CHCDIV001: Danielle is the practice manager of a large dental practice in the city. She is the only female staffer at management level: Work with diverse people Case Study, VU, Australia

Scenario 1

Danielle is the practice manager of a large dental practice in the city. She is the only female staffer at the management level. The CEO often refers to her as the ‘office mum’ although no male manager is ever referred to as the ‘office dad’.

He also expects her to handle office birthdays and always asks her to organize coffee for their monthly managerial meetings. Danielle is becoming really frustrated with these requests and the ‘office mum’ label. She tells her CEO of her concerns, and he responds by telling her that she is being ‘overly sensitive.

Do you believe that the CEO is displaying any sexist behavior, or is Danielle being overly sensitive? Outline your reasons for your response.
Outline at least three strategies that Danielle could use to curb this behavior while still remaining respectful to her CEO and colleagues.

Scenario 2

You are the team leader of a practice where one of the employees constantly makes ‘jokes’ about people being ‘bipolar’, ‘going postal’, or being ‘off their meds’.

You happen to know that one of the other employees — within earshot of these comments — is on medication for depression.

Outline at least three strategies to stop the bad behavior without revealing confidential information, and discuss why you would use them.

Scenario 3

In the lunchroom at your workplace, a colleague is reading the paper. After reading an article about increases in funding for health and housing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, they make a comment about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people ‘expecting Government handouts’ and say that they ‘should stop living in the past. The person always prefaces these comments with “I’m not racist, but…”

You know that this is an opinion that this person has expressed before and that it seems to be deeply ingrained. Nobody else seems to mind this behavior, and you are also aware that a number of other colleagues also think this way to some degree even if they do not come out and say it very often. Sometimes, the lunchroom discussions get quite heated, with people using derogatory terms when making comments about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

You are working in a situation where you and your colleagues are frequently dealing with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Indeed, there are some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people working with you. You notice that another colleague, whom you know to be Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, becomes upset and leaves the room.

• How does this impact the way you carry out your work, both in working with your colleagues and in dealing with your customers? Have any laws been broken?

• What are some of the issues affecting this situation, and what are you able to tell the non-indigenous workers about issues affecting Indigenous Australians?

• How would you respond to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person who left?

In the lunchroom at your workplace, a colleague is reading the paper. After reading an article about increases in funding for health and housing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, they make a comment about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people ‘expecting Government handouts’ and say that they ‘should stop living in the past. The person always prefaces these comments with “I’m not racist, but…”

You know that this is an opinion that this person has expressed before and that it seems to be deeply ingrained. Nobody else seems to mind this behavior, and you are also aware that a number of other colleagues also think this way to some degree even if they do not come out and say it very often. Sometimes, the lunchroom discussions get quite heated, with people using derogatory terms when making comments about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

You are working in a situation where you and your colleagues are frequently dealing with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Indeed, there are some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people working with you. You notice that another colleague, whom you know to be Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, becomes upset and leaves the room.

How does this impact the way you carry out your work, both in working with your colleagues and in dealing with your customers? Have any laws been broken?

• What are some of the issues affecting this situation, and what are you able to tell the non-indigenous workers about issues affecting Indigenous Australians?

• How would you respond to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person who left?