Subject Name Entry and Advancement in the Australian Workplace

Unit Code &

EAW1 – Australian Workplace Culture
Name
Assessment
A1. Just the Facts
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Assessment Due Week 2
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Submission Date 19/02/2019

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Task 1: Just the Facts

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Instructions
 Read the statement below carefully.
 Conduct some research and write down your answers in the space provided.

An Australian Culture Overview

Australia is a vast island continent situated southeast of Asia. Australia is renowned for its
natural beauty, multiculturalism, and diverse population. The country’s immense geographical
variety has given Australia much of its character, creating a land of cultural fusion and enriching
opportunity. In order to fully comprehend the complexity of this nation, it is essential to gain
an understanding into the underlying concepts of its culture. (Ref: Doing Business in Australia).

Official Name of Australia: Commonwealth of Australia

Population: 23.94 million (December 2015)

Official Language: English

Currency: Australian Dollar (AUD)

Capital City and Why: Canberra. It was chosen as a compromise between

two Australia’s largest city Sydney and Melbourne.
GDP: US$1.323 trillion (2017)

GDP per Capita: A$64,660 (2013)

Inflation Rate: 1 per cent (June 2016)

Unemployment Rate: 5.29% (2018)

Australia’s First Prime Sir Edmund Barton

Minister:

Now identify your own country and provide answers to the Just for Facts below.
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Official Name of your BHARAT, Republic of INDIA
home country:

Population: 1.324 billion (2016)

Official Language: Hindi

Currency: Indian Rupee

Capital City and Why: New Delhi. It was established as a capital during British
raj and remain as capital after independence.
GDP: US$10.401 trillion (2018)

GDP per Capita: US$7,795 (2018)

Inflation Rate: 4.74% (2018)

Unemployment Rate: 3.52% (2017)

Your home country’s First President: Rajendra Prasad

Prime Minister/President: Prime Minister: Jawaharlal Nehru

Task 2: True or False Activity

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Instructions
 Read all statements below carefully.
 Place a tick in the appropriate column.

Statements True False

☒ ☐
1. A sense of humour is important in the Australian workplace.

A business letter should have a formal and concise ☒ ☐

2.
introduction.
☒ ☐
3. Australians like to communicate informally.

☐ ☒
4. Socialising after work is not common in Australia.

☐ ☒
5. Managers dislike suggestions from staff.

Levels of management are structured and strictly observed ☐ ☒

6.
in Australia.
☒ ☐
7. Sport is a key discussion item in the Australian workplace.

Older people are often not chosen for jobs in the Australian ☐ ☒
8.
workplace.

Women are not suitable for high pressure management ☐ ☒

9.
positions in the Australian workplace.

There are laws that ensure equality in the Australian ☒ ☐

10.
workforce.

Task 3: Research Activity

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Instructions
 Read the statement below carefully.
 Form a group of 3-4 students to discuss the questions.
 Write your answers in the space provided.

International students working in Australia often find the culture at work quite different from
their own country. It is important to familiarise yourself with the cultural practices in Australia
in order for you to be competitive in finding work and in performing well once employed.

Background
Some of the most cultural characteristics of the Australian workplace are listed below:
󠄀 Communications
󠄀 Hierarchy and Leadership Styles
󠄀 Work structure and Protocols
󠄀 Diversity
󠄀 Small Talk

a) Using the criteria above research how the Australian Workplace implements each criteria
in the workplace.

󠄀 Communications
In Australian workplace communication is a strong virtue of people. Everyone motivated to
communicate with their co-workers. In my workplace I can almost talk with anyone without
any hesitation and I always got very supportive response. Often Australians use slang language
in their conversation. I can solve many problems in my workplace with good communication
skill.

󠄀 Hierarchy and Leadership Styles

I don’t see much hierarchy in my workplace or any other Australian workplace. In my
workplace, company encourage to have same level of respect and involvement with all
workers. I can talk to my superior with any problem or go through any layer of permission.
There’s a strong emphasis on the team rather than any high-ranking individual. This
contributes to the relaxed atmosphere expats working here seem to like so much. It also
opens the door to a less competitive workplace culture in Australia compared to other
countries.

