Joshua Chang

Demographic influences on employee trust towards managers

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explain demographic influences on employee trust towards managers. Design/methodology/approach Drawing upon a data set of over 5,000 responses from the Australian workforce, this paper examines demographic influences on employee trust in their managers. Findings The findings show that demographic influences have an effect on employee trust towards managers. Employees who are male, older, public sector, permanent, longer tenured and unionised were found to be less likely to trust managers. Practical implications Relevant to human resource practice, the findings offer potential for the development of trust by identifying employees who are less likely to trust managers. The expected outcome is that such employees can be selected for programmes and practices aimed at improving trust, such as increased managerial contact, consultation and support. Originality/value There has been a general decline of employee trust in managers over the past two decades. Research on the antecedents of trust has been reported to lag behind theory, with a paucity of research relating to demographic influences on employee trust towards managers. This study fills this research gap and offers potential for the targeted development of trust towards managers among employees.

Gender wage gaps in Australian workplaces: are policy responses working?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on the implications of the gender wage gap in Australia, before considering policy responses and their effectiveness at both the government and workplace levels. Design/methodology/approach – The method concerns an extensive literature review and an examination of secondary data and reports relating to workplace gender equality and data. Findings – While the gender wage gap in most OECD countries has decreased over time, in Australia the gap has increased, with the largest contributory factor identified as gender discrimination. Consequently it is proposed that current policy responses supporting women in the workplace appear to be ineffective in closing gender wage gaps. Research limitations/implications – Further research is recommended to identify the impact of gender equality policies on hiring decisions and whether such decisions include an unwillingness to hire or promote women. As findings were based on secondary data, it is recommended that future re...

Job attitudes between unionized and non-unionized employees

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study job attitudes between unionized and non-unionized employees in Australia as recent research on attitudes among unionized employees has centred on topics such as attitudes towards unionization and involvement, but not on work-related attitudes. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a data set of over 5,000 responses from the Australia at Work survey. Ten attitudinal survey questions adapted from the Australian Workplace Industrial Relations Survey and the Australian Survey of Social Attitudes were used to compare work-related attitudinal differences between unionized and non-unionized employees. Findings Findings show that unionized employees perceive less manager–employee consultation, health and safety, dispensability, time flexibility, workload flexibility, managerial trust, fair treatment and pay equity. Originality/value Not much is known about the attitudinal differences between unionized and non-unionized employees, given the paucity of research on unionist job attitudes. Recent research in this area has centred on employee attitudes towards unionization and involvement as opposed to studying work-related attitudes. The findings can help the management predict behavioural responses between unionized and non-unionized employees for improved decision making.

A demographic analysis of breadwinner and domestic childcare roles in Australia's employment structure

A relatively high level of part-time employment exists in Australia, with part-time workers having little incentive to move into full-time work due to a lack of work and family provisions in industrial agreements. This engenders the need to understand how the demographic structure of employment is shaped by such policy. This study seeks to investigate the breadwinner and childcare roles within Australias employment structure by analysing employment status and relevant demographic variables using data from the ‘Australia at Work’ survey. We found that among households with dependent children, men dominated breadwinner roles, possibly to countervail the partial employment of their female partners who were found to trade-off employment for child-caring roles within the household. This study shows how industrial agreements have influenced work and family roles in the employment structure, and serves as a basis for measuring the impact of recent policy reforms such as more flexible working arrangements for parents.

Managerial support: Renewing the role of managers amidst declining union support for employees

This study investigates how Australian employees perceive managerial support and the influence of union membership on their perception of managerial support using data from 4124 employed persons in Australia across a range of industry sectors. The results indicate that employee perceptions of the work environment (control over working hours, job security, pay equity and safety) influence their perceptions of managerial support, regardless of union membership. The findings imply that managers have a critical role to play in supporting the needs of employees, particularly as organizations confront the challenges posed by aging workforces, growing skill shortages and an increasingly diverse and mobile workforce. This article addresses the call for organizations to provide more support to their employees from governments and management scholars. It also addresses the issue of managers taking on greater prerogative as employee advocates in the light of declining union influence.

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.

Towards an industry-tailored management approach: A study of retail employee attitudes

The ubiquity of retail employment makes it one of the most important sectors in the economy but economic downturn, foreign competition, and looming technological developments threaten to diminish the employment opportunities it offers. In consideration of the workforce-related adjustments that retail businesses are likely to experience from changes in the sector, this study examines attitudinal differences between retail employees and the general workforce. The theoretical perspective of this study is that employees from different industries have unique attitudes toward the work environment, given industry-specific environmental and situational influences. The empirical analysis uses data obtained from a survey of over 6000 Australian workers to test attitudinal work environment variables between retail employees and non-retail employees. The findings reveal that retail employee attitudes are dissimilarfrom that of the general workforce, which implies that employee attitudinal profiles differ between industries, and general management programmes and practices should therefore be tailored accordingly.