Sample Apa Essay: Employee Experience At Downer Group

This essay address the employees’ experiences at Downer Group, a leading provider of integrated services in Australia and New Zealand. The company prioritises safety, delivery, creating relationships and thought leadership, and was founded over 150 years ago. First, the essay gives a brief overview of the company, including its nature, size, purpose and mission. Then, it analyses the company’s health and safety measures, stress management and workplace wellbeing and explains how they affect employee engagement and productivity. The essay also introduces Downer Group’s initiatives to enhance employee engagement and productivity. It links such initiatives to human resource functions, like career development. The essay also explains how the initiatives relate to human rights and safety legislations like Employment Relations Act (ERA), Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA) and Human Rights Act (HRA). Finally, the essay explains how the company managed safety during the pandemic. 

Like most South Asian mega-tech companies, Downer Group’s main goal is to assist and improve the region’s infrastructure. Downer is delighted to be a market leader in Australia and New Zealand, providing integrated services that help clients build and maintain a modern environment. The company has employed approximately 33,000 people across over 300 sites, mainly from Australia and New Zealand (About Downer Group, 2022). Downer’s employees are the key to their ongoing success. To establish a challenging and enjoyable environment, Downer Group works hard to be inclusive and adaptable (Employees Benefits, 2022). It values and recognises all employees for their talents, strengths, experience, skills, and knowledge. The company also invests in the employees’ future, helping them advance their skills and experience while considering their health, safety, and wellbeing (Employees Benefits, 2022). According to Zero Harm Workplaces (2019), Downer enhances the mental health of its workers and offers adequate support to those experiencing mental health issues to remain productive.

Downer Group works hard to develop a diverse, adaptable environment that is both rigorous and gratifying. The company ensures its employees are satisfied by enhancing diversity and inclusivity, training and Zero Harm to help them maintain their well-being and health and build resilience to sustain themselves in their careers and family (About Downer Group, 2022). By engaging the employees in the decision-making process, the company motivate them to remain productive, innovative and creative (Chanana, 2021). The company creates a workplace that enhances employees’ experience and productivity, which helps it attract and retain talents in its competitive labour market (Downer Sustainability Report, 2022). Its career development, wellbeing and diversity initiatives encourage employees to develop professionally and offer quality services to clients to enhance their satisfaction and brand loyalty (Career Development, 2022). The company has created a channel for employee engagement and feedback and offers competitive benefits and a conducive working environment that fosters respect and opportunity.

Downer Group invests in the safety and well-being of its employees. According to Zero Harm Workplaces (2019), the company’s wellbeing program includes initiatives like literacy and numeracy training, engagement surveys, assistance to domestic violence victims, mental health first aid training and support, and wellbeing mentoring. The company also offers a hardship program to support affected employees and has a redeployment and retraining program for displaced workers (Zero Harm, 2022). These initiatives help the employees manage stress, lower mental health illness risks, and increase productivity. The company’s commitment to zero accidents allows it to function in the enterprise responsibly and safely. They are adamant that their work can be performed without causing any harm to the workers, clients, the ecosystem, or the communities in which they operate (Zero Harm, 2022). The company commits to mitigating health and safety risks for its employees and clients and adopts practices to “zero work-related injuries and minimise environmental harm” (About Downer Group, 2022). Its top priority is creating and providing environmentally friendly solutions for its clients. Downer Group uses the economic opportunity of ecological sustainability and climate change while concentrating on reducing the dangers of these issues. As Saks (2022) explains, enhancing employees’ safety, well-being, and mental wellness makes the company competitive in the labour market and improves the employee’s commitment, engagement, and performance. Therefore, safety programs help attract and retain talent and increase customer satisfaction and loyalty.