󠄀 Work structure and Protocols

Work structure and protocols can be very by workplaces, but all have many similarities.
Everyone work standard 8 hours a day and Australians are very punctual and committed to
work. In my workplace we all follow a basic structure of tasks. You must take care of
yourselves and other colleagues while performing task. I support others and they support me

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in my everyday work as a one team. Being on time at work, respect and support others are
very important in my workplace.

󠄀 Diversity
In Australia, you can find people from different background. In my office I have worked with
people from all different cultures and backgrounds. We all work together to one goal and
support each-others. This diversity has helped Australia become a prosperous and dynamic
country. In their policies, national and state governments of Australia recognise the
importance of all the cultures that make up Australian society.

󠄀 Small Talk
Small talk in workplace is very important to make it healthier and more familiar. In my
workplace we often do small talk to relive stress of work or to get familiar with other team
members. It helps to make working relationship less complicated.

b) Consider your own culture and identify how it differs from these practices

󠄀 Communications
In my country, communication in workplace is quite same as Australian workplace. Workers
usually have informal conversation with fellow workers. Sometimes their also share their
private life and issues in these talks.

󠄀 Hierarchy and Leadership Styles

We have layer of hierarchy in workplace in my country. Normally we can’t speak or meet
with our superior without any notice or appointment. People usually call their superior with
“sir” or “boss”. We don’t address them with their name even after work or outside of
workplace.

󠄀 Work structure and Protocols

People are not quite punctual at workplace in my country. They often come late at work and
try to sneak in their office and work until late night to cover up that time. They sometimes
ignore proper structure of work and protocols which led them to many workplace clashes
with their boss or other colleagues.

󠄀 Diversity
In my country, we don’t see much diversity on workplace. People tend to hire their close
friends or relative to their work.

󠄀 Small Talk
People are quite good at small talk in our culture. But sometime these small chitchat goes to
bigger conversation and that can be distraction from actual work. But people usually find their
way to talk with other workers and ty to make working environment more cheerful.

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 Task 4: Case Study

Instructions
 Read the case study below carefully.
 Provide answers to all the questions that follow.

We're ambitious and we don't brown nose

October 21, 2013
Nina Hendy

What Aussie workers are really like.

Deborah Burt says we're no longer a nation of bludgers.

Australian workers are shedding their reputation of being a bunch of laid-back bludgers
hanging out for beer o'clock. These days, we're ambitious and we don't brown nose to the
boss.

A new survey challenges the stereotypical Aussie reputation that we're a bunch of laid-back
workers that like to bludge when the boss isn't watching. Aussie workers actually prefer to
work for managers who will push their limits and support them in their professional
endeavours.

The 2013 Kronos Boss's Day Survey also found that 77 per cent of Australian workers who
have managers have not dished out compliments to get on the good side of their bosses if
they don't mean it, meaning we're not brown noses.

The online study, commissioned by the Workforce Institute at Kronos Incorporated, also
found we have strong career ambitions. Given the choice between a manager who is a high-
achiever but demanding and a manager who is nice but ineffective, 71 per cent of employees
want to work for the high-achiever.

In other feedback, Aussie workers rate honesty (76 per cent) as among the most important
attributes of a good manager. Overall, the majority of employees who believe their manager
demonstrates honesty alongside other attributes such as ethics, collaboration, creativity,
empowerment, innovation, dedication and trustworthiness (89 per cent) believe their
manager does this on a regular basis.

“The results from this survey challenge the stereotypical Aussie reputation of being a 'relaxed'
nation. Results indicate most Aussies actually prefer managers who will push their limits,”
Peter Harte, vice president, Asia-Pacific, Kronos says.

But managers that use an office jargon frustrate Aussie workers. As long suspected, staff hate
it when managers use phrases such as "I don't care, just get it done", "think outside the box",
"at the end of the day" or "I need you to be more proactive".
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“It's fantastic to see the majority of employees view their manager as honest, collaborative
and dedicated – all very positive workplace behaviours. But it comes as no great surprise that
the common phrases we use at work really don't establish rapport between co-workers; in
fact, they create tension. Employees want to work with people who can achieve great results,
even if their management skills are a little rough around the edges,” Harte says.

