the company only starting 18 months ago. The company is growing very quickly and he is noticing that staff are stressed, morale is low, and there is some bullying going on (older vs younger; male vs female; etc.). He has a very multicultural staff representing a variety of cultures and religions. Though the majority of staff are Australian born, other countries represented are India, the UK, Brazil, USA, New Zealand, China and South Africa. The staff comprises of 65% men and 35% women. The age range is between 23 and 68 years of age; the Founder/CEO is 42. Other key things to know about the company:

• This is Nick’s first company. There is no Board of Directors; Nick is the sole owner/shareholder and he makes all the decisions. 
• The services they offer are (1) Accounting & Tax, (2) Business Advisory, and (3) Self-Management Super Funds.
• Nick aspires his company to be similar to EFS Strategic, PWC, Deloitte, and KPMG in the next few years but knows he needs to create the right culture to see his vision come to fruition.
• He has two other key people on his team: Marketing Manager, Chief Financial Officer. Other than that there has not been any formalized organizational structure.

Nick personally promotes diversity, yet he is finding some of his staff are not as open-minded. He has five openly gay staff members. One staff member, a lesbian has been in a 20-year relationship and with her partner; another male has been in a 10-year relationship with his partner and they have two 6-year olds (twins).

Assessment Instructions

(i) Report Format Layout Guidelines

• Introduction

o A brief analysis of the company

o A brief analysis of the industry and some of the challenges it may have (e.g. competition, deadlines e.g., tax, finding staff, etc.) that can affect its overall performance

o What the proposal will address

• Organisational Structure

o What kind of structure do you propose Nick should think about as his company grows?

• Workplace Culture

o What you perceive as the current culture of the company

o The importance of the leader’s ‘leadership style’ and its influence on workplace culture

o Strategies to implement to create and sustain a positive and ethical workplace culture

• Workplace Bullying Prevention Program

o The causes of workplace bullying

o Strategies to implement a workplace bullying program

You must also refer to a minimum of twelve (12) quality in-text references & reference list, including journals and/or professional / government documents to support your analysis.