Commercial Cookery: Diversity Policy, Presentation, and Survey

This document provides a detailed analysis of a commercial cookery project focusing on workplace diversity. The project comprises three main tasks: firstly, a review of a restaurant's diversity policy, identifying gaps and recommending improvements to ensure it meets legal requirements and promotes inclusivity; secondly, a 10-minute presentation designed to communicate the revised policy to restaurant staff, covering key aspects such as the definition and importance of diversity, the benefits of a diverse workplace, and the procedures for reporting harassment; and lastly, the creation of a survey questionnaire for staff to gather feedback on enhancing the restaurant's products, services, and market presence. The analysis includes recommendations for policy revisions, incorporating relevant legislation and best practices, and the presentation outlines key aspects of workplace diversity. The survey aims to gather insights for improving the restaurant's operations. The document serves as a valuable resource for students studying commercial cookery and workplace diversity.

Running head: COMMERCIAL COOKERY: PROJECT AND CASE STUDIES
COMMERCIAL COOKERY: PROJECT AND CASE STUDIES
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

1COMMERCIAL COOKERY: PROJECT AND CASE STUDIES
Assessment 2: Project
Task 1: Workplace Diversity Policy
Gaps: The inclusion of a range of aims was observed which dictated the diversity issues
to be followed to by the organization. While such a range of aims are commendable, the absence
of a clear objective of the diversity policy is a major drawback since it would have made it easier
for the reader to understand the document’s purpose. While the policy talks about inclusiveness
and acceptance at the workplace, there is no information on the strategies or objectives of
eliminating discrimination at the workplace based on gender, age, disability and race or any
accommodations which can be made due to family obligations. The policy also does not meet the
minimum requirements of addressing state or federal legislations nor does it contain any
procedure for addressing complaints formally or informally regarding workplace issues or
harassment. Apart from ensuring that a diverse, inclusive and culturally acceptable workplace
will be maintained there is no mention of dissemination or promotion of this document across all
staff members.
Recommendations: Hence, considering the above, the following changes are
recommended for a revised diversity policy at the workplace:
 The federal legislations and principles which must be catered to and maintained at the
workplace include the values and Code of Conduct of the Australian Public Service.
Hence it is recommended that the diversity policy include objectives on making the
workplace and environment which is impartial, committee to service, accountable,
respectful and ethical.

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 Objectives and workplace conduct on the prevention of discrimination across age,
gender, race, ethnicity and disability must be included: ‘To provide a workplace which is
free from discrimination irrespective of age, gender, race and disability in accordance to
federal legislations such as the Privacy Act 1988, the Public Service Act 1999, the Racial
Discrimination Act 1984, the Equal Opportunity Act 2010, the Fair Work Act 2009, the
Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act 1986, the Sex Discrimination Act
1992 and the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Department of Health 2019;
Australian Human Rights Commission 2019; Australian Government 2019).
 Similarly, objectives and workplace conduct on the prevention of discrimination across
age, gender, ethnicity, race and disability must also be mentioned and covered by state
legislation of Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 of the Victorian Government
(Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission 2019).
 The diversity policy must also include procedures for complaints associated with
workplace issues and harassment, both formally and informally. Formal procedures
include a specific complaints register or harassment form which workers can fill and
submit to the human resources department as record. Informal procedures can include:
debriefing sessions, availability of counseling services and opportunities for feedback
such as monthly feedback forms. Additionally, as recommended by the Equal
Opportunity Commission of Australia, informal procedures for filing and discussing
about complaints include: arranging for discussion between the complainant and
concerned supervisors such as department heads, managers, the human resource manager
or the workplace health and safety (WHS) executive. Informal staff discussions or
training procedures may also be conducted to discuss and enlighten staff on polices of

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diversity, complaints and harassment at the workplace (Equal Opportunity Commission
2019).

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References
Australian Government (2019). Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012. [online]
Legislation.gov.au. Available at: https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2012C00899
[Accessed 20 Aug. 2019].
Australian Human Rights Commission (2019). Getting to know the Sex Discrimination Act: A
guide for young women (2002) | Australian Human Rights Commission. [online]
Humanrights.gov.au. Available at: https://www.humanrights.gov.au/our-work/sex-
discrimination/publications/getting-know-sex-discrimination-act-guide-young-women-2002
[Accessed 20 Aug. 2019].
Department of Health (2019). Department of Health | 6.1 Duty of care issues. [online]
Www1.health.gov.au. Available at:
https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/publications/publishing.nsf/Content/drugtreat-pubs-front11-
wk-toc~drugtreat-pubs-front11-wk-secb~drugtreat-pubs-front11-wk-secb-6~drugtreat-pubs-
front11-wk-secb-6-1 [Accessed 20 Aug. 2019].
Equal Opportunity Commission (2019). Informal Complaints | Equal Opportunity Commission.
[online] Eoc.sa.gov.au. Available at:
https://eoc.sa.gov.au/about-equal-opportunity/employment/complaints-workplace/informal-
complaints [Accessed 20 Aug. 2019].
Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (2019). Workplace law. [online]
Humanrightscommission.vic.gov.au. Available at:

