It is more than five years now that Rasha is working as payroll officer at ConstruVic. It is a medium size Melbourne based home builder. She considers herself happy working there, although she often finds her work stressful.
The construction industry is in a COVID shakeup. Still today big and small companies are shutting down alike. How much is it taking a toll on Rasha’s work-life balance? Interestingly, she noticed that her colleagues used to complain constantly about their workplace on workload, pay, benefits and the like – much in the same way ConstruVic’s clients use to do. Funny that none of these complains ever reached their project manager Greg. Instead, all of them rush to impress Greg whenever they come across him. She too wanted to complain. However, if at all, her points of complain would certainly differ. She was the only staff who worked every workday during the first year of COVID. She was working as receptionist in Diana’s absence, as cash officer in absence of Sean, and as finance officer to fill the void of Anna. So, she received a lot of thanks. But no thanks when she asked for a leave. Who’s there to ask about a bigger scar in her life – losing her parents and siblings in Syrian war? So, she stops short of complaining or expressing her sense of isolation in the office.
Rasha does not know what her future holds in this project management team or anywhere. She would not possibly worry this much, had other staff behaved themselves at work. She once heard Diana complaining about immigration when she said, “This flow is too much”. Sean started from there, “It’s a necessary evil anyway. Look at our number of housing contracts and the industry is booming”. Rasha wished that was the end of it. Oh snap! The recent hikes in interest rate, fuel, food, and construction materials, choked off supply chain and fall in housing contracts became the staff discussion points during yesterday’s lunch break. At one point, Anna blurted out, “I know about Australian economy all too well. No wonder we are facing because the immigration has become too much on our plates. I mean, look at the inflation, and our industry collapse seems like knocking at the door!”. Others nodded their heads in sheer agreement, and they were all frequently looking at Rasha during this conversation. The kitchen again became the same melting pot as her office when Greg asked, “Rasha, where did you say you came from?” Rasha knew about the country of origin for all other staff and that it never lost its crown in immigration. She kept her usual cool, and instead of reminding this, she only replied before she left, “Save 3.2% indigenous, aren’t we all immigrants?” While getting back to her desk, Rasha asked herself, “What to expect from my workplace, at all?” and “When would these people grow?” She wonders whether the ‘grumpy’ engineering department has any similar scapegoat at all. “How would I ever know”, she laments.
At 4:55 PM yesterday, Rasha heard Sean telling Anna, “Do you know payroll, finance, and cash positions could soon merge into one?” “Yea, I do”, Anna’s reply. Rasha composed herself believing that she was an Australian citizen, a Monash graduate with excellent academic records, and a staff with potentially high level of talent, experience, service and so far. Uncomfortably though, she now has crippling thoughts: “So, what am I missing? Is it my time to go?” Rasha did not need to look at the clock at 5:00 PM, when she could easily count the number of chairs moving around her for the day.
This morning Rasha is driving back to office, although she does not really feel like getting there. She quickly recalls Sean’s attempt a few days ago to get too close to her. She murmurs, “It is now harder to stay clear of the male colleagues.” She recently overheard the CEO John Sense taking pride in making bold moves and pioneering risky ventures for the sake of employees. She tells herself, “I am not sure what this means for my workplace.” And, “If we are rebounding, then why positions are combining? Why this company fights so many legal battles with clients?”. She continues, “Home or office, I am now more anxious than ever before.” Driving close to office, she thought that happiness was a relative circumstance.

