Grow Management Consultants BSBSUS511

  Grow Management Consultants   Grow Consultants specialises in leadership consultancy and has been operational for the last five years.  It...

 

Grow Management Consultants

 

Grow Consultants specialises in leadership consultancy and has been operational for the last five years. 

It offers a range of services which support companies to:

·        assess leadership behaviour of existing managers and their performance metrics 

·        design and implement customised leadership programs based on the assessment. 

Services are offered Australia-wide, with consultants flying in to conduct specific training with companies, as well as offering regular workshops at the company’s premises. To date, technology (for example, webinars) has not been employed in training. 

The company also writes and produces books on a range of topics about leadership. Currently the company has ten publications, which are published through a publishing house in the USA (Hozit Publishers). One of the Principal Consultants is American and knew these publishers. The cost of publishing the books and shipping to Australia is about the same as it would be to use a publisher in Australia. 

The books are produced using non-recycled paper and are transported via air to Grow Management Consultants office. They are then distributed by post to customers from the Grow Management Consultants’ office. As sales have been slow for the books, the company has also been exploring options for e-books. 

The company was established by its Principal Consultants, Paul Burns and Sammy Martin, both of whom are Directors. The company also employs four Senior Consultants, an Operations Manager, an Office Manager, Administration Officer and a Receptionist.

The office building is owned by the company and is located in an outer lying metropolitan suburb. All staff drive to work in their own cars and there is on-site parking. The nearest railway station is 10 minutes’ walk from the office.

Paul Burns has recently attended a Sustainable Business workshop and is keen to implement sustainable practices throughout the business. The strategic plan has also been recently updated and has been influenced by Paul’s attendance at the workshop. It includes the following statement as part of the mission statement:

We are committed, as a business, to the well-being of both economic and ecological systems, of both humans and other living things.

However, there are no specific actions indicated in the Strategic Plan and so, at present, the statement appears to be paying lip service only. 

Paul is keen to develop a sustainability policy and procedures that address all aspects of the business including, as a minimum: travel, purchasing, office energy use, office supplies, and cleaning. However, Paul also has specifically stated that he does not want to incur costs in developing policy and procedure and that all the work must be developed in-house, therefore consultants must not be used.

 

Current issues and practices within the organisation are as follows; 

·        There is older style florescent lighting in all offices, staff room and bathroom. These lights are often left on after the work day has finished. 

·        There are no formal energy usage procedures for staff or signage to remind staff. 

·        The company does not have a policy for purchasing equipment and buys equipment when required; often purchasing whatever is on special at the time.

·        The two principal consultants have company vehicles. Both vehicles are now five years old and need to be upgraded. 

·        Staff buy stationary requirements on an ad hoc basis, often resulting in large stocks of items such as notepads and A grade printer paper.

·        There is a waste bin and recycling bins, which are mostly used correctly. 

·        The company hosts regular meetings and workshops. Catering is provided by an external caterer with all plates and cups supplied (plastic). 

·        The office is cleaned once a week by contract cleaners who use regular cleaning products. 

Current company procedures for developing policies and procedures are as follows:

·        The need for the policy and procedure should be established and a preliminary briefing report developed. 

This should be discussed at a meeting with the senior management team consisting of at least one of the Principal Consultants. Another staff member should also be selected to ensure representation of all staff.

 

Grow Management Consultants – Survey Results

Sustainability survey question results 

Six staff were provided with the surveys, and all six responded. 

Which of the following initiatives are you aware of in the workplace?

·        Staff member 1: Recycling, turn down brightness on monitor.

·        Staff member 2: Recycling, transport (ride, walk, catch public transport to work), using technology to reduce impacts e.g. proposed e-books.

·        Staff member 3: Recycling, switch off lights, double sided printing.

·        Staff member 4: Save water by not leaving taps on for too long. 

·        Staff member 5: Regular energy audits.

·        Staff member 6: Recycling.

How concerned are you about sustainability overall? 

·        Staff member 1: Quite important. 

·        Staff member 2: Really concerned. I owe it to my children to do as much as I can.  

·        Staff member 3: Reasonably concerned. 

·        Staff member 4: Very important, we are all responsible for sustainability.

·        Staff member 5: Very concerned but I think the government need to sort it out.

·        Staff member 6: Not really clear on the whole concept.  

How important is sustainability at work to you? 

·        Staff member 1: Very important. We all need to do our bit.  

·        Staff member 2: Very important. Workplaces need to set good examples. 

·        Staff member 3: Somewhat important. The government needs to sort this out.

·        Staff member 4: Very important. We are all responsible for sustainability.

·        Staff member 5: Somewhat important but really, at the end of the day, we all need to do our job. 

·        Staff member 6: Very important. The feeling that what I do on a day to day basis has a direct impact on our company and its success. 

What sustainability areas would you like to see improved? 

·        Staff member 1: More training to increase awareness and efficiency in procedures.   

·        Staff member 2: Brainstorming meetings to make sure we come up with good ideas, such as sustainability weeks, ride to work week with incentives, more support from senior management. 

·        Staff member 3: Not sure. 

·        Staff member 4: Compost bin in kitchen. 

·        Staff member 5: More training and more support from senior management, such as a budget for the initiatives. 

·        Staff member 6: More training and information. 

 

Internal Communication Policy and Procedures

 

Grow Consultants aims to enhance and streamline communications (internal and external) to reinforce the vision and strategic priorities. As such, we will continue to develop and trial new communication platforms, channels, and tools to improve information sharing and collaboration between all staff members.

This policy is to be implemented in a way that ensures compliance with relevant legislative requirements and standards of best practice.

Grow Consultants expects that staff will use the channels and for business purposes only and comply with all relevant policies and procedures, the Code of Conduct.

