KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- A workplace review is a diagnostic tool that can provide an independent, evidence-based assessment of a workplace culture and deliver actionable insights that go beyond standard employee surveys.
- A workplace review forms part of an organisation’s risk assessment processes.
- Organisations use reviews both reactively (such as addressing anonymous complaints and high staff turnover) and proactively (for cultural assessment, risk management or regulatory compliance).
- Reviews can result in: financial savings for organisations; informed organisational change; identifying the root cause of dysfunction; and higher staff satisfaction and retention.
Workplace rumblings and discontent left unchecked can result in significant human, financial, and reputational costs. In recent years, revelations of bullying, harassment, retaliation, and abuse of power in high-profile Australian organisations have been laid bare in the media.
Our national team of workplace investigators is increasingly being engaged by organisations to conduct reviews of their organisations, departments, teams and worksites.
Organisations are primarily using reviews in two ways: reactively to uncover the reasons for workforce disharmony; and preventatively as a strategic risk management tool to maintain psychosocially safe workplaces, support workplace improvement and inform organisational change.
This article unpacks what workplace reviews are; addresses common misconceptions about reviews; examines their purpose and drivers; and the potential benefits and risks for organisations and their employees.
What is a workplace review?
A workplace review is a diagnostic tool that provides an independent, evidence-based insight and assessment of the workplace culture within an organisation, team, or worksite. It delivers actionable insights to help organisations better manage identified risks and implement necessary improvements for positive workplace change.
A workplace review is not:
- an employee satisfaction survey which provides surface-level and generalised feedback, or
- an investigation into specific allegations of workplace misconduct.
Aren’t reviews a bit ‘woo woo’?
While workplace reviews are increasingly being incorporated into contemporary organisational risk assessment and management frameworks, there are still some common misconceptions and scepticism about the purpose and outcomes of a review. These can be overcome if the review is well-structured and clearly communicated.
‘Anonymous and confidential feedback will limit meaningful actions’ | Anonymity often increases participation and honesty, allowing organisations to identify patterns and systemic issues that might otherwise remain unseen, leading to more targeted and effective interventions.
‘We won’t be able to take disciplinary action for misconduct’ | An appropriately structured workplace review that clearly manages the expectations of participants about what will happen to disclosures of alleged misconduct during the review will enable organisations to investigate those disclosures as part of a separate process. Transparency about how and when disclosures of misconduct will be escalated for investigation and participant options around anonymity and confidentiality, will put organisations in a good position to investigate disclosures of misconduct.
‘Workplace reviews are only needed when there’s a problem’ | Workplace reviews can be a proactive risk management tool that can identify potential issues before they escalate and ensure ongoing organisational health.
‘Workplace reviews lead to blame’ | Reviews focus on systemic improvement rather than individual fault, creating safer, more productive environments for everyone.
‘My input won’t matter’ | Employee feedback is essential data that drives meaningful organisational change and improves workplace experience.
Insights
Workplace reviews can reveal invaluable insights into the culture of an organisation. At times, these reviews serve as essential validation for organisations, confirming a hunch that substantial changes to the organisational structure or leadership are necessary to foster a positive cultural shift. In contrast, from time to time our workplace reviews uncover unexpected insights which although objectively more minor in nature can nevertheless have a critical impact on workplace culture. Some of the more unexpected insights we have identified include:
- feedback revealing that an organisation’s investment in initiatives aimed at increasing flexibility were not resonating with employees. Instead, the ‘rigid flexibility’ was seen as more burdensome than beneficial
- a culture characterised by personal friendships and blurred professional lines and boundaries had led to an environment where frank and robust discussions were avoided, particularly from members of the executive leadership team
- employees within an organisation that had made substantial investments to promote diversity reported a lack of cultural safety. Participants described the investments as tokenistic, ‘tick a box’ and lacking in genuine support, understanding and necessary structures
- the critical impact of seemingly minor issues such as employees feeling that their requests for resources, tools, and mechanical aids were not being genuinely considered or addressed, which was described as playing a key role in the decline of the workplace culture.
Drivers for workplace reviews
The key catalyst for a workplace review is commonly concerning workforce data or behaviours such as:
Anonymous or informal complaints: to determine whether alleged organisation or department-wide toxicity or bullying is corroborated by others, and if so, the extent and nature of the conduct.
Low staff morale and productivity: to identify the reasons for issues such as high staff turnover, absenteeism, psychological injury claims, low satisfaction levels and poor productivity or performance.
Reviews can also be commissioned for strategic and proactive purposes:
Culture assessment and transformation: to gain an objective understanding of current workplace culture and to support planned organisational changes or restructuring.
Risk management: to proactively identify psychosocial hazards in the workplace before they escalate into serious problems.
Regulatory compliance: to meet obligations under workplace health and safety regulations, such as the 2024 Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work Code of Practice and the Respect@Work positive duty.