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https://www.humanrightscommission.vic.gov.au/home/the-law/workplace-law [Accessed 20
Aug. 2019].
Task 2: 10 Minute Role Play Presentation
The following is the content covered for each of the slides of the 10 minute presentation:
Slide 2: Introduction: What is Diversity? : The term ‘diversity’ implies differences
which distinguish individuals and make them unique from each other, in terms of, but not
limited to, features such as, nationality, ethnicity, culture, race, religion, gender, sexuality, social
status, economic capabilities as well as ideas, opinions and preferences. Diversity not only
comprises of merely these differences but also perceptions of acceptability across individuals of
the fact that everyone is different and that we must respect our differences with peace and
harmony.
Slide 3: Workplace Diversity: Description: Diversity across the workplace implies the
recruitment and inclusion of workers and staff with a variety of characteristics and differences in
terms of sexual orientation, religion, spirituality, gender, age, culture, ethnicity, nationality,
educational, economic or social backgrounds as well as mental and physical abilities. Diversity
at the workplace implies that the organization not only recruits such as varied group of workers
but instills a workplace culture of acceptance and inclusiveness where diverse staff work
harmoniously with each other without discriminating anyone’s differences.
Slide 4: Importance of Diversity: Every individual is entitled to and has the right to
practice their own set of personal beliefs and preferences which must be respected by all. Hence,
practicing diversity at the workplace is important since it promotes a culture of mutual respect,
understanding, empathy and acceptability across all staff of the organization. Additionally,

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diversity practice at the workplace is also important due to its ability to allow groups with a
history of discrimination and marginalization to feel empowered, dignified and the opportunity
to work in work environment which is safe and allows for personal and professional growth.
Slide 5: Benefits of Diversity: In addition to its importance, adopting diversity at the
workplace also demonstrates a range of benefits to the workplace. Firstly, incorporating a diverse
staff allows for the discussion of range of diverse perspectives, opinions and ideas which can be
implemented in future organizational objectives. Secondly, the increased variety of perspectives
due to diversity also results in increased emergence of creative ideas by staff. Thirdly, diversity
at the workplace and the associated diversity in perspectives and creativity also results in
enhanced decision-making, faster rate of solving problems and increased rates of innovation.
Thus, lastly, organizational innovations due to diversity, increase an organization’s competitive
advantage over rivals resulting in higher profits and customer satisfaction.
Slide 6: Purpose of a Diversity Policy: The purpose of a diversity policy is to enlighten
staff on the range of workplace codes of conduct which must be maintained, to prevent
discrimination or harassment at the workplace and promote a recruitment and working culture of
inclusiveness and acceptability. With respect to the same, the purpose of this revised workplace
diversity policy of Acumen Restaurant is to promote harmony and prevent any form of
discrimination among staff across aspects of age, gender, ethnicity, race, culture, ability, socio-
economic background, educational status and religion. Guiding staff on WHS Code of Conduct
and procedures of reporting and complaint filing to be followed if issues related to discrimination
and harassment arise.
Slide 7: Summary of Changes: One of the major changes which have been added to te
revised workplace diversity policy is the code of conduct which staff must follow and the

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appropriate federal and state legislative requirements with respect to prevention of discrimination
on grounds of gender, age, disability, race and family obligations. Additional changes include
educating staff on the range of formal and informal procedures to be followed in case of filing
complaints and reporting against any incidence of discrimination. The workplace diversity policy
also now contains formal and informal recommendations as well as Duty of Care obligations and
compensation for staff who have been victims of discrimination and harassment at the
workplace.
Slide 8: Legislative Requirements: An incidence of workplace discrimination and
harassment will be legally covered by federal laws such as the Privacy Act 1988, the Public
Service Act 1999, the Racial Discrimination Act 1984, the Equal Opportunity Act 2010, the Fair
Work Act 2009, the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act 1986, the Sex
Discrimination Act 1992, Duty of Care 2004 and the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, as well
as state laws such as the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 by the Victorian Government.
Slide 9: Harassment at the Workplace: Harassment at the workplace implies the act of
demonstrating threatening, disrespectful, belittling and abusive behavior towards a fellow worker
or a group of workers on grounds of gender, culture, race, ethnicity and religion. Harassment at
the workplace is a major violation of WHS recommendations and is covered by the Occupational
Health and Safety Act 2004 by the Victorian Government and federally by the Sex
Discrimination Act (2002) and the Workplace Gender Equality Act (2002).
Slide 10: Procedures for Reporting: According to the revised workplace diversity
policy, the complainant has the opportunity to report the incidence of harassment, formally using
the organization’s complaint report form as well as informally by requesting for a meeting with

