Eurozone is a political lobbying organisation based in Brussels. Founded 15 years ago by two ex-European Members of Parliament, its aim is to draw the attention of members of the European Parliament and other influential bodies to the issues considered important by its clients. In the past, Eurozone lobbyists have sought to influence around issues such as immigration policies and the entry into the European Union of new countries; discussions around the common agricultural and fishing policies and the allocation of various pots of European funding. Their lobbyists work for a wide range of clients including business and political groups. The success of the organisation has seen an associated expansion of the number of employees. Founded by Hans Klein, a German national, and René Mertens, a Belgian national, the company now employs ten other people. Additionally, the firm uses freelancers who are employed for specific assignments. These jobs are seen as particularly accessible for women who might want to combine the work with having a family. The relationship between the firm and its freelancers is particularly important because it enables the firm some flexibility around workload. The owners pride themselves on the effective long-term relationships they have built with some freelancers and that they will prioritise working for them above other lobbying organisations. One of the key successful attributes of the company is that as the EU has expanded they have been successful in their ability to bring in a range of diverse clients from the different European nations. One factor that has attracted these clients has been the diverse composition of the company.

Many of those involved in European politics recognise that the area is heterogeneous, and that the key issues and interests of those in Western and Northern Europe may differ from those in the east and the south. Therefore the company’s strategy has focused on recruiting some new staff from Eastern Europe to deal with the increasing number of assignments that have arisen as a result of the expansion of the EU. The owners believe that there is a clear business case for this recruitment strategy in that they expect that Eastern European clients will be more at ease with these staff. Therefore, this will give them some advantage over their competitors in what is an increasingly crowded market. The executive team of the company consists of the two owners and Angela Goossens, another Belgian national who was René’s PA having previously worked with a number of other European Members of Parliament. Angela’s role is to manage the firm’s office whilst the two owners – together with the other regular staff – focus on lobbying and business development. The executive team have a weekly Monday morning meeting where work in progress and new assignments are reviewed and allocated. The assignments that the company deal with can roughly be divided into two types: those that are more general or issue specific, and those that are associated with particular countries or regions. In allocating work the executive team decide who they think will be best for the job, bearing in mind their individual skills and expertise and the current workload. The three have worked together for many years and feel comfortable that they have a positive working relationship. They are proud of what the company has achieved and of the positive, dynamic and diverse working environment they have created. Recently, a couple of the more newer recruits:

Andrulis Norkus from Lithuania and Aleksy Bartosz from Poland have requested the opportunity to meet with the executive team and Angela has invited them to the Monday morning meeting. As the discussion unfolds, René, Angela and Hans are surprised by what they are hearing from their staff. As Aleksy suggests: ‘I was really proud to have secured a job with Eurozone. I knew the reputation of the firm and felt I could really add something to the company. I felt this would be a good move for my political career. However, increasingly I am feeling I might have made a big mistake. There is a clear hierarchy here in how the work is allocated, and those of us from the newer European states are always at the bottom of the pile. The really juicy general assignments always go to the Westerners, we Eastern Europeans are rarely considered for the best jobs. Yes, we may be useful for those jobs focusing on Eastern Europe, but I wanted more than that. You are just mirroring the lack of status we have in Brussels more generally, alongside your powerful nations,’ Andrulis adds, ‘There is a real bias towards the Western freelancers especially, they seem to get all the best work.’ The executive team are stunned by these suggestions and reassure Andrulis and Aleksy that this situation will be investigated. After the meeting Angela decides to do a review of how work has been allocated over the last 12 months.

In doing so she finds that there is some justification in the claims made by Aleksy and Andrulis in that the more general jobs with the most senior clients tend to go to the Westerners. There are no obvious differences in the allocation of work between men and women on the regular staff and the freelancers, but clear differences between those from Western and Eastern Europe. Angela reports back to René and Hans who are similarly surprised but all agree that they should try and do something to address the situation. As René puts it, ‘I’ve always been proud of our reputation for being a dynamic and inclusive employer. This kind of thing could damage our reputation out there and, as we know, in this business reputation is everything.’ The executive team decide that something must be done to address the situation and ask Angela to investigate advice about how to make their business more inclusive.
Questions
1 What interventions would you suggest the executive team take in order to achieve their aim of moving towards a culture where diverse groups are treated fairly?
2 What impact do you think your suggested interventions will have upon:
a Eastern European employees;
b Northern and Western European employees;
c The senior management team.