Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Industrial Disputes series may seem remote from the practical problems and issues confronting those involved in industrial action. Infact the data produced by the ABS and then consumed by various sections of the community plays an important role in moulding popular opinion, and in the analysis of the extent, form and causes of disputation. Most significantly it often influences policy makers who seek to make struc tural adjustments to our system of industrial relations in the hope of more effectively accommodating and containing conflict.

A recent research with chief executives shows that the man most likely to make it to the top of the Australian cor porate ladder will be the one who has been thrown in the deep end to gain leadership experience early in his career, works long hours, has attended a GPS school, taken a university degree in finance/accounting related subjects, gained most experience in this area, worked for 3.5 organisations on the average and held 8.7 jobs on the average. Having done that he should be in a senior management position by the age 33 and in the topjob by age 40 and possess certain key personal characteristics.

While the hopes of a resource driven resurgence in Australian industry ran free, it was commonplace for the optimists to suggest that we faced almost unlimited prospects and would be hindered only by a shortage of skilled manpower. Now it seems that the prospects have turned out to be less rosy than it was covenient to paint them. Nevertheless, given the rapidity of technological change and the challenge of international competition, we still need to pay very serious attention to the problems of training for industrial skills. In this paper we discuss some aspects of co- operation in this fiels.

Three major theoretical perspectives are postulated, viz, the hypotheses that: (1) satisfaction leads to performance; (2) the relationship is moderated by a number of variables; and (3) performance leads to satisfaction. Relevant research results are found to be equivocal at best, thereby implying that the relationship between satisfaction and per formance is highly complex. It is suggested that, for more definitive interpretation to be facilitated, future studies should concentrate on attempting to discover potential moderating personal and situational variables.

Important areas of concern for management arising out of the review include the psychological effects of job content, the matching of jobs to individual needs, the appropriateness of reward systems, and the use of performance appraisal and salary evaluation. All are seen as being pertinent to the quality of organisational functioning. It is therefore con tended that a holistic contingency approach which takes into account the needs of workers, the characteristics of their work environment and the requirements of the organisation should be adopted.

Millions of adults spend one third of their day in the workplace. The place of work and employment training pro vides an ideal medium to introduce services such as exercise, recreation and wellness programmes which incor porate changes in lifestyle patterns, including stress management, reduction or cessation in alcohol and tobacco intake and an improvement in nutrition levels.

Consequently enterprises throughout the world are introducing health, fitness and recreation services to enhance the quality of working life and assist employees to improve their health and lifestyle.

Technological change and the way in which it is introduced has become an important industrial question in Australia. In recent years the Australian trade union movement has become increasingly restive about the general absence of adequate standards of job protection and consultative rights. Pressures on the unrestricted rights of management to introduce new technology without trade union participation have accordingly become more intense. This paper looks at these pressures and in particular the recommendations of the Committee of Inquiry into Tech nological Change in Australia. It concludes that the development of consultative procedures to deal with the conse quences of changing technology are essential for stable industrial relations.