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The international influence