The company enhance employee engagement by offering career development and adopting inclusivity and diversity initiatives. Work180 (2022) asserts that Downer Group also pledges to support its employees’ quality of life as a component of employee benefits. It is dedicated to fostering an inclusive workplace that stimulates workers and enables them to balance work with other vital aspects of their lives successfully. According to Downer Sustainability Report (2022), by 2023, the company intends to increase women’s inclusivity to at least 40% of the workforce. More so, women will occupy 25% of the management, 25% of the executive, and 30% of the board. Makudza et al. (2020) agree that diversity and inclusivity enhance employees’ commitment, productivity and retention, and client experience. Also, the company offers the employees other benefits like access to health screenings and support, flexible scheduling, paid time off and discount vouchers. “As a Downer employee, you have access to great discounts on holidays, accommodation and flight reservations when you book with our partners” (Work180, 2022). These benefits further boost employee engagement.

According to Jeffery (2019), New Zealand’s Human rights Act (HRA) 1993 prohibits employment discrimination against people with disability, including mental illness. In compliance with this legislation, the company’s diversity and inclusivity initiatives ensure employees with disabilities or mental health illnesses are supported to offer their services (Work180, 2022). However, in addition to offering employment opportunities to people living with disabilities, Downer’s ensures it offers support to employees to help them manage job stress and lower their risks of mental illnesses.

According to the Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA) 2015, companies must provide a conducive and secure work environment to protect the workers and other parties against harm (Farr, 2021). In compliance with this legislation, Downer has well-being and Zero-harm initiatives that focus on collecting the employees’ workplace concerns and minimising or eliminating risks arising from work. The company’s senior managers and executives constantly enable the staff to uphold secure, accountable, and feasible workplace conditions and to complete tasks without endangering others, the ecosystem, or oneself (Zero Harm, 2022). The managers also promote Zero Harm by actively engaging and involving their workers. Knowledge, teaching, coaching, mentorship, training, monitoring for expertise, and the ability to spot areas for growth give the firm the freedom to put ideas into action that enhance the safety of their employees (About Downer Group, 2022).

The company complies with the HSWA 2015 by implementing control measures across the workplaces and locations, including Enhanced site utilities and infrastructure maintenance, including the provision of hand sanitiser in all facilities. As few staff as appropriate were given consultations or pre-starts under lockdown, and necessary social distancing techniques were practised when these events did occur. They also made sure that arrangements were put into place for office personnel to work from when possible and that social segregation policies were being tightened up in all offices. It also ensured that only essential workers and contractors could access its customer sites and locations. Otherwise, it ensures that temperature monitoring protocols are implemented at locations among other locations (About Downer Group, 2022). Therefore, the company is committed to enhancing the safety and health of its workers.

The company also complies with the Employment Relations Act (ERA) 2000 as it actively engages its employees in decision-making (De Stefano et al., 2021). It enhances productivity and engagement by emphasising creating clarity and inclusivity. Downer encourages employee support by promoting dialogues for the sake of understanding. Notably, Downer group ought to reinforce organisation values to reduce risks of misconduct among its members. However, the company should advance several fundamental human rights, including diversity management. Downer recognises career development as a component of human resource development as part of its goal to serve humanity and deliver integrated services in Australia and New Zealand, much like most other global corporations. However, quality management is vital, especially if there are employee benefits.

The COVID-19 Response is a perfect example of a top reaction to an epidemic for the Downer group. The company continued to provide its consumers with safe, dependable, and high-quality solutions while minimising the danger of COVID-19 dissemination. To maintain prevention, it offers expanded cleaning solutions for its clients’ locations, including public transportation and community areas. Senior leadership from throughout the Downer Group routinely convene to establish effective control mechanisms, which also involve adhering to all guidelines and laws from the authorities about COVID-19 (Downer Group, (2022).  The company has also made sure that it is in frequent contact with its staff to keep everybody updated. Since 2020, the control measures implemented across the workplaces and locations include Enhanced site utilities and infrastructure maintenance, including the provision of hand sanitiser in all facilities. As few staff as appropriate were given consultations or pre-starts under lockdown, and necessary social distancing techniques were practised when these events did occur. They also made sure that arrangements were put into place for office personnel to work from when possible and that social segregation policies were being tightened up in all offices. It also ensured that only essential workers and contractors could access its customer sites and locations. Otherwise, it ensures that temperature monitoring protocols are implemented at locations among other locations.

