Working in Residential Aged Care: A Trans-Tasman comparison

Residential aged care has become an issue of critical interest in developed countries, including Australia and New Zealand, due to an ageing population and workforce. The ageing population has contributed to concerns about ensuring a sustainable labour supply to the sector. A key barrier to a sustainable workforce in residential aged care in Australia and New Zealand is the physically and emotionally demanding work, which is undervalued and low paid. This article compares the regulatory frameworks for residential aged care in New Zealand and Australia, and considers why, despite different environments, the outcomes for residential aged care workers are very similar. There is scant comparative research in residential aged care, particularly between New Zealand and Australia. This article provides an important overview of the regulatory environment in a sector that is increasingly important to the public, policy makers and researchers

Quitting behaviour in good (and bad) work places

This paper argues that the decision to quit is strongly influenced by employee perceptions of the quality of the work environment (QWE), and that ignoring QWE can lead to incorrect conclusions concerning the influence of other factors on the quitting decision. However, our empirical results also illustrate that some of the antecedents of quitting, namely high levels of stress, gaining information about important decisions and changes, and changes in job satisfaction, are only significant if the overall QWE is perceived to be good; if the QWE is perceived to be bad then these factors appear to have no significant influence on the quitting intention of the worker. This paper contributes to the literature through a work environment approach to understanding the complexities of the quitting decision.Department of Labou

Submission on the Draft Employment (Pay Equity and Equal Pay) Bill

The Draft of the Employment (Pay Equity and Equal Pay) Bill as it stands creates barriers to women making equal pay claims, with a substantial onus on individual women to conduct research and write claims containing information that current policy makers in government and industry seldom research and write themselves. The process outlined also places greater onus on women than the employers who have discriminated against them. The Draft Bill potentially worsens the situation for women in their struggle for equal and equitable pay and work. We recommend that at the very least substantial changes be made to the Bill, but that consideration be made to retain the Equal Pay Act 1972 instead. We are particularly concerned about the onus of ‘merit’ in a claim, the comparators, and that the process appears to place employers in a more powerful position of decision making than the women making claims

The Value of Care: Understanding the Impact of the 2017 Pay Equity Settlement on the Residential Aged Care, Home and Community Care and Disability Support Sectors

Caring Counts Coalitio

The role of government in influencing labour conditions through the procurement of services: Some political challenges

© 2015, © Australian Labour and Employment Relations Association (ALERA), SAGE Publications Ltd, Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore and Washington DC. The increasing complexity of the employment relationship in supply chains poses challenges to the protection of labour standards internationally. While there is significant research on labour standards in international supply chains, there is much less on domestic supply chains and public procurement. Furthermore, the role of government in supply chain labour standards is under-researched. This article uses the context of residential aged care in Australia and New Zealand to highlight the inadequacy of the current role of government in promoting decent labour standards in domestic supply chains. We argue that the role of government in the employment relationship needs to be reconceptualised in order to recognise its agency as an indirect employer, and its consumer power, in public procurement

Future of Work (FoW) and gender

This chapter seeks to consider our current understandings of this lived experience, gender discrimination, voice and prospects for gender equality in the electronically mediated ‘gig economy’. Specifically, we point to a number of gaps in research that, combined, suggest an agenda for ongoing inquiry. We begin with a summary of how gender has been treated in industrial relations theory and research thus far

Ki Te Tahatū O Te Rangi: Normalising Te Reo Māori Across Non-traditional Māori Language Domains

Background In 2018, Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (The Māori Language Commission) commissioned the New Zealand Work Research Institute (NZWRI) and Te Ipukarea (The National Māori Language Institute) to explore the integration of Māori language and culture in organisations across New Zealand. This research identifies why organisations use, support and champion the use of te reo me ngā tikanga Māori (Māori language and culture) in Aotearoa, and the challenges that prevent them from doing so. Understanding the drivers and barriers of te reo Māori (Māori language), terminology and tikanga Māori (Māori culture) workplace usage is a crucial element for achieving a greater use of Māori language across New Zealand society.Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māor