Peter Buddee goes beyond typical managerial or day-to-day duties, actively supporting and encouraging PALM workers’ at One Harvest in Wacol, Queensland to integrate into their local community. Peter places welfare, cultural understanding and personal growth at the forefront and his insight reflects his efforts to ensure workers feel welcome and supported in their new environment immersing into the Australian culture. "Encouraging workers to immerse themselves in the broader community is essential. Initially, workers usually gravitate toward their own cultural groups, which is natural. However, over time, they tend to integrate with each other, expanding their social connections," Peter observed.
Embracing cultural diversity
For Peter, his role goes beyond day-to-day tasks, it’s about understanding the diverse cultural backgrounds of the workers. “I’ve learned a lot about different cultures,” said Peter. Engaging with Muslim workers for instance, allowed Peter to explore their beliefs and lifestyle beyond media portrayals. "In the Muslim culture, they approach things with a different perspective, and it's been enlightening," he said.
Empowering workers' growth
One of the most rewarding aspects for Peter is witnessing the growth of the workers. He emphasised the significance of small milestones, such as workers achieving financial goals or personal achievements like completing online courses or getting driving licenses. "For them, these achievements are life-changing," he remarked. Peter’s guidance extends to assisting workers in personal budgeting to achieve their long-term goals, “I've done budgeting for some because a lot of the time they come over and the first thing they want to do is send money back home, which is great, but I also remind them to budget for themselves too.”
Client success
Peter shared the impact the workers have on the clients they work for. “Our clients have asked us whether there’s anything we can do to keep the PALM workers here,” said Peter. The clients' admiration for the PALM workers extends beyond their work ethic, it's about the contagious joy they spread. “Their happiness and their bright spirits uplifts everyone they work with,” said Peter. He shared how this positively impacts productivity onsite and uplifts morale.
Peter’s impact resonates far beyond the workplace, shaping a more inclusive and supportive environment for PALM workers in Australia.
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