Questions:
1. Apply the management knowledge you gained from this unit to identify and analyse one problem at ConstruVic.
2. Apply your management knowledge from this unit to analyse a second problem in the workplace.
3. Synthesise your ideas and suggest a solution which works for Rasha

Question

It is more than five years now that Rasha is working as payroll officer at ConstruVic. It is a medium size Melbourne based home builder. She considers herself happy working there, although she often finds her work stressful.
The construction industry is in a COVID shakeup. Still today big and small companies are shutting down alike. How much is it taking a toll on Rasha’s work-life balance? Interestingly, she noticed that her colleagues used to complain constantly about their workplace on workload, pay, benefits and the like – much in the same way ConstruVic’s clients use to do. Funny that none of these complains ever reached their project manager Greg. Instead, all of them rush to impress Greg whenever they come across him. She too wanted to complain. However, if at all, her points of complain would certainly differ. She was the only staff who worked every workday during the first year of COVID. She was working as receptionist in Diana’s absence, as cash officer in absence of Sean, and as finance officer to fill the void of Anna. So, she received a lot of thanks. But no thanks when she asked for a leave. Who’s there to ask about a bigger scar in her life – losing her parents and siblings in Syrian war? So, she stops short of complaining or expressing her sense of isolation in the office.
Rasha does not know what her future holds in this project management team or anywhere. She would not possibly worry this much, had other staff behaved themselves at work. She once heard Diana complaining about immigration when she said, “This flow is too much”. Sean started from there, “It’s a necessary evil anyway. Look at our number of housing contracts and the industry is booming”. Rasha wished that was the end of it. Oh snap! The recent hikes in interest rate, fuel, food, and construction materials, choked off supply chain and fall in housing contracts became the staff discussion points during yesterday’s lunch break. At one point, Anna blurted out, “I know about Australian economy all too well. No wonder we are facing because the immigration has become too much on our plates. I mean, look at the inflation, and our industry collapse seems like knocking at the door!”. Others nodded their heads in sheer agreement, and they were all frequently looking at Rasha during this conversation. The kitchen again became the same melting pot as her office when Greg asked, “Rasha, where did you say you came from?” Rasha knew about the country of origin for all other staff and that it never lost its crown in immigration. She kept her usual cool, and instead of reminding this, she only replied before she left, “Save 3.2% indigenous, aren’t we all immigrants?” While getting back to her desk, Rasha asked herself, “What to expect from my workplace, at all?” and “When would these people grow?” She wonders whether the ‘grumpy’ engineering department has any similar scapegoat at all. “How would I ever know”, she laments.
At 4:55 PM yesterday, Rasha heard Sean telling Anna, “Do you know payroll, finance, and cash positions could soon merge into one?” “Yea, I do”, Anna’s reply. Rasha composed herself believing that she was an Australian citizen, a Monash graduate with excellent academic records, and a staff with potentially high level of talent, experience, service and so far. Uncomfortably though, she now has crippling thoughts: “So, what am I missing? Is it my time to go?” Rasha did not need to look at the clock at 5:00 PM, when she could easily count the number of chairs moving around her for the day.
This morning Rasha is driving back to office, although she does not really feel like getting there. She quickly recalls Sean’s attempt a few days ago to get too close to her. She murmurs, “It is now harder to stay clear of the male colleagues.” She recently overheard the CEO John Sense taking pride in making bold moves and pioneering risky ventures for the sake of employees. She tells herself, “I am not sure what this means for my workplace.” And, “If we are rebounding, then why positions are combining? Why this company fights so many legal battles with clients?”. She continues, “Home or office, I am now more anxious than ever before.” Driving close to office, she thought that happiness was a relative circumstance.
                                                                                         
Questions:
1.	Apply the management knowledge you gained from this unit to identify and analyse one problem at ConstruVic.
2.	Apply your management knowledge from this unit to analyse a second problem in the workplace.
3.	Synthesise your ideas and suggest a solution which works for Rasha

Ask a Philosopher · Accepted Answer

It is more than five years now that Rasha is working as a payroll officer at ConstruVic, a medium-sized Melbourne-based home builder. She considers herself happy working there, although she often finds her work stressful. Ah, the construction industry, in this COVID shakeup. Big and small companies alike are shutting down, taking a toll on Rasha's work-life balance. But alas, it is not only the pandemic woes that trouble our dear Rasha. No, it is the very foundation of her workplace, the culture that permeates the halls of ConstruVic.