Aussies workers may have been pigeonholed as bludgers in the past, but that label is
completely undeserved in modern workplaces, says Deborah Burt, chair of the Execution
Connection. Burt has held HR roles across various industries and says the conversation
around the water cooler in Australian offices is very much about what makes a good boss and
what makes a bad boss.

“My experience tells me that respect isn't something you automatically get just because you're
in charge. You have to earn the respect of Aussie workers,” Burt says. We care about doing
decent work and we expect managers to support our growth and development, she says.

“I also know that salary is not the most important part of a job for many workers. They
actually want to get more growth and knowledge out of their workplace and make a bigger
contribution where they can. Workers also want to get a feeling of motivation and drive from
their manager,” Burt says.

In terms of recognition, 45 per cent of employees prefer individual praise from their manager
to their face, while 28 per cent would prefer to be praised in front of their peers, while 27
per cent want praise to come from their manager's manager.

When asked whether they'd prefer a manager who invests in their professional development
or one who invests in programs to make the work environment more fun, Aussies are more
balanced in their response, with 56 per cent opting for professional development programs,
while 44 per cent want more fun. Interestingly, once we've clocked off, we don't necessarily
want to talk to the boss. If we see our boss outside of work, 34 per cent of young employees
(18-24 years) will avoid them, compared to just 8 per cent of mature workers.

The survey was conducted online in Australia by Harris Interactive on behalf of Kronos
between September 24-30 among 1041 adults aged 18-64, among whom 583 are employed
and have a manager.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/small-business/finance/were-ambitious-and-we-dont-

brown-nose-20131021-2vvlc.html#ixzz2iO9s8Sq5

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We're ambitious and we don't brown nose
October 21, 2013
Nina Hendy What Aussie workers are really like

a) What does the expression “brown nose” mean?

Brown nose is a term used for someone who give excessive praise and compliments to
other person in order to gain that person’s favour.

b) Do you think Aussie workers are “laid back and like to bludge”, in your experience?

NO.
On the contrary, Aussie workers now prefer work to work for manager who push them to
their limits in their professional growth.

c) What are the most important qualities of a manager, according to workers?

Aussie workers want their managers to be more ethical, creative, innovative, dedicate,
empowered and trustworthy.

d) Do Aussies have the reputation of being “relaxed” (lazy) workers? Does this survey
match this reputation?

NO and this survey doesn’t match the reputation of being lazy workers. Because now
Aussies want their managers to push their limits.

e) What are some examples of “management speak” that managers use, and do workers
like it?

Workers don’t like the management speak like, "I don't care, just get it done", "think outside
the box", "at the end of the day" or "I need you to be more proactive" which managers use.

f) Do Aussie workers automatically give respect to managers?

No, managers must earn respect from their Aussie workers.

g) What do many workers find most important in a job?

Most workers want to get more growth and knowledge out of their workplace and make a
bigger contribution where they can. Workers also want to get a feeling of motivation and
drive from their manager.

h) What is more important to workers, professional development programs or a fun

workplace?

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They prefer professional development programs over fun workplace.

i) Who conducted the study? Is it comprehensive?

Harris Interactive have conducted this survey online on behalf of Kronos.

Yes. It is comprehensive.

j) Does the information in this article match your experience of work and managers in the
Australian workplace?

Yes. The information provided in this survey is quite familiar to what I experiences everyday on my
workplace.

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 Assessment Performance Criteria

Acknowledge

Competent

Competent
Elements

Not Yet
Student
Recognise individual differences and respond appropriately ☒ ☐ ☐

Identify appropriate and inappropriate topics of conversation, ☒ ☐ ☐

and develop skills in small talk as a way to build relationships
Demonstrate understanding on how Australian cultural values ☒ ☐ ☐
influence workplace behaviour
Develop positive working relationships with colleagues and ☒ ☐ ☐
superiors, and apply standards of professional behaviour in the
workplace

☐ ☐
ASSESSMENT RESULT Competent Not Yet
Competent
ASSESSOR SIGNATURE Date

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