The move to individualism by the Western Australian Education Department

Employment regulation amongst government school teachers in Western Australia has traditionally been characterised by a collectivist approach, with a major role played by the State School Teachers Union of Western Australia (SSTU). In 1993 a new framework for employment regulation characterised by an individualist approach was introduced when the Western Australian Government passed legislation reflecting the Government's preference for government school teachers to make use of workplace agreements. This paper describes both frameworks of employment regulation and provides an account of the current industrial relations dispute between the SSTU and the Western Australian Education Department.The SSTU has made the strategic decision to try to maintain a collectivist approach to employment regulation. It has indicated its intention to move out of the Western Australian industrial relations system and into the national, or federal, system by filing an application for federal award coverage to counter any move by the Western Australian Education Department to entice teachers onto workplace agreements. The authors point to a number of problems that the SSTU might encounter if the application for a federal award is successful. Given these problems, it may be appropriate that the SSTU accept the inevitable move to individualism and place itself in a strategic position to be a major player in the changing Western Australian industrial relations system. As a major player in the new system, the SSTU will be better able to argue in support of the principles of equity and fairness in its attempts to ensure the continuing quality of education delivered in government schools

Gender and Employment Structure Patterns in Australia’s Retail Workforce: An Intra-industry Analysis

Challenging conditions in Australian retail pose a threat to its retail workforce and are expected to change the retail employment landscape. This prompts a need to develop a contemporary knowledge of the retail workforce, which has a higher incidence of insecure employment than the general workforce. This study investigates gender and employment-structure patterns between different sectors within the retail industry by analysing the variables of employment status and gender between 40 Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANSIC) retail categories (for example groceries, clothing, automobiles, hardware, restaurants), using data from the ‘Australia at Work’ survey. The results show that while overall women dominate employment in the retail sector, retail employment among women tends to be part-time and lower-skilled, while men tend to be in more physical, skilled, prestigious, and full-time positions. Societal gender expectations such as the breadwinner role for men and child caring for women are also identified

Employee commitment in Westrail

A study conducted in Westrail, the Western Australian Government Railways revealed that three underlying attitudes influenced the three dimensions of commitment (to organisation, work and co-worker) measured in a survey. Achievement of personal and career goals, propensity to stay with the organisation, trust in senior management and positive view of change were shown to be linked with the commitment dimensions and the underlying factors (affective, cognitive and behavioural commitment). Education, union membership, age and tenure were also found to be significantly correlated with aspects of commitment. Large downsizings have occurred at Westrail in recent years and commitment among workers is low, as is trust in senior management. The formal communications system needs attention and there is a general view that recent changes have not been for the positive benefit of the organisation. Linking personal goal achievement to Westrail employment may help to resolve the problem of low morale and commitment

Demographic Factors Influencing Managerial Trust and Psychological Contract Breach

The global economy is currently plagued by high government debt and sub-par growth. In times of economic duress, organisations depend on the goodwill and cooperation of employees, highlighting the importance of trust and psychological contracts. In spite of this, research spanning the past two decades shows a general decline in employee trust toward managers, exacerbated by the Global Financial Crisis and its legacy of economic uncertainty. Because the concept of trust is central to psychological contracts, low managerial trust can increase the likelihood of psychological contract breach and engender a range of profound and negative consequences. Given this fundamental connection between managerial trust and of psychological contract breach, identifying which types of employees are likely to have lower managerial trust can offer guidance to management practitioners for reducing the likelihood of psychological contract breach. This paper investigates some demographic factors that can influence managerial trust in employees using data consisting of over 5000 responses from the Australian workforce. The findings show that male, older, public sector, and non-managerial employees are more likely to have lower trust in management and hence more likely to experience psychological contract breach

Converting values awareness to values enactment through frame-of-reference training

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate whether values enactment could be increased through frame-of-reference (FOR) training configured around values prototyping and behavioural domain training for managers within an Australian public sector organisation. Design/methodology/approach: Employees from an Australian public sector organisation were studied to ascertain the effect of values training and development via a three-way longitudinal design with a control group. Findings: The findings indicate that FOR training can increase employee values enactment clarity and, thereby, have a positive impact upon organisational values enactment. Practical implications: The application of FOR training constitutes a new approach to supporting the development of employee values clarity, which, in turn, can support the achievement of organisational values enactment. Through FOR training, employees can learn to apply organisational values in their decision-making and other behaviours irrespective of whether they are highly congruent with their personal values. Originality/value: Empirical research into values management is limited and there is a lack of consensus to what is needed to create a values-driven organisation. The article shows that FOR training can be a beneficial component of a broader human resource strategy aimed at increasing organisational values enactment. With reference to the resource-based view of the firm, it is argued that values enactment constitutes a distinctive capability that may confer sustained organisational advantage