Reprimandable offences: defining employee misbehaviour for investigations of employer disciplinary practices

Even with the abundance of misbehaviour definitions existing in the literature, there still appears to be a void when it comes to describing employee misbehaviours that are judged by the employer to be unsuitable and deserving some form of disciplinary response. This article considers current definitions of misbehaviour with a view to framing a definition for reprimandable offences: a concept suitable for examining misbehaviour from an employer's disciplinary viewpoint

A conceptual model of employee self reported rationale for engaging in deviant acts

When an employee is accused of engaging in a deviant act by his/her employer, natural justice affords the employee the right to respond to the allegation. In this study, the texts of unfair dismissal arbitration decisions of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission are examined to identify the defences raised by workers (or their union representatives) to accusations of serious misconduct that ultimately resulted in their immediate dismissal. These defences provide the foundation of a conceptual model of three categories of ‘rationale’ that employees offer in their defence: personal-inside; personal-outside; and workplace related. The model further conceptualises a ‘conflated reason’ in which categories are not mutually exclusive and can result in the employer dealing with a complexity of contexts and issues. The value of this paper is that it provides insight into the range of defences that employees provide for behaviours that cut to the core of damaging the employer-employee relationship

The intergenerational perpetuation of achievement messages in whānau

The current research is an open exploration of achievement messages that are carried from generation to generation in whānau, in relation to the mainstream education system of Aotearoa. Participant groups comprised of two to three generations within each whānau. A maximum of eight whānau will be asked to participate. A series of continuous conversations will be held with each member of the whānau, reminiscent of the narrative approach, but most recently described as a methodology that allows for ensuring that data is collected in its fullest form. Differing views about achievement and how it is negotiated within whānau will be explored; along with issues on what, and who, within whānau are the most predominant indicators of achievement views. Detracting from an ethnocentric view of scholastic ability (a common marker for achievement) is done through abandoning mainstream ideals. This research favours an open exploration approach allowing for differing values about what constitutes achievement, and what context achievement is based in. Outcomes of the research are intended to show patterns within whānau and among Māori on the mainstream school system, and how this system has contributed to achievement messages. The positive or negative nature of the contribution from mainstream education is highly important and relevant to further research goals, including the ability to use outcomes to suggest social change in education provision for Māori

Catching them is one thing, keeping them is something else: reflections on teaching first year university students

[Abstract]: This paper documents teaching practices that have been identified, by the teaching team, as improving student success rates in a first year tertiary level compulsory subject. Constructivism, scaffolding, social presence and reflective practice are the key concepts which have proved to be successful in transitioning students in this subject to university study. Outcomes have consisted of goal achievement by individual students, increased student retention and success rates

Tolerating employee misbehaviour: where does our federal industrial tribunal stand?

Industrial tribunal decisions are believed to contribute to public standards (Donaghey 2006) and to reflect societal values (Wright 2002). How much tolerance employers and unions must show towards employees who may have engaged in misbehaviour is therefore likely to be influenced by unfair dismissal decisions made by Australia’s federal industrial tribunal. The endless manifestation of employee misbehaviours can be classified according to Robinson and Bennett’s (1995) employee deviance typology. Using this typology, the research question examined the level of ‘judicial’ tolerance for offences committed by employees across Australian workplaces that culminated in an arbitration hearing before the country’s federal industrial tribunal

Minimising the gender status effects on performance for women in leadership

This study explores how different workplace structures are institutionalised such that women in leadership are better able to address lower status assessments associated with the gender stereotype. Using a sample of 27 women leaders across industries, the study found that legitimate workplace structures such as opportunities for promotion into high status roles, increased opportunities to participate, equality and mentoring practices embedded in HRM policies, confuse and challenge the subliminal status effects of gender on perceived task or role performance. For instance, when institutionalised practices were prevalent, the study found that the link between the subliminal gender status and performance was irrelevant and inconsequential with women leaders displaying as much influence as men. When workplace structures were absent by comparison, women leaders had to work harder to overcome common stereotypes that they were less competent and less suited to senior roles. The study outcomes have major benefits for organisations wishing to legitimise HRM policies that help to formalise workplace structures and counter prevailing gender stereotypes

Can institutionalized workplace structures benefit senior women leaders?

