Workers at the Crown Perth Gaming Resort have voiced significant anxieties regarding their workplace atmosphere, alleging an environment of apprehension and suppression in a recent study. The study, unveiled by the Perth Casino Royal Commission, emerges as the commission embarks on the concluding stage of witness testimonies to ascertain Crown’s suitability to retain its casino permit.
Mandated by the Perth investigation, the study, authored by workplace environment specialist Elizabeth Arzadon, examined a prior report assembled by Deloitte – contracted by Crown itself. Deloitte’s report had already determined that Crown possessed a culture that prioritized financial gain and patrons over regulatory adherence, observing a deficit of confidence in Crown’s upper management.
Bolstering the accumulating proof, Arzadon’s study, grounded in questionnaires, group discussions, and dialogues with Crown personnel (with a 60% engagement rate across the country), depicts a highly critical portrayal. While the study acknowledges Crown Perth’s focus on patron well-being, a startling 55% of surveyed personnel lacked confidence in their ability to voice concerns without encountering adverse consequences. The study particularly emphasizes Crown Perth’s observation, high-roller gaming, and legal and compliance divisions as domains necessitating “urgent focus and/or intervention.”
In a blunt evaluation, the study concludes: “The information implies there is diverse evidence that personnel do not sense encouragement to express concerns, and they lack faith that their apprehensions will be acknowledged or addressed by leadership.”
A Deloitte associate, Victoria Whitaker, the author of the cultural analysis, gave evidence at the Royal Commission inquiry last week. She proposed that it might require Crown three to five years to implement substantial organizational adjustments and genuinely overhaul its ethos. Whitaker stressed that the executive team and directors must “practice what they preach” and embody the firm’s principles for any of these efforts to be successful.