Heart rate variability biofeedback coaching in reducing workplace stress: laboratory and field investigations. Targeted and informed intervention in workplace stress is a vital concept in stress management, yet it is often misinformed. Using mobile heart rate monitors we are able to measure the causes and consequences of stress in a controlled and natural environment and design specific biofeedback interventions to attack primary sources of employee strain.
A multi-level approach to the management of demands and resources to minimise the risk of psychosocial injury in the workplace. This project aims to identify ways supervisors can effectively manage workplace stress experienced by team members. Expected outcomes include better management of workplace stress and reduction in the number of employees suffering from the stress-induced ill-health, thereby reducing workers' compensation claims for stress and lowering costs.
Supervisor strategies for managing employee stress and strain: a national approach to psychosocial risk management. This research aims to identify supervisor strategies for managing occupational stress in their work teams. Expected outcomes include reduction in the number of employees reporting that they are exposed to stress and suffering from the effects of ill-health, thereby reducing workers' compensation claims for stress and lowering associated costs.
Improving the performance and wellbeing of introverted leaders. This project aims to investigate the performance and wellbeing of introverted leaders. It intends to test a theoretical model of leader performance and wellbeing which recognises that introverts regularly need to act out of character, that is, extraverted, in order to perform competently in leadership positions. The project proposes that the necessity for introverted leaders to act extraverted will compromise their effectiveness and ....Improving the performance and wellbeing of introverted leaders. This project aims to investigate the performance and wellbeing of introverted leaders. It intends to test a theoretical model of leader performance and wellbeing which recognises that introverts regularly need to act out of character, that is, extraverted, in order to perform competently in leadership positions. The project proposes that the necessity for introverted leaders to act extraverted will compromise their effectiveness and make them vulnerable to low wellbeing. Expected outcomes from this project include a better understanding of the performance and wellbeing of introverted leaders. Intended benefits for introverted leaders include demonstrated efficacy of affective forecasting intervention strategies.Read moreRead less
The impact of light intensity during night shifts on circadian adaptation. Each year, the sleep loss and body clock disruption caused by night work cost the Australian economy $2–3 billion in lost productivity, impaired well-being, and poor health. Current regulations limit sequences of night shifts to a maximum of four in a row. However, recent research suggests that this blanket limit may be a well-intentioned, but ill-informed, policy. As a result, we may be inadvertently increasing, rather t ....The impact of light intensity during night shifts on circadian adaptation. Each year, the sleep loss and body clock disruption caused by night work cost the Australian economy $2–3 billion in lost productivity, impaired well-being, and poor health. Current regulations limit sequences of night shifts to a maximum of four in a row. However, recent research suggests that this blanket limit may be a well-intentioned, but ill-informed, policy. As a result, we may be inadvertently increasing, rather than reducing, work-related fatigue. This project will determine whether longer sequences of night shifts may reduce sleep loss and body clock disruption in some workplaces. The project will provide the evidence base for a more nuanced approach to fatigue regulation and a safer workplace for Australian shiftworkers. Read moreRead less
I sleep, therefore I can: Using sleep strategically to cope with night work. The aim of the project is to identify sleep strategies that shiftworkers can use to minimise cognitive impairment during night shifts. More than one million Australians regularly work at night. In the second half of night shifts, the combination of sleep loss, extended wake, and time of day causes a level of cognitive impairment similar to that associated with a blood alcohol concentration of .05 per cent. The project a ....I sleep, therefore I can: Using sleep strategically to cope with night work. The aim of the project is to identify sleep strategies that shiftworkers can use to minimise cognitive impairment during night shifts. More than one million Australians regularly work at night. In the second half of night shifts, the combination of sleep loss, extended wake, and time of day causes a level of cognitive impairment similar to that associated with a blood alcohol concentration of .05 per cent. The project aims to investigate whether the timing of daytime sleep episodes between consecutive night shifts can be manipulated to increase the duration of sleep and/or reduce the length of wake prior to work. The strategies could then be translated into policy and practice to reduce the economic and social costs associated with night work.Read moreRead less
Optimising the occupational wellbeing of Australian healthcare workers . This project aims to address the wellbeing of Australian healthcare workers by focusing on the relationship between a manager’s leadership style and the utilisation of wellbeing practices. This project expects to generate new knowledge by moving beyond individual factors and work design to explore more deep rooted and systemic causes, located upstream of the work group. Expected outcomes of this project will be to develop ....Optimising the occupational wellbeing of Australian healthcare workers . This project aims to address the wellbeing of Australian healthcare workers by focusing on the relationship between a manager’s leadership style and the utilisation of wellbeing practices. This project expects to generate new knowledge by moving beyond individual factors and work design to explore more deep rooted and systemic causes, located upstream of the work group. Expected outcomes of this project will be to develop preventative strategies to improve healthcare employees’ wellbeing, and the associated costs of mental health claims and lost productivity.Read moreRead less
A dynamic model of work-related effort, recovery, and affective well-being. The aim of this project is to develop and test a computational model of work-related effort and recovery that explains how people recover from work demands moment-to-moment and day-to-day. Recovery is essential for well-being. Paradoxically, however, those who need to recover find it hard to put effort into recovery. The model will be tested in a series of naturalistic observational studies and controlled experiments. In ....A dynamic model of work-related effort, recovery, and affective well-being. The aim of this project is to develop and test a computational model of work-related effort and recovery that explains how people recover from work demands moment-to-moment and day-to-day. Recovery is essential for well-being. Paradoxically, however, those who need to recover find it hard to put effort into recovery. The model will be tested in a series of naturalistic observational studies and controlled experiments. In each study, subjective and physiological experiences of well-being and recovery are measured as people regulate effort during work and recovery. The result will be a unifying and general model of work recovery, that can inform when and how to intervene to improve employee well-being.Read moreRead less
'Just right' job design: A new model using the Goldilocks paradigm. This proposal will generate new knowledge about designing jobs with the right amount of human movement. Prolonged sitting is now a serious work hazard that contributes to cardiovascular risk and obesity. The high incidence of these conditions in many work systems, such as rail, also presents a critical safety hazard due to threat of sudden incapacity while driving. Expected project outcomes are a ‘Just Right’ Job Design model sh ....'Just right' job design: A new model using the Goldilocks paradigm. This proposal will generate new knowledge about designing jobs with the right amount of human movement. Prolonged sitting is now a serious work hazard that contributes to cardiovascular risk and obesity. The high incidence of these conditions in many work systems, such as rail, also presents a critical safety hazard due to threat of sudden incapacity while driving. Expected project outcomes are a ‘Just Right’ Job Design model showing how tasks can be designed to enhance safety and health while maintaining productivity, and in the unlikeliest of workplaces. This will provide significant benefits for the many working Australians whose safety and health are compromised by exposure to prolonged sitting in seemingly intractable environments.Read moreRead less
Sleepy and sitting: a dual curse for the modern workforce? This project aims to generate new knowledge about the impact of inadequate sleep and prolonged sitting on health markers and performance. Many workers, particularly those working outside standard hours, experience both prolonged sitting and inadequate sleep. Expected outcomes of this project include critical evidence to address the dual burden experienced by a large population of workers who are both sleepy and sitting. This should provi ....Sleepy and sitting: a dual curse for the modern workforce? This project aims to generate new knowledge about the impact of inadequate sleep and prolonged sitting on health markers and performance. Many workers, particularly those working outside standard hours, experience both prolonged sitting and inadequate sleep. Expected outcomes of this project include critical evidence to address the dual burden experienced by a large population of workers who are both sleepy and sitting. This should provide significant benefits for the many working Australians whose health and safety is compromised due to their exposure to inadequate sleep and prolonged sitting. It will also contribute to the evidence-base for workplace policies and public health guidelines.Read moreRead less