Work, life and sustainable living: how work, household and community life interact to affect environmental behaviours and outcomes. The project addresses the research priority of an environmentally sustainable Australia. It examines how the circumstances and interaction of work, home and community affect capacities to reduce negative environmental impacts especially workplace and household transport, waste, energy and water use practices. The project brings the changing configuration of work to ....Work, life and sustainable living: how work, household and community life interact to affect environmental behaviours and outcomes. The project addresses the research priority of an environmentally sustainable Australia. It examines how the circumstances and interaction of work, home and community affect capacities to reduce negative environmental impacts especially workplace and household transport, waste, energy and water use practices. The project brings the changing configuration of work to the fore, addressing a gap in current research. It examines the implications for environmental change of the temporal and spatial organisation of 'work-life', including analysis of socio-economic and gender differences, informing practice and theory about how workers, workplaces and households can change for the better, in the interests of a sustainable, socially inclusive society.Read moreRead less
Developing and testing a best practice model of enterprise bargaining in the retail sector. Recently, the Australian labour market has seen a decrease in the manufacturing sector and an increase in the retail sector. The SDA with over 230,000 members is the largest trade and industrial union in Australia. It negotiates EB Agreements on behalf of employees. This research will assess improved job satisfaction and job conditions - a key EB goal, which will have tangible benefits in reducing turnove ....Developing and testing a best practice model of enterprise bargaining in the retail sector. Recently, the Australian labour market has seen a decrease in the manufacturing sector and an increase in the retail sector. The SDA with over 230,000 members is the largest trade and industrial union in Australia. It negotiates EB Agreements on behalf of employees. This research will assess improved job satisfaction and job conditions - a key EB goal, which will have tangible benefits in reducing turnover of retail sector employees, recognised as a major problem for employers. This research will enhance effectiveness for unions and employers in the implementation of agreements commensurate with the needs of employees, the findings of which will have broad applicability across Australian industryRead moreRead less
Working the gig economy: The organisation of digital platform work. This project aims to reveal the characteristics, motivations and relationships between the three central entities which comprise digital platform work: companies which organise work of different skill and scale in the gig economy; end-user individuals and enterprises; and digital platform workers themselves. This project investigates the organisation of platform work from the perspective of both workers and the intermediaries th ....Working the gig economy: The organisation of digital platform work. This project aims to reveal the characteristics, motivations and relationships between the three central entities which comprise digital platform work: companies which organise work of different skill and scale in the gig economy; end-user individuals and enterprises; and digital platform workers themselves. This project investigates the organisation of platform work from the perspective of both workers and the intermediaries they use to find work. Expected outcomes will contribute g to knowledge of workforce transitions and shifting work/home boundaries This has the potential to informeffective policy responses to platform work with respect to labour law, superannuation regulation, organisational policy and social welfare regimes.Read moreRead less
Caring for the carers: occupational health and safety in homecare. Homecare workers care for vulnerable clients but their own vulnerability to health and safety risks is seldom examined. Pilot research revealed unrecognised hazards arising from the isolated and fragmented nature of the work. This project will systematically identify hazards and develop interventions to promote healthier and safer homecare work.
The Award Safety Net of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission. The industrial relations changes of the 1990s have altered the role of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) in prescribing and influencing the terms of employment. Its awards are now characterised as a ?safety net? and have, to a significant extent, been displaced by registered agreements as the legal instruments binding employers and employees. The project focuses on the remaining role of the safety net. Wh ....The Award Safety Net of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission. The industrial relations changes of the 1990s have altered the role of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) in prescribing and influencing the terms of employment. Its awards are now characterised as a ?safety net? and have, to a significant extent, been displaced by registered agreements as the legal instruments binding employers and employees. The project focuses on the remaining role of the safety net. What are its purposes? What are the criteria by which it is adjusted? What are the effects of the adjustments on actual wages, incomes and employment? How does the safety net relate to social welfare policies?Read moreRead less
Testing the integration and differentiation of national employment systems: multinational enterprises in an international comparative context. Multinational enterprises play a leading role in shaping employment practices as their power disproportionately influences the direction of change in managing people. This project, conducted across six countries, enhances our understanding of how these organisations influence and shape the employment practices and systems in host contexts.
From margins to mainstream: gender equality and employment regulation. Progress towards gender equality in employment has stalled, despite anti-discrimination laws. This investigation of alternative regulatory strategies will build Australian expertise and contribute to knowledge about the relationships between gender equality and employment regulation, generating policy options for employment and human rights bodies.
A Regional Perspective on Work & Family Balance and Changes in Employment Regulation. Work/family balance is a focus of significant attention at the community, national and international level. This project will generate new knowledge about the ways in which employment regulation directly and indirectly impacts on employee work/family balance outcomes within different regional and industry contexts. A growing body of research recognises the linkages between employment regulation and effects on c ....A Regional Perspective on Work & Family Balance and Changes in Employment Regulation. Work/family balance is a focus of significant attention at the community, national and international level. This project will generate new knowledge about the ways in which employment regulation directly and indirectly impacts on employee work/family balance outcomes within different regional and industry contexts. A growing body of research recognises the linkages between employment regulation and effects on child and parent well-being and health, labour force supply and economic outcomes. However, little is known about how geographical location shapes work/family balance. The research will thus contribute to improved understandings and to better social policy at the local, state and federal levels.Read moreRead less
Industrial relations, gender equity and work/family balance: assessing the impact of changing law and practice in Queensland. The project has potential to contribute to improvements in the economic and social well-being of Australian families and communities by identifying effective strategies to enhance gender equity in employment and work/family balance. It seeks to extend understanding of how these outcomes vary across regions and sectors of the Queensland economy in the context of a changing ....Industrial relations, gender equity and work/family balance: assessing the impact of changing law and practice in Queensland. The project has potential to contribute to improvements in the economic and social well-being of Australian families and communities by identifying effective strategies to enhance gender equity in employment and work/family balance. It seeks to extend understanding of how these outcomes vary across regions and sectors of the Queensland economy in the context of a changing industrial relations framework, and to provide an evidence-base to inform the best ways to secure high quality employment and labour force attachment over the life course.Read moreRead less
Improving people management systems in emergency services. Improving people management systems in emergency services. This project aims to identify the organisational subsystems that affect the long-term employment of emergency service workers and other individual and organisational outcomes. Operational workloads affect ambulance officers’ ability to work and also contribute to psychological stress. People management systems and support mechanisms are often not configured to minimise these stre ....Improving people management systems in emergency services. Improving people management systems in emergency services. This project aims to identify the organisational subsystems that affect the long-term employment of emergency service workers and other individual and organisational outcomes. Operational workloads affect ambulance officers’ ability to work and also contribute to psychological stress. People management systems and support mechanisms are often not configured to minimise these stressors. This project expects to develop people-management strategies for organisations in difficult environments like emergency services. In turn, emergency service workers should provide better services for patients.Read moreRead less