Drawing on interviews conducted with a sample of 27 senior women leaders from across Australian industries, this study found that legitimate workplace structures disrupt and challenge the subliminal status effects of gender on perceived task or role performance. This related to structures such as increased opportunities for promotion into higher status roles and opportunities to participate in unstructured group-task roles. These findings were in stark contrast to traditional workplace structures where senior women leaders relied on their ability alone to reach the top. Our findings have significant implications for organizations wishing to legitimize and replicate HRM policy levers that help to formalize workplace structures of equality and counter prevailing gender stereotypes

Competent women, subliminal group hierarchies and executive leadership

Objective: We analysed the experiences of successful executive women leaders to ascertain how they attained appointments to roles as high as the C-suite and boardroom. Theoretical focus: Sociologists use ‘status characteristics theory’ (SCT) to explain the influence of status beliefs based on salient characteristics, such as gender, on the assessment of a person’s competency in group task situations (Berger et al. 1980). SCT suggests women can elevate their position from their stereotypically assigned place in the subliminal group hierarchy by shortening the path of relevance (Berger et al. 1980) between perceptions of their gender and their competence to perform a leadership role. Research question: What strategies do successful executive women use to overcome subliminal, gender-influenced assessments of their leadership competency? Method: In 2016, we interviewed 25 women who held positions within the executive suite and/or on the Board of Australian companies and government departments. A thematic analysis adhering to a ‘contextualist’ approach (Braun & Clarke, 2006) was applied to examine the participants’ responses. Major conclusions: The women demonstrated their competence via two overarching strategies: active demonstrations with associated internal dialogues. Under these two strategies sit four sets of mirror-imaged tactics: balanced career choices; outcome driven; image management; and leveraged relationships. Combined, these inputs reflect physical and mental manoeuvres women have used to achieve shortened paths of relevance, suggesting that they reconfigured the cognitive, stereotypical status assessment of being less competent than the men in the group, to being viewed as a person capable of an executive leadership role

Māori cultural definitions of sexual violence.

Exploring definitions of sexual violence in Aotearoa highlights that on the whole such definitions are located within dominant Pākehā frameworks that do not provide adequately for understanding the context of sexual violence for Māori. As such Māori working in the area of healing the trauma of sexual violence have been developing frameworks which are enabling of culturally defined understandings and traditional knowledge as a basis by which to understand sexual violence in Aotearoa. Informed by te reo and tikanga Māori (Māori language and culture) Māori healers, social workers and health providers have moved beyond western definitions and have highlighted the link between acts of sexual violence and the violence of colonial invasion. This article explores Māori perspectives of the origins and impacts of sexual violence for Māori and advocates for Kaupapa Māori and decolonising approaches to be more fully supported and engaged in dealing with these issues within our communities

Investigating Māori approaches to trauma informed care

This article gives an overview of a three-year Health Research Council funded research project “He Oranga Ngākau: Māori approaches to trauma-informed care”. The study is informed by Kaupapa Māori which provides both the theoretical and methodological foundation for understanding the world, exploring and conceptualising issues. The need for contextualised and culturally safe health and social services is well recognised within Aotearoa and particularly within Mental Health and Addiction Services. While trauma is an experience that can impact on all people, Māori experience trauma in distinct ways that are linked to the experience of colonisation, racism and discrimination, negative stereotyping and subsequent unequal rates of violence, poverty and ill health. Given that Māori are impacted by trauma in specific ways, it is important to explore and identify practice principles that contribute to the development of a framework that supports Māori Providers, counsellors, clinicians and healers in working with Māori. (Authors' abstract)