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the human resources manager, organizational management or the Head of the worker’s
respective department.
Slide 11: Harassment and Complaints: Formal complaints will be evaluated by the
WHS representative, organizational management, department head as well as the human
resource department, after which the complainant will be liable for compensation as per the
severity of the issue. The accused will be penalized, kept under strict monitoring or even
terminated based on the severity of the incident. Non-formal strategies of addressing the
harassment will also be available to the complainant, such as debriefing sessions, allowance for
leave and counseling referrals.
Slide 12: Conclusion: Hence, it can be concluded that diversity at the workplace is
essential to maintain peace and harmony across staff and celebrate and not condemn our
differences at the workplace. With respect to the recent changes, employees are expected to
adhere to the revised workplace diversity policies, the absence of which can result in a violation
of WHS principles. The revised workplace diversity policy also accommodates strategies for
complaints and reporting with regards to harassment and issues at the workplace. For any
suggestions, feedback or questions, employees are welcome to submit their ideas to the feedback
box or communicate to the staff redressal section at the back of house departments of the
organization.

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Task 3: Survey Questionnaire
The following survey questions have been developed to obtain views, opinions and
suggestions regarding enhancement of the restaurant’s services, products and presence in the
market. Responses are to be used for organizational purposed only and will be kept strictly
confidential. It is our humble request that the answers provided are true, honest and not
disrespectful of the opinions or race, gender, age, ethnicity or abilities of any individual. To
ensure diversity in skills and perspectives, answers are open ended and you are free to write your
responses as concisely or expansively as desired.
Survey Section 1: Improvements to Products and Services (Beverages, Food, Customer
Preferences, Menus)
1. Which aspect of the restaurant’s products and services, do you feel are liked or preferred
most by customers?
2. Which aspect of the restaurant’s products and services, do you feel are disliked most or
preferred least by customers?
3. Which current food trends do you feel can be incorporated in the restaurant’s menu?
4. Do you feel that the restaurant’s menu can be changed or expanded with new ethnic or
culturally diverse cuisines? If yes, please specify the cuisine(s) which can be included.
5. Do you feel that the restaurant’s menu caters to customers of all age groups? Is no, please
specify your suggestions. Do you feel that the restaurant’s menu caters to customers of all
age groups? If no, please specify your suggestions.
6. Do you feel that the restaurant’s menu caters to customers of all ethnicities? If no, please
specify your suggestions.

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7. Do you feel that the restaurant’s menu caters to customers with special dietary
requirements? If no, please specify your suggestions.
Survey Section 2: Improvements to Promotions (Advertising, Pricing, Specials, etc.)
1. Which current customer trends do you think can be incorporated in our organization’s
advertisements?
2. If you were to manage the advertisement of the restaurant for a day, what changes or
innovations would you engage in?
3. Do you the organization’s menu pricing are suitable for customers of all income groups?
If no, please specify why.
4. ‘Special items in the menu must be developed and advertisement every day, without
however, considering restriction’s in the customers’ income groups’ – what is your take
regarding this statement?
Survey Section 3: New Technologies or better ways to use current technologies (for
promotion and capturing market information)
1. The restaurant currently has its own website to promote and capture market information.
Do you think we can incorporate other strategies for the same? If yes, please specify.
2. Imagine being promoted as the web designer of the restaurant’s website for a day? What
would you have changed/not changed?
3. Imagine being given access to the restaurant’s Twitter handle/Facebook page? What
would you have posted?

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4. The locality’s newest café now has facilities for free Wifi and a souvenir shop as takeway
gifts and merchandise for customers. Suggest changes which we can implement to
compete and obtain greater number of repeat customers.
5. Do you think the restaurant’s current advertisement resources and strategies are inclusive
of customers across all culture’s, ages and health requirements? If no, then please specify
your suggestions.