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
Understanding employee-employer relationships during bridge employment: A psychological contract perspective. Bridge employment (paid employment after retirement from a career job) has several advantages for the individual (financial benefits, feeling of social connectedness, sense of accomplishment), employing organisations (access to experienced and skilled workers), and the government (lower burden on pension and benefits schemes). The proposed research will study the employee-employer relati ....Understanding employee-employer relationships during bridge employment: A psychological contract perspective. Bridge employment (paid employment after retirement from a career job) has several advantages for the individual (financial benefits, feeling of social connectedness, sense of accomplishment), employing organisations (access to experienced and skilled workers), and the government (lower burden on pension and benefits schemes). The proposed research will study the employee-employer relationship in bridge employment, with a focus on their perceptions of mutual obligationsin form of the psychological contract. An understanding of the psychological contract will make it more likely that the employment relationship fulfils the needs of the employees and employers and leads to a more successful bridge employment relationship.Read moreRead less
The psychological contract: Bridging human resource management practices and organisational effectiveness. Many managers believe that recent changes in management practice are responsible for Australia's high labour productivity but very little is known about the mechanisms through which such effects are transmitted. Will HRM enable Australian organisations to generate and maintain a competitive advantage in the global context? In this project we draw on theoretical frameworks established in ....The psychological contract: Bridging human resource management practices and organisational effectiveness. Many managers believe that recent changes in management practice are responsible for Australia's high labour productivity but very little is known about the mechanisms through which such effects are transmitted. Will HRM enable Australian organisations to generate and maintain a competitive advantage in the global context? In this project we draw on theoretical frameworks established in the behavioural sciences to understand how HRM practices influence employee reactions and impact organisational effectiveness, such as labour productivity. The results will be of direct benefit to Australian organisations designing, evaluating, or reconfiguring their HRM practices in line with their competitive strategy.Read moreRead less
Employment systems and organisational outcomes: Managing employee expectations through HRM practice. This project contributes to our understanding of the factors that influence organisational effectiveness. Australian employers are facing competitive business conditions and changing demographics. In this challenging environment, employers and employees must develop a clear understanding of what they can expect from one another. Unfulfilled expectations can lead to workplace cynicism and have ....Employment systems and organisational outcomes: Managing employee expectations through HRM practice. This project contributes to our understanding of the factors that influence organisational effectiveness. Australian employers are facing competitive business conditions and changing demographics. In this challenging environment, employers and employees must develop a clear understanding of what they can expect from one another. Unfulfilled expectations can lead to workplace cynicism and have a negative effect on organisational performance. The project findings will help organisations become more competitive in the global marketplace by designing HRM practice configurations that are best fit to the needs of their employees and that establish converging expectations about the employment relationship.Read moreRead less
Managing Diversity: Diversity Practice Configurations and Organisational Effectiveness. Organisations expend a lot of momey on their diversity efforts but often fail to implement the most effective diversity management practices. Left unmanaged, workforce diversity can create internal conflict and lower organisational performance. These challenges are especially difficult for the small organisations characteristic of Australian business. This project is designed to identify the most effective ....Managing Diversity: Diversity Practice Configurations and Organisational Effectiveness. Organisations expend a lot of momey on their diversity efforts but often fail to implement the most effective diversity management practices. Left unmanaged, workforce diversity can create internal conflict and lower organisational performance. These challenges are especially difficult for the small organisations characteristic of Australian business. This project is designed to identify the most effective diversity management practices for small and large organisations and provide recommendations for their use. The project benefits employers and employees alike by identifying diversity management practices that maximise organisational effectiveness and create positive working environments in the Australian context.Read moreRead less
Working against type: Stereotype threat effects on mature age workers. Demographic challenges are creating a new urgency around the management and retention of mature age workers in Australia. The proportion of mature age workers in the population is increasing but labour participation rates are low in the older age categories. This project examines how the demographic composition of workplaces and the content of recruitment advertising evoke negative age stereotypes and lead to the disengagem ....Working against type: Stereotype threat effects on mature age workers. Demographic challenges are creating a new urgency around the management and retention of mature age workers in Australia. The proportion of mature age workers in the population is increasing but labour participation rates are low in the older age categories. This project examines how the demographic composition of workplaces and the content of recruitment advertising evoke negative age stereotypes and lead to the disengagement of mature age workers. The project benefits mature age workers and their employers by identifying organisational policies and practices that counteract these effects by signalling an organisation's commitment to creating an age-friendly environment. Read moreRead less
International Managers: How Do We Get Them? Explanations of Staffing Strategy for International Work Performed From Home or Abroad. Australian companies often need to expand globally to survive and prosper. Yet, they report a shortage of managers for international work. This project aims to explain how companies staff international work, conceived as a set of interrelated options in which the work may be performed abroad or domestically from Australia. International staffing has rarely been ....International Managers: How Do We Get Them? Explanations of Staffing Strategy for International Work Performed From Home or Abroad. Australian companies often need to expand globally to survive and prosper. Yet, they report a shortage of managers for international work. This project aims to explain how companies staff international work, conceived as a set of interrelated options in which the work may be performed abroad or domestically from Australia. International staffing has rarely been considered as a comprehensive set of alternatives. This project will explain staffing strategy from organisational and individual perspectives and factors, including why women are underrepresented. The results will help understand the staffing strategy, management development, retention, and equity practices needed to staff international work.Read 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
The reality of China's socialist market economy: the emergence of labour segmentation and inequality. Australia's current regional and economic security is predicated on China's stability and prosperity. This project provides a unique opportunity for Australian organisations and institutions to gain a better understanding of the complex economic, regulatory and social issues that surround the problem of labour segmentation and inequality in China.
Licensing negotiation: How credits, credentials, and context generate behavioural latitude. Women need to negotiate in order to secure economic resources, but their efforts to negotiate violate gender stereotypes and evoke backlash. This project integrates the negotiation, gender stereotypes, and psychological licensing literatures to understand how employees’ behavioural histories, and the behavioural histories of their employers, give employees psychological license to violate stereotyped expe ....Licensing negotiation: How credits, credentials, and context generate behavioural latitude. Women need to negotiate in order to secure economic resources, but their efforts to negotiate violate gender stereotypes and evoke backlash. This project integrates the negotiation, gender stereotypes, and psychological licensing literatures to understand how employees’ behavioural histories, and the behavioural histories of their employers, give employees psychological license to violate stereotyped expectations. This project combines laboratory and field methods to identify situations in which both men and women can negotiate economic outcomes without putting their organisational relationships at risk. The project’s findings will help employees to decide when and where to negotiate, and enable managers to design workplaces that sustain gender equity.Read moreRead less