Women in non-traditional careers: a longitudinal study of female professionals in the mining and resources industries. This project is in line with National Research Priority, strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric, which identifies the importance of research on workforce participation. The main aim of this research is to increase the attraction, participation, development and most importantly, retention of qualified female technical staff in the Australian resource industry. Analy ....Women in non-traditional careers: a longitudinal study of female professionals in the mining and resources industries. This project is in line with National Research Priority, strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric, which identifies the importance of research on workforce participation. The main aim of this research is to increase the attraction, participation, development and most importantly, retention of qualified female technical staff in the Australian resource industry. Analysis of project outputs will directly inform policies and practices to redress the significant skill shortages in the industry. Furthermore enhancing workplace diversity is necessary to create effective and innovative workplaces that reflect the diversity of the broader Australian society.Read moreRead less
Using Heart Rate Variability measurements to identify the effects of stress on decision making. Rationality and the willingness to cooperate is an important aspect of human decision making. Research shows that certain decisions not only cause stress but are also affected by it. Using modern mobile heart rate monitors, we are able to measure causes and consequences of stress in a controlled and natural environment. This research will help to provide better workplace environments by helping to des ....Using Heart Rate Variability measurements to identify the effects of stress on decision making. Rationality and the willingness to cooperate is an important aspect of human decision making. Research shows that certain decisions not only cause stress but are also affected by it. Using modern mobile heart rate monitors, we are able to measure causes and consequences of stress in a controlled and natural environment. This research will help to provide better workplace environments by helping to design better organisations, decreasing the probability of workplace accidents, and advising employees how to better use their talents. This research also helps put Australia on the forefront of modern economic research that aims to open the ultimate "black box" of human decision making.Read moreRead less
Employment Relations Practices and Business Outcomes in a Chain of Hotels. We will investigate links between organisational behaviour and business outcomes by using employment-relations key performance indicators (KPIs). This is significant as we will develop such KPIs (building on the balanced score card approach) and evaluate the practices of Accor, a chain of hotels in Australia. Later, we will conduct international collaboration to draw international comparisons too. This research is valuabl ....Employment Relations Practices and Business Outcomes in a Chain of Hotels. We will investigate links between organisational behaviour and business outcomes by using employment-relations key performance indicators (KPIs). This is significant as we will develop such KPIs (building on the balanced score card approach) and evaluate the practices of Accor, a chain of hotels in Australia. Later, we will conduct international collaboration to draw international comparisons too. This research is valuable because hotels are important employers, especially in regional areas. The results should contribute to debates about high-performance work systems. We should be able to help to improve the quality of working lives, organisational performance, business outcomes, competitiveness and job opportunities.Read moreRead less
Bridging the Gap Between the Provision and Utilisation of Work-life Policies. The provision of work-life policies in Australian organisations is not enough to guarantee widespread utilisation. Under-utilisation may lead to role conflict and sub-optimal work-life balance for many employees. The aims of the project are to: (i) identify the barriers and enablers of policy usage; (ii) implement a multi-level strategic intervention; and (iii) develop a comprehensive, best-practice program which addr ....Bridging the Gap Between the Provision and Utilisation of Work-life Policies. The provision of work-life policies in Australian organisations is not enough to guarantee widespread utilisation. Under-utilisation may lead to role conflict and sub-optimal work-life balance for many employees. The aims of the project are to: (i) identify the barriers and enablers of policy usage; (ii) implement a multi-level strategic intervention; and (iii) develop a comprehensive, best-practice program which addresses under-utilisation. The significance of the research is its development and evaluation of implementation strategies, using a quasi-experimental design, which will result in a program allowing employees and organisations to utlilise work-life policies for maximum benefit with minimal negative consequences.Read moreRead less
Work-life balance in the construction industry: Innovative strategies for improving employee well-being and performance in project management teams. The need to balance work and family is an important social issue facing Australia. The aim of the project is to develop specific strategies to improve work-life balance outcomes, particularly in relation to performance and well-being for employees in the highly competitive construction industry. The significance of the research is in the (i) develop ....Work-life balance in the construction industry: Innovative strategies for improving employee well-being and performance in project management teams. The need to balance work and family is an important social issue facing Australia. The aim of the project is to develop specific strategies to improve work-life balance outcomes, particularly in relation to performance and well-being for employees in the highly competitive construction industry. The significance of the research is in the (i) development of the work-life balance construct as a multidimensional one based on time, involvement and satisfaction; (ii) focus on under-researched male employees and (iii) use of an innovative, applied, experimental design. The research will yield new insights into the determinants of successful work-life balance and inform policy development which is consistent with employee needs.Read moreRead less
Testing a Multi-level Theory of Emotion in Organisations. Affective moods and emotions at work are now recognised internationally as important determinants of employee attitudes and behaviours at work, including job satisfaction, turnover, and performance. This collaborative project involves research teams in Australia and the United States, and entails three studies of the role of emotions in organisations. Based on experience-sampling methods, where participants report real-time data using ha ....Testing a Multi-level Theory of Emotion in Organisations. Affective moods and emotions at work are now recognised internationally as important determinants of employee attitudes and behaviours at work, including job satisfaction, turnover, and performance. This collaborative project involves research teams in Australia and the United States, and entails three studies of the role of emotions in organisations. Based on experience-sampling methods, where participants report real-time data using hand-held computers, the studies span within-person, between-persons, leadership, group, and organisational levels of analysis. The project also extends previous research by studying organisations as a source of depletion of regulatory resources that limit employees' potential to perform to their ability.Read moreRead less
Managing anger responses to perceptions of unfair managerial treatment. Workers' experience of anger at work can be distracting and result in lower performance, which contributes to lower productivity in the Australian economy. This project seeks to understand this phenomenon and offer solutions for minimising the impact of anger at work for both individuals and workgroups.
Customising work through manager-employee exchange. This project will explore how managers and employees customise the terms and conditions of standardised employment arrangements. The results will inform legislation such as right to request provisions and organisational strategies such as manager training which support effective, mutually beneficial manager-employee exchanges.
Exploring the role and outcomes of employee voice in a hospital setting. This project aims to identify ways to improve patient care and enhance employee wellbeing of healthcare workers through better utilisation of employee voice practices that enable employees to speak up. We aim to do this by identifying and distinguishing between the types of practices used by these workers to speak up on issues concerning working conditions and patient care concerns. The project will identify the determinant ....Exploring the role and outcomes of employee voice in a hospital setting. This project aims to identify ways to improve patient care and enhance employee wellbeing of healthcare workers through better utilisation of employee voice practices that enable employees to speak up. We aim to do this by identifying and distinguishing between the types of practices used by these workers to speak up on issues concerning working conditions and patient care concerns. The project will identify the determinants of speaking up in healthcare and the consequences this voice has for quality of patient care and worker wellbeing. This will have significant benefits for hospital stakeholders, including improved patient care, employee satisfaction and retention, and hospital efficiencies.Read moreRead less
Employee voice in Australia: the impact of employee participation arrangements on organisational performance and employee well-being. Given the extent of union decline in Australia, there is a need to update policy to reflect the new reality of low unionisation. This project will examine what alternative arrangements exist and their economic and social consequences. It focuses on the employee impacts and employer impacts of these arrangements and will inform current policy debates.