Diversity and inclusion enhancements: to identify gaps in diversity and inclusion initiatives based on employee feedback, leading to more effective programs and policies that promote a diverse workplace.
Board governance: to help meet board oversight responsibilities for organisational culture and risk, (for example the ASX Corporate Governance Principles and Recommendations 4th Edition which emphasise board responsibility for instilling and continually reinforcing “a culture across the organisation of acting lawfully, ethically and responsibly”).
Targeted development initiatives: to pinpoint areas for skill development and training based on employee feedback, helping to identify skill gaps and ensure that the needs of the workforce are addressed.
What are the potential benefits?
Workplace reviews can result in a range of benefits to organisations and their employees:
Financial savings: insights gained from a workplace review can pinpoint the source of culture-related challenges, allowing organisations to allocate and invest resources towards corrective measures in identified problem areas. Organisations have informed us that proposed investments were effectively redirected after a workplace review to address identified areas of concern, rather than areas that were only suspected of being problematic.
Targeted resourcing: where a workplace review identifies that a change in leadership is a key part of achieving positive workplace change, the information obtained during the course of the review may be used to support discussions with those leaders about reassignment, performance management, succession planning or opportunities outside the department.
Organisational change: as a diagnostic tool, a workplace review can identify root causes of poor workplace cultures. In circumstances where organisations are considering restructuring or other changes, a review can provide insights as to whether these proposals would in fact alleviate or improve the existing workplace culture.
Improved staff satisfaction and health and wellbeing: Reviews can help identify the root causes of low morale as well as patterns of absenteeism, stress leave and psychological injury claims and allow for the implementation of strategies and improvements to address these root causes.
Staff retention: Participants in workplace reviews commonly tell us that they are actively seeking alternative employment due to poor workplace culture. Many of these participants tell us however that they are heartened to see the organisation taking workplace culture seriously (evidenced by the decision to conduct a review) and will put their decisions about alternative employment on hold pending the outcomes of the review.
What are the potential risks?
Qualitative data: A successful workplace review is reliant upon sufficient qualitative data in the form of participant insights to compliment qualitative metrics. Participation in workplace review processes is typically voluntary and accordingly may be impacted by:
- ‘survey fatigue’ i.e. employees have completed various ‘employee satisfaction’ or pulse surveys and have been fatigued and skeptical about the utility in providing further insights
- low levels of psychological safety – employees may be reluctant to participate in circumstances where there is an absence of a ‘safe to speak up’ culture
- a lack of confidence in the organisation and its commitment to taking on board the opportunities for improvement and making meaningful change.
If participation rates are impacted by the above, there may be insufficient qualitative data to identify the key drivers of a problematic workplace culture.
Investment: Commissioning an external workplace review may be a substantial investment in time, resources and funding that needs to be pragmatically balanced with the benefits identified above.
Disruption: The process of reviewing and potentially changing a workplace culture may disrupt normal operations and may lead to short-term inefficiencies or distractions.
Complaints: When given an opportunity to speak openly and transparently about workplace culture, there is a likelihood that participants will make complaints about their working environment (including about historical matters). Organisations will need to assess and respond to complaints made and take appropriate action.
Clarity: Workplace reviews do not result in ‘findings’ that can support subsequent disciplinary processes. Instead, disclosures of misconduct must be separately investigated before disciplinary action can be taken. Stakeholders and managers must clearly understand the nature of the process and avoid preemptively morphing the results and recommendations of a workplace review into a disciplinary process, skipping the fundamental investigation stage1.
Criticisms: Organisations that undertake well planned, thorough and objective workplace reviews are often criticised for failing to ‘close the loop’ and communicate to employees the key findings of the review and outcomes. A post-review debriefing session that genuinely thanks employees for their participation and acknowledges the importance of their speaking up along with outlining the key actions that will be taken in order to address deficiencies in the workplace culture and associated timeframes for completion will minimise the risk of these criticisms.
Ultimately the key to success is thinking through these potential issues at the commencement of a workplace review process and clearly communicating with stakeholders and participants about the process, scope and proposed post review debriefs or communications.
Far from being ‘woo woo’, workplace reviews are practical, evidence-based tools that provide valuable insights into organisational dynamics and performance and identify opportunities for meaningful improvement. When carefully planned and structured, they enable organisations to meet their statutory and contractual obligations while creating healthier and more productive work environments where employees feel heard and valued.
More information
Our national team reviews organisations, divisions, teams and work sites to pinpoint the causes of workplace tensions and low morale, identifying actions for improvement. Our experienced reviewers have conducted more than 60 workplace reviews. They possess highly developed interviewing and people skills and take a trauma-informed and culturally responsive approach, focusing on each participant’s unique circumstances.
Read more about our workplace review service here or contact 1300 944 049 for more information.