In summary, Downer Group delivers integrated services in Australia and New Zealand, much like the vast bulk of other multinational corporations, while also acknowledging career development as an aspect of human resource growth as a part of its goal to serve humanity. The company enhances its employees’ well-being, stress reduction, and health and safety, increasing their engagement, satisfaction and productivity. Downer leverages benefits like health screening and mental health support t to increase the satisfaction of its staff and build strong relationships with clients and staff. It complies with HRA by ensuring people with disability, including mental health illnesses, are not discriminated against but given fair opportunities in the workplace. Also, its Zero Harm and wellbeing initiatives comply with HSWA, as they enhance workplace safety to mitigate health and harm to workers. Also, in compliance with the ERA, the company actively engages its staff, further boosting their commitment and performance. The company effectively mitigated the Covid-19 pandemic risks, showing it has an effective risk management program. Therefore, Downer enhances its employees’ performance and engagement by offering benefits and creating a conducive and safe work environment that minimises harm to staff and clients.

References

About Downer Group, (2022). Downer: About Us. https://www.downergroup.com/about-us. (Accessed November 29, 2022).

Career Development, (2022). Downer: Career Development. Retrieved from https://www.downergroup.com/career-development#panel1583. (Accessed November 29, 2022).

Chanana, N. (2021). Employee engagement practices during COVID‐19 lockdown. Journal of public affairs, 21(4), e2508. https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2508 (Accessed November 29, 2022).

De Stefano, V., Durri, I., Stylogiannis, C., & Wouters, M. (2021). Platform work and the employment relationship (No. 27). ILO Working Paper. https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/263093/1/ilo-wp27.pdf

Downer Group, (2022). COVID-19 vaccination roll-out strategy. Retrieved from https://downernews.downergroup.com/article/covid-19-vaccination-roll-out-strategy/. (Accessed November 29, 2022).

Downer Sustainability Report, (2022). Downer: Sustainability Report – People. https://www.downergroup.com/2022sustainabilityreport-people.  (Accessed November 29, 2022).

Employees Benefits. (2022). Downer: Employees Benefits. https://www.downergroup.com/employee-benefits (Accessed December 17, 2022).

Farr, D. (2021). Worker voice and the health and safety regulatory system in New Zealand: an interpretivist case study inquiry in the commercial construction industry: a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Management at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand (Doctoral dissertation, Massey University). https://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/16776

Jeffery, R. (2018). Mental Disability and Discrimination in Employment Under New Zealand’s Human Rights Act 1993 (Doctoral dissertation, University of Otago). https://ourarchive.otago.ac.nz/handle/10523/8368

Makudza, F., Muchongwe, N., & Dangaiso, P. (2020). Workforce diversity: A springboard for employee productivity and customer experience. The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business, 11(10), 49-58. https://www.koreascience.or.kr/article/JAKO202029462345379.page

Saks, A. M. (2022). Caring human resources management and employee engagement. Human Resource Management Review, 32(3), 100835. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053482221000140

Work180, (2022). Downer. Retrieved from https://work180.com/en-au/for-women/employer/downer. (Accessed November 29, 2022).

Zero Harm Workplaces, (2019). Mental health and wellbeing at work - Downer NZ. Business Leaders’ Health & Safety Forum. https://www.forum.org.nz/assets/Uploads/Killeen-DownerNZ-Mental-wellbeing.pdf (Accessed November 29, 2022).

Zero Harm, (2022). Downer Group: Zero Harm. Retrieved from https://www.downergroup.com/zero-harm. (Accessed November 29, 2022).