Reference no: EM132299829

Assessment Task 1: Research and policy development project

TASK SUMMARY

For this task you are required to conduct research on diversity practices and information for Australian workplaces to inform the development of a diversity policy and implementation action plan

RESOURCES AND EQUIPMENT REQUIRED TO COMPLETE THIS TASK
• Access to textbooks and other learning materials
• Access to a computer, pnnter, Internet and email and word processing software Diversity Action Plan template
WHEN AND WHERE SHOULD THE TASK BE COMPLETED?
• Parts of this assessment will be completed in class as described below The remaining tasks may be done in your own time as homework or you may be given time to do this task in class (where applicable)
• Your assessor will provide you with the due date for this assessment

WHAT NEEDS TO BE SUBMITTED?
• Research report
• Diversity policy
• Acbon plan
• Questionnaire
• Evidence of consultation

INSTRUCTIONS

Water West
The organisation that you work for. Water West is a large organisation in Melbourne of approximately 900 full-time equivalent staff The staff population is equally divided between female and male but the females hold positions that are traditionally held by females such as administration, payroll. learning and development and human resources Males are also in traditionally male-dominated positrons including all of the trades roles. senior management. accounting. information technology and engineenng Water West also has an average age of 45 years. which is a concern for them as the 60% of their staff work in the held in labour intense roles They have struggled over the years to fill roles with young people particularly in apprenticeships, and women in roles traditionally filled with males Water West has a population of Indian and Sn Lankan engineers all male. but has not tapped into the wider multi-cultural population of skilled and unskilled migrants

Water West does not have a diversity policy nor have they implemented any diversity strategies in the past. Water West has included four diversity key result areas in their strategic plan for the next three years. These are
• Leadership
• Recruitment selection and retention
• WorkAde balance
• Education

The responsibility of achieving these key result areas have been allocated to the following managers respectively: Chief Financial Officer, Human Resource Manager, Operations Manager and Learning and Development Manager

1 You have been asked to develop a range of diversity documents for Water West including a policy an action plan and a tool to measure the impact of implementing the policy

Your assessor will provide you with some information before you start developing your policy This information will be given to you in class Make sure you are clear on the information provided by taking notes and asking questions to clarify You will be assessed on your participation in the discussion

2 Research diversity to assist the development of the policy and action plan
a) Locate and review a number of diversity policies, strategies and action plans developed by other organisations These organisations should have some similarities to Water West for example size location industry diversity issues) and be able to give you some ideas on what to consider for your policy and action plan Note your sources of information
b) Review existing diversity practices and issues in Australia including how diversity is affecting Australian workplaces This must include how workplaces integrate diversity practices, cultures and traditions
c) A review of diversity facts and figures in Australia including skilled and unskilled migrants. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders people with disabilities. Australia's aging population and gender balance
d) An overview of the diversity related legal framework for Australian workplaces You may base this review on the State that you live or work in and must include reporting for an organisation the size of Water West
e) Identify the benefits of having a diverse workplace Provide this analysis based on the strategic goals listed in the scenario information above
f) An overview of the other corporate documents and policies that may have a link or relationship to diversity For example performance management anti-discrimination, recruitment and selection
Report your research findings in an informal report Make sure of headings bullets and numbering to present your information While the format is informal your report should still be written clearly and concisely and be free from errors
Submit your report to your assessor

3 Draft your diversity policy. action plan and measurement too;
Based on your research and the scenario information prepare your policy The policy must include as a minimum
• The policy statement
• Scope
• Related/linked documents or policies
• Relevant legislation
• Strategies or objectives
• Implementation Strategy
• Monitoring and reporting
• Review of the policy
Ensure that the policy is written clearly and concisely and in a language that can be understood by an audience of varying levels of education, experience and ability
b) Use the template provided to draft your action plan for the implementation of the policy and the objectives (given to you by your assessor) The action plan is only for the first 12 months Of the strategic plan The plan must include
• The objectives (provided by your assessor)
• At least two actions per objective
• The responsibility as per the scenario You may break down this data further by assuming roles within the organisation
• The timeframe to complete the actions (within the 12 months)
• At least one suitable measure of success per action
c) Create your diversity impact questionnaire The questionnaire should include between 5 10 questions and address as a minimum
• How well the organisation is doing at integrating diversity?
• Are they doing enough in relation to diversity?
• Are they doing the right things?
• What else can they do?
Ensure your questionnaire complies with pnvacy laws and includes a brief introduction to the purpose of the survey The response scale for questions should be a 5 point agreement scale (strongly agree somewhat agree neutral somewhat disagree strongly disagree)

4 Obtain feedback on your draft documents
d) You are required to consult (verbally) with at least two people to gain feedback on your policy action plan and questionnaire The people you consult with may include your class mates work colleagues business mentors and your assessor You are required to provide evidence of this verbal consultation and feedback Ask your assessor for deas on how to provide this evidence
e) Consider the feedback and make changes to the policy and action plan
Submit your final version of the three documents along with the evidence of the consultation to your assessor

TASK 2: Implement the diversity policy project error!!

