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BackgroundThe current study is part of a broader study which explored relationships between teacher perceptions of School Administration Trustworthiness and teacher burnout and trust. Gender issues were of apparent importance due to increasing feminisation of the teaching workforce in Australia.AimThis study sought to explore possible differences in teachers regarding perceptions of school administration trustworthiness, which may well pertain to gender.SampleParticipants were 90 currently serving teachers in Queensland Independent Schools.MethodSurvey instruments included measures for perceptions of administration trustworthiness (ability, benevolence and integrity), morale, participative decision making, trust, burnout and job stress.ResultsThere were significant effects for gender and school, with female primary teachers experiencing more burnout job stress than male primary teachers, and secondary teachers (male and female). Female primary and secondary teachers reported less confidence in school administration trustworthiness when compared to male primary and secondary teachers, although this differentiation was more pronounced in the primary school.ConclusionIt is proposed that further study using empirical measures of work overload, a more useful measure of burnout and a qualitative survey instrument be undertaken to further differentiate dissatisfactions of female primary teachers. Current practices which contribute to emotional exhaustion and inefficacy among female teachers require scrutiny. Possible inequity in primary schools is worthy of more sustained investigation.

PurposeThis paper seeks to identify aspects of work environment, culture or expectations that contributed to women's comfort or discomfort within the information and communication technology (ICT) industry.Design/methodology/approachThe study is empirical in nature and addresses the perspectives of 178 professional women currently working within the Australian ICT industry who responded to the "Women in ICT" survey conducted through James Cook University. Likert‐scale responses were subjected to principal component analysis and then K‐mean cluster analysis, distinguishing four groups of respondents. Explanations for group membership were then sought from responses to open‐ended survey questions.FindingsThere was common agreement among respondents that, when making their career decisions, they had expected to enjoy good community image, and that their work would be socially useful, satisfying and flexible. Respondents also agreed that careers in ICT are rewarding, and provide opportunities, and disagreed with prevailing negative stereotypes about the industry. Opinions diverged on the organisation‐specific issues of management approachability and equality, as well as around respondents' confidence in their own technical ability and their intention to encourage young women to enter the industry.Originality/valueThis paper identifies distinct patterns of response and thereby provides support for the thesis that the widely reported discomfort of women within the ICT industry is not a cultural (industry‐wide) phenomenon but, rather, one that has its roots within particular workplace relationships. It is these relationships that appear to encourage or undermine confidence and women's intentions to encourage others to enter ICT.

PurposeAdvancing knowledge about effectively managing the ageing workforce and ensuring economic sustainability for a growing retired cohort is a recognised priority for organisational health researchers, employers and governments. The purpose of this paper is to test social perceptions that older workers' cognitive performance and job attitudes compare adversely to their younger colleagues.Design/methodology/approachThe research assessed samples of older and younger workers in objective tests of cognitive abilities and subjective job attitudes. An opportunity sampling method was employed to recruit a heterogeneous group of participants in Australia (n=172).FindingsNo significant differences in cognitive ability between the groups were identified; older workers were as cognitively skilled for their job as their younger colleagues. No significant group difference for perceptions of social support, job commitment, job satisfaction or turnover intentions was identified.Research limitations/implicationsThe cross‐sectional research design adopted by this research prevented a more detailed examination of the data in terms of causal relationships. While the cognitive testing provided objective rather than subjective data and, therefore, is not as susceptible to response biases such as common method variance, the small sample who undertook the cognitive testing is acknowledged as a research limitation.Social implicationsThis research has implications for the reduction in unemployment of older workers and directly addresses the social issues of an ageing labour force.Originality/valueThe paper demonstrates that stereotypical assumptions concerning inadequate performance and low job commitment commonly attributed to older workers are not in fact indicative of all ageing employees.

[Extract] In 2012, James Cook University, Synapse (Brain Injury Association of Queensland, Inc.) and Brain Injury Australia were funded by the Federal Government's Practical Design Fund (Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs) to prepare individuals, communities and services for the transition to DisabilityCare Australia. The project had three deliverables: 1. Develop best practice guidelines for engagement and assessment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons with acquired brain injury and their communities. 2. Develop, pilot and evaluate a culturally appropriate instrument for assessing functioning, cognitive impairment, and the care and support needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons with acquired brain injury. 3. Develop a support framework for assessors including guidelines for training, peer mentoring, supervision, management and review.

The impact of work–family conflict on well-being outcomes is well established, as is the role of social support in buffering perceptions of conflict. What is less well understood is how these relationships vary for different groups of respondents. Using a two-wave longitudinal design with a 12-month time lag and samples of employees (total N = 2183) from Australia, New Zealand, China and Hong Kong, the present research investigated whether the mediating relationships between social support, work–family conflict and well-being outcomes were moderated by gender, geographical region and the presence of dependants in the household. Supervisor support and family support were associated with lower work–family conflict, and hence reduced psychological strain and increased job and family satisfaction, for women and for employees in China and Hong Kong, but not for employees in Australia and New Zealand. However, the presence of dependants was not a significant moderator. Our findings illustrate the importance of exploring gender and national differences in work–family conflict research, particularly the investigation of cross-domain effects.

The Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model proposes that employee health and performance are dependent upon direct and interacting perceptions of job demands and job resources. The JD-R model has been tested primarily with small, cross-sectional, European samples. The current research extends scholarly discussions by evaluating the full JD-R model for the prediction of psychological strain and work engagement, within a longitudinal research design with samples of Australian and Chinese employees ( N = 9404). Job resources (supervisor support and colleague support) accounted for substantial variance, supporting the motivational hypothesis of the JD-R model. However, minimal evidence was found for the strain hypothesis of the JD-R model. The interactions of job demands and job resources were not evident, with only one from 16 interaction tests demonstrating significance. We discuss explanations for our findings. The implications of testing western-derived organizational behavior theories among employees employed in Asian regions, especially in regard to the increasing 'westernization' of many Asian organizations and their employees, are also discussed.