Communication channels

Grow Consultants has a number of internal communication channels available, including:

Channel	Purpose
Staff bulletin	This contains Information from the executive to staff which is important and relevant to their interests, including training, employment vacancies and important announcements.  Contributions for the Staff Bulletin must be approved in advance by the contributor’s relevant manager before being sent to the communications officer for review and inclusion.
Staff surveys	These are used to gather information and feedback from all staff members. Surveys should be sent to staff via email link.
Grow Consultants intranet	The intranet provides important information for staff in an easily accessible location.  The intranet is to be used for conveying information which is important and relevant from the executive team to staff. It is the responsibility of the person contributing the content to ensure the content is factually correct. All contributions must be approved in advance by the contributor’s relevant manager.
Enterprise social networks (e.g. Yammer, Facebook)	These may be used by groups of staff to collaborate and communicate on projects online (e.g. to share and comment on work-related ideas, news and activities). Personal use of these platforms may not be used during work hours. Use of these networks must comply with the Social Media Policy.
All Staff emails	Emails are used for messages to and between staff. Staff are required to read all their work-related emails.
Email distribution lists	Email distribution lists may only be used by the executive team and should adhere to the Privacy policy.

 

Documentation Policy and Procedures

 

All employees are required to use Grow Consultants’s templates for all workplace documentation.

Documents should be named [Department_Type_Detail_Version]

Documents are to be saved using Grow Consultants’s cloud-based storage system.

In-built software review functionality should be used, and all comments recorded in a feedback register. Feedback register should contain the date, project number, name of reviewer, person receiving feedback, comments and action required.

 

Staff code of conduct

Purpose

This code aims to guide the conduct of staff in the performance of their duties as an employee of Grow Consultants and is intended to provide practical assistance for staff faced with ethical challenges.

Overview

All staff of Grow Consultants are expected to perform the duties associated with their position skilfully, impartially and diligently in order to contribute to the efficient and economic achievement of Grow Consultants’ strategic goals.

Staff should be guided in their conduct by the principles established by this code. If there is any doubt as to the applicability of the code, or the appropriate course of action to be taken in certain circumstances, the matter should be discussed with a senior member of staff.

Code

1        Ethical principles

1.1    The fundamental ethical principles on which this code of conduct is based are:

·         respect for others

·         integrity

·         diligence

·         economy and efficiency. 

2        Respect for others

2.1    All staff are expected to treat others, including other staff and customers with fairness and respect. This involves:

·         courtesy and responsiveness in dealing with others

·         being sensitive to and respecting the rights and dignity of others

·         making reasonable, fair and consistent decisions

·         avoiding behaviour which might reasonably be perceived as harassment, victimisation or intimidation

·         avoiding discrimination on grounds such as age, race, sex, pregnancy, sexuality, ethnic background, nationality, disability, political conviction, religious belief, or other grounds covered by relevant legislation

·         allowing alternative points of view to be expressed and reasonably debated.

3        Integrity

3.1    All Grow Consultants staff have an obligation as a citizen and as an employee to observe the laws of the State and Commonwealth.

3.2    Staff are required to be familiar with and comply with, all relevant Grow Consultants policies, procedures and codes of practices of the organisation. 

4        Conflicts of interest

4.1    Staff should be honest in performing their role and avoid conflicts between their private interests and those of their responsibilities to Grow Consultants. 

4.2    Conflicts of interest may arise when a staff member is in a situation where personal circumstances are affected by the decisions or duties carried out in their role. A conflict may arise when any of the following are involved:

·         financial interests

·         personal or sexual relationships

·         personal beliefs

·         outside employment

·         political participation

·         use of confidential information

·         use of facilities, equipment and resources

·         acceptance of gifts or benefits.

4.3    All staff must act responsibly and report any actual or perceived conflicts of interest that arise as part of their role. If there is any question as to whether a conflict exists, staff must discuss the circumstances with management to determine whether a conflict exists. Appropriate strategies will be developed to manage any reported or perceived conflicts of interest.

5        Diligence

5.1    Staff are expected to carry out their duties in a professional, ethical and diligent manner at all times. This means staff must: 

·         make decisions fairly, impartially and without bias, using the best information available

·         keep records and documentation to support their decisions

·         always aim to achieve the highest possible standard of performance

·         continuously develop their knowledge in their professional fields and areas of responsibility

·         exercise best judgment in the interests of Grow Consultants 

·         maintain adequate documentation to support decisions made

·         ensure outside interests do not interfere with ability to meet the responsibilities of their role

·         adhere to professional codes of conduct and standards of ethics

·         act responsibly when becoming aware of any unethical behaviour or wrongdoing by any other person. This may involve a report to a senior member of staff.

6        Economy and efficiency

6.1    Staff should use Grow Consultants resources, facilities and intellectual property only for legitimate purposes related to their role with Grow Consultants. 

6.2    Staff should avoid waste or minimise it where avoidance is not possible.

6.3    Staff should maintain sufficient security and protection of Grow Consultants property, facilities, resources and intellectual property.

7        Breach of the code

7.1    This code of conduct is designed to promote and enhance the ethical practice of staff. If any staff member is found to have breached this Code, Grow Consultants may decide to take action against them. This may include disciplinary action for misconduct or serious misconduct. Any such action may result in sanctions imposed, including and up to, termination of employment.

8        Legislation

8.1    This code of conduct is informed by the following legislation with which all staff must comply.

·         Privacy Act 1988

·         Copyright Act 1968

·         Freedom of Information Act 1982

·         Work Health and Safety Act 2011

·         Disability Discrimination Act 1992

·         Age Discrimination Act 2004

·         Racial Discrimination Act 1975

·         Sex Discrimination Act 1984