Task summary
For this task you are required to present your diversity policy (developed in Assessment Task 1) to a group of colleagues to educate them.

Resource and equipment required to complete this task
• Access to textbooks and other learning materials
• Access to computer printer. Internet email and word processing software
• Access to a meeting space, two classmates and audio visual equipment
• Copies of the Diversity Policy and Action Plan (developed in Assessment Task 1)
• Copies of the questionnaire (developed in Assessment Task 1)
When and where should the task be completed?
• Part of this assessment will be completed in class as described below The remaining tasks may r. done in your own time as homework or you may be given time to do this task in class (Where applicable)
• Your assessor will provide you with the due date for this assessment
WHAT NEEDS TO BE SUBMITTED?
• Presentation
• Feedback report
• Intranet article

INSTRUCTIONS
Implantation time
if it is time to implement two of your actions detailed in the action plan For the purpose of this assessment you will assume that one of the actions was to hold information sessions for staff providing information on the policy and asking them lot Mew input and feedback The other action is to communicate the policy on the staff Intranet

1. Present the policy
Prepare a short presentation that is both engaging and interactive for a group of staff You will have 20 minutes to present and your assessor will arrange for at least two other students to attend

The objectives of the presentation
Outline the policy and organisation's commitment to diversity
Inform staff of the objectives and actions that the organisation has committed to
Get feedback and suggestions for improvement to the policy and action plan
Ask staff to tell you what they think the impact of the diversity policy will be. This may be through a brainstorming session or simply asking the question ( and recording the responses.)
Ask staff to complete the impact questionnaires that you developed in Assessment task 1.
To ensure that your presentation is engaging you make use of stories, videos graphics and pictures to depict the current and/or future state of diversity in Australian workplace.

During the presentation our assessor will be observing
• That you use the 20 minutes efficiently
• that you achieve the objective of the presentation as outlined above.
That your explanations and language is aimed at the audience who have a range of education, experiences and abilities
•Your ability to speak clearly, ask questions, listen and respond to questions being asked
Your effective and appropriate use of non-verbal communicate such as making eye contact moving around the room smiling and nodding and appropriate hand gestures

Your assessor will also provide you with feedback no your policy and action plan during Or after your presentation You must include this feedback into your report and the revised polity In Assessment Task 3

Submit a copy of your presentation to your assessor along with a short report on the feedback that you received from the group and your assessor the analysis of the questionnaire responses and a discussion of what you think the intended and unintended impact of implementing a diversity policy would be in a workplace compared to what your group thought

2. Prepare an Intranet article
Draft an article that introduces the diversity policy the objectives and actions to staff The article must be written in a way that engages and draws people in to want to read rl You may make use of the material that you prepared in your presentation including any benefits. facts and figures
Assume that the website manager has given you the front page for 5 days Your article must have a heading be between 250 - 300 words and contain at least one graphic/picture to at in the space on me Intranet It must also have a hypertink to the policy and your contact details You are only required to send the mock-up of the article in a word processed document to the websile manager who will then format it as required
Submit the mock-up article to your assessor

Assessment task 3: Review the diversity policy project

TASK SUMMARY

For this task you are required to review the diversity policy that you developed in Assessment task 1 and make recommendations for changer or improvements.

RESOURCES AND EQUIPMENT REQUIRED TO COMPLETE THIS TASK
• Access ID textbooks and other learner materials
• Access to a computer printer, Internet email and word processing software
• Diversity policy (developed in Assessment Task 1]
• Feedback (from Assessment Task 2)
WHEN AND WHERE SHOULD THE TASK BE COMPLETED?
• This task may be dole in your own time
• Your assessor will provide you with the due date for this assessment
WHAT NEEDS TO BE SUBMITTED?
• Brief
• Undated policy

INSTRUCTIONS

Review time
Assume that the first 12 months has been and gone and it is now time to review the diversify policy

You are required to use the feedback that you received from your presentation group and your assessor as well ideas from watching other student's presentations or more research that you have carried out to recommend changes or improvement to the policy

1. Recommend changes to the policy
Prepare a brief with the summary of the feedback you have received and make at least two recommendations for changes or improvements to the policy Include an explanation or Justification as to why you believe the changes need to be made

Your brief should be no longer than a page in length It must also be written clearly and concisely as a work document would be
Submit the brief to your assessor Your assessor will provide more feedback and approval to go ahead and update the policy

2 Update the policy
Once you have approval to make the recommended changes to the policy make the changes and Submit it to your assessor
In your submission it should be clear where you have made the changes Track changes in MS Word comments or highlighting text are suggested methods of doing this.