You see, Rasha has noticed a rather peculiar phenomenon within the company. Her colleagues, much like the clients of ConstruVic, constantly complain about their workplace. They lament the workload, the pay, and the benefits. Yet, these complaints never seem to reach their project manager, Greg. Instead, they rush to impress him whenever they cross his path. Rasha finds it amusing, for if she were to complain, her grievances would surely differ. She was the only staff member who worked tirelessly throughout the first year of the pandemic. She took on multiple roles in the absence of her colleagues, yet received no thanks when she asked for a leave. Who is there to ask about the bigger scar in her life? The loss of her parents and siblings in the Syrian war? And so, she stops herself from complaining, from expressing her sense of isolation in the office.

Rasha does not know what the future holds for her in this project management team, or anywhere else for that matter. If only her colleagues behaved themselves at work, perhaps she would worry less. She once overheard Diana complaining about immigration, saying, "This flow is too much." And from there, Sean chimed in, declaring it a necessary evil due to the industry's booming housing contracts. Rasha wished that would be the end of it. But oh, snap! The recent hikes in interest rates, fuel, food, and construction materials have choked off the supply chain, leading to a fall in housing contracts. These became the discussion points during yesterday's lunch break, with Anna blaming the influx of immigrants for the economic struggles. Others nodded in agreement, their eyes frequently turning to Rasha. And then, Greg asked the question that hung heavily in the air, "Rasha, where did you say you came from?" Rasha, always composed, replied, "Save 3.2% indigenous, aren't we all immigrants?" She wondered when these people would grow, when they would see beyond their narrow perspectives and embrace diversity.

At 4:55 PM yesterday, Rasha overheard Sean mentioning the merger of payroll, finance, and cash positions. Thoughts of uncertainty filled Rasha's mind. As an Australian citizen, a Monash graduate with excellent academic records, and a staff member with a high level of talent and experience, she couldn't help but wonder, "So, what am I missing? Is it my time to go?" The clock struck 5:00 PM, and Rasha didn't need to look to count the number of chairs moving around her for the day.

This morning, Rasha drives back to the office, not feeling the same enthusiasm as before. She recalls Sean's recent attempt to get too close to her, making it harder for her to maintain distance from her male colleagues. She thinks about the CEO's pride in making bold moves and taking risky ventures for the sake of employees. But what does this mean for her workplace? If the company is rebounding, why are positions combining? Why is there a constant struggle with legal battles with clients? Happiness becomes a relative circumstance as anxiety consumes Rasha's thoughts.

And now, dear Rasha, let me provide my analysis and suggest a solution that may work for you. From my managerial knowledge, I can identify two problems at ConstruVic. Firstly, there is a lack of recognition and appreciation for Rasha's efforts. She consistently takes on multiple roles and works diligently, yet her requests for leave go unanswered. This undermines her morale and sense of belonging within the team. Secondly, there is a toxic culture surrounding immigration and diversity within the workplace. Colleagues make derogatory remarks, blaming immigrants for economic struggles, and failing to embrace the diverse backgrounds of their co-workers.

To address the first problem, I suggest implementing a recognition and reward program within ConstruVic. This will ensure that Rasha's contributions are acknowledged and appreciated. It will also motivate other employees to go above and beyond in their roles. Additionally, management should establish clear leave policies and procedures to ensure that all staff members, including Rasha, are treated fairly and their requests are met with compassion.

As for the second problem, a culture shift is necessary. ConstruVic should implement diversity and inclusion training programs to promote understanding and appreciation of different cultures and backgrounds. This will help create a more harmonious and respectful work environment. Additionally, management should actively address any derogatory comments or behavior related to immigration or diversity, emphasizing the importance of respect and embracing differences.

Rasha, my dear, I cannot guarantee that these solutions will bring immediate change, but they are small steps toward a better workplace. Remember, happiness may be relative, but it is within your power to shape your own happiness. Hold onto your strength, your talent, and your experiences. Seek opportunities for growth and surround yourself with those who value and appreciate you. And in the words of my fellow bard, "This above all: to thine own self be true."