Building economic development through psychosocial intervention. This project is the first study that reduces poverty and increases productivity in a post-conflict country by addressing the psychosocial problems that impede the capacity of a workforce to effectively learn and apply skills. Although conducted in Aceh, Indonesia, these findings may show how to reduce poverty in all countries affected by conflict.
Safe and unsafe workplace behaviour: the impact of organisational culture and climate. This APA(I) project involves a study of safety cultures of organizations and safety climates of workgroups. It will develop and trial safety interventions derived from an understanding of the normative and individual psychological contracts of safety. It is hypothesized that such contracts will impact on safety behaviors and injury rate. The project will be conducted in collaboration with Kmart and KAAL (A ....Safe and unsafe workplace behaviour: the impact of organisational culture and climate. This APA(I) project involves a study of safety cultures of organizations and safety climates of workgroups. It will develop and trial safety interventions derived from an understanding of the normative and individual psychological contracts of safety. It is hypothesized that such contracts will impact on safety behaviors and injury rate. The project will be conducted in collaboration with Kmart and KAAL (Alcoa) who experience very different levels of risk. The ultimate aim is to develop a better understanding of the complex human systems which impact on safety behaviors and injury rates in organizations.Read moreRead less
Mindfulness-based emotional intelligence training: Evaluating its efficacy and mechanisms of change. Police officers often experience high levels of stress, low levels of morale and quality of work life, and high levels of health, alcohol, and family problems. We will evaluate the impact of an emotional intelligence program on improving well-being and workplace effectiveness. We will also investigate the mechanisms by which the intervention works. Ultimately, our basic goal is to understand how ....Mindfulness-based emotional intelligence training: Evaluating its efficacy and mechanisms of change. Police officers often experience high levels of stress, low levels of morale and quality of work life, and high levels of health, alcohol, and family problems. We will evaluate the impact of an emotional intelligence program on improving well-being and workplace effectiveness. We will also investigate the mechanisms by which the intervention works. Ultimately, our basic goal is to understand how human suffering can be reduced and our applied goal is to empower the NSW police to improve their own health and well-being.Read moreRead less
Newcomer socialisation: Examining the processes predicting changes in organisational identification over time. The project examines factors that maximise the retention of new employees and optimise their well-being. It seeks to understand factors in the organisational socialisation process that lead to an increase in organisational identification and an optimal utilisation of employees' skills and capacities. The project contributes to efforts designed to promote and maintain good health and str ....Newcomer socialisation: Examining the processes predicting changes in organisational identification over time. The project examines factors that maximise the retention of new employees and optimise their well-being. It seeks to understand factors in the organisational socialisation process that lead to an increase in organisational identification and an optimal utilisation of employees' skills and capacities. The project contributes to efforts designed to promote and maintain good health and strenghten Australia's social and economic fabric. Read moreRead less
Promoting high-performing multidisciplinary health care teams: An examination of the antecedents and consequences of psychological safety. Australian health care services are faced with an increasing burden of complex disease and changing demographics which require identification of new models of care. By promoting effective teams, this research aims to empower both organisations and their employees to contribute to a process of continuous improvement that identifies best-practice solutions for ....Promoting high-performing multidisciplinary health care teams: An examination of the antecedents and consequences of psychological safety. Australian health care services are faced with an increasing burden of complex disease and changing demographics which require identification of new models of care. By promoting effective teams, this research aims to empower both organisations and their employees to contribute to a process of continuous improvement that identifies best-practice solutions for all Australian hospitals. Overall, findings will help strengthen Australia's social and economic fabric by providing reliable and valid research evidence regarding ways to promote effective health care teams.Read moreRead less
Helping retail employees deal with threatening situations at work: Coping with acute and chronic stressors. This research will develop best practice protocols in the retail sector for employee training in handling and responding to difficult customers and stressful and traumatic incidents. In addition, this research proposes to develop best practice protocols for employer responding and for assessment and treatment of employees in the retail sector. The national benefit will be a healthier, happ ....Helping retail employees deal with threatening situations at work: Coping with acute and chronic stressors. This research will develop best practice protocols in the retail sector for employee training in handling and responding to difficult customers and stressful and traumatic incidents. In addition, this research proposes to develop best practice protocols for employer responding and for assessment and treatment of employees in the retail sector. The national benefit will be a healthier, happier and more productive retail sector workforce. The results are likely to be applicable to other sectors of the Australian workforce and thus have broad national/community benefits.Read moreRead less
The role of supervisors in managing psychosocial risk factors in the workplace: Implications for employee health and organisational effectiveness. This research aims to increase the capacity of Australian employers to identify and manage psychosocial risk factors in the workplace. By promoting a continuous improvement approach to occupational stress management, negative outcomes for employers will be reduced, in terms of absenteeism, turnover, and associated losses in productivity. By making b ....The role of supervisors in managing psychosocial risk factors in the workplace: Implications for employee health and organisational effectiveness. This research aims to increase the capacity of Australian employers to identify and manage psychosocial risk factors in the workplace. By promoting a continuous improvement approach to occupational stress management, negative outcomes for employers will be reduced, in terms of absenteeism, turnover, and associated losses in productivity. By making business operators more robust to work-related stressors, their need to react to critical stress-related incidents will be lessened and government resources will not be lost as a result of processing claims. In terms of social benefits, this research aims to enhance the quality of working life for employees.Read moreRead less
The Australian naturalistic driving study: innovation in road safety research and policy. A revolutionary new approach, the naturalistic driving study, will investigate what people actually do when they drive, in normal and safety-critical situations. It will provide Australia with answers to some intractable, high priority, road safety problems that cannot be answered using current methods, thereby saving hundreds of lives.
Responding to fire-related stressors in the workplace: An examination of the role of social support from a group processes perspective. This research has significant national benefit and will result in basic and applied outcomes. At the basic level, the research will result in a better understanding of the way in which social support reduces the impact of stressors and stimulate new avenues of research in the fields of workplace stress and social identity. At a more applied level, the research p ....Responding to fire-related stressors in the workplace: An examination of the role of social support from a group processes perspective. This research has significant national benefit and will result in basic and applied outcomes. At the basic level, the research will result in a better understanding of the way in which social support reduces the impact of stressors and stimulate new avenues of research in the fields of workplace stress and social identity. At a more applied level, the research program will provide the grounding for a future intervention designed to reduce the social costs of workplace fires. It is expected that such an intervention would be associated with several economic and social benefits such as a reduction in sick leave, employee turnover, and losses in productivity, and improved outcomes for employees in terms of psychological well-being.Read moreRead less
Promoting resilience in employees working in high-stress occupations. Promoting positive mental health in the workplace has been identified as a national research priority. Mental health problems such as depression and stress now give rise to social and economic burdens comparable to those due to physiological conditions such as heart disease. Prevention strategies are strongly endorsed by both Government and peak health bodies as a necessity if this burden is to be addressed. Effective workpl ....Promoting resilience in employees working in high-stress occupations. Promoting positive mental health in the workplace has been identified as a national research priority. Mental health problems such as depression and stress now give rise to social and economic burdens comparable to those due to physiological conditions such as heart disease. Prevention strategies are strongly endorsed by both Government and peak health bodies as a necessity if this burden is to be addressed. Effective workplace strategies for positive mental health promotion will greatly reduce burdens on the health care system and the community whilst increasing productivity in the workplace and quality of life for individuals and their families.Read moreRead less