Reference no: EM133868002

Case Study: Prasad moves to Australia

Prasad recently joined 'Support for the Elderly', taking on the role of the team leader.

Prasad has recently moved to Australia from India. He was very pleased that his experience with older people in need in India has been recognised and he could get employment in a team leader's role.

Prasad had been employed in India for over 15 years, during which time he had campaigned for older people's rights and had made many inroads into the care and protection of the older people across the country. Prasad was known to be a skilled and dedicated social worker.

After settling into his new role, Prasad noticed some of his team members making quiet jokes when he was around the office. Some would giggle or quietly laugh when he would speak and do silent movements ridiculing his natural gestures.

During lunch times, Prasad overhead some of the team mention his name and put on an Indian accent during their conversation. This happened more obviously when Prasad was giving the team updates during their weekly catch ups.

Furthermore, one of the team members, Ben, would send regular emails to the rest of the team with jokes and comical images about the Indian culture. When Prasad attempted to ignore these jokes about him, he also noticed the responsiveness of his team decline. They were not supportive of his requests and lacked the team cooperation and loyalty that he needed to get tasks done.

Prasad began to lose his confidence with his new role and team leadership. He felt humiliated because of his culture and ethnic background, and he could not understand why his team were not as welcoming as he expected. They did not make him comfortable in his position as their team leader.

Eventually Prasad withdrew his interaction with the team over time, cancelling meetings and confining his communication to emails rather than face-to-face discussion.

The jokes about Prasad failed to cease and became targeted at his withdrawn behaviour. He became agitated and depressed until he completely withdrew himself from the workplace and ceased working due to increasing stress.

Prasad was also homesick, as all of his family and friends resided back in India.

1. What legislation or standards does this situation breach? Provide an explanation to support your answer.

2. Describe the implications (risks, consequences, penalties) that could arise to both employee and employer as a result of this situation.

3. Describe the responsibilities of Prasad, the work team and management.

4. Imagine you were the manager. Explain how you would respond to this situation if this occurred at your workplace. Include reference to legal compliance, policies and procedures, training requirements, monitoring and compliance review and assessment.