Report Probes Crown Perth’s “Speak Up” Company Culture

Trouble for Crown Casinos seems to be never-ending. Now, a new report has highlighted concerns about Crown Perth’s treatment of staff members and company culture, with people close to the matter alleging that the casino creates an environment where not every voice is heard.

ABC News cited an expert report by the Perth Casino Royal Commission issued last week, discussing the business culture in the facility. According to some interviewees, members of the staff constantly found themselves working with people who “bend the rules” and promoted a “money is more important than anything” culture.

This comes at a time when the commission is investigating not just individual transgressions on the part of Crown Perth but questions its entire business model and suitability to hold a license. 

The commission has probed and interviewed people over the last seven months in the very least, addressing numerous conflict points that investigators suspect Crown Perth may have ignored. Among those are money laundering allegations, criminal infiltration, and problem gambling. 

Crown Perth has owed up to some of these shortcomings but argued that it was equipped with the resources and prepared to bring expert help on board to help tackle the growing heap of reported issues. 

Workplace Turns a Blind Eye to Bad Behavior

The report into Crown Perth has spanned more than just separate transgressions. It has explored the overall company culture at the facility. The commission hired Elizabeth Arzadon, a culture consultant, who conducted her own investigation and cited another report by Deloitte in her findings.

Based on Arzadon’s conclusions, Crown Perth actively promoted a culture where profits and customer acquisitions were prioritized for the sake of following the rules. Deloitte’s report helped a lot for Arzadon’s own findings, as it conducted extensive interviews with employees. Some feared whether they might approach managers about various issues. 

“Data showed a range of evidence that staff does not perceive the environment to support speaking up, and nor do they feel their concerns are listed or acted on by management.”

–Perth Casino Royal Commission

According to her findings, “many” staffers were not entirely convinced in management’s intention. Another 52%, though, responded positively and said that they trusted executives at the facility to make the right calls and act in accordance with the company’s promoted values. 

Not Feeling Quite at Home

Arzadon discovered that close to half of staff members felt cautious about speaking up about psychological issues. Some 55%, though, stated that such issues could be communicated to their managers directly without fear of repercussions. 

However, the expert report by Arzadon argued that Crown Perth had many areas where it would need to work on, including “immediate attention or intervention” for the facility’s legal and regulatory, VIP and surveillance teams. 

In contrast with the average, around 19% of surveillance team members agreed that they would not be penalized if they raised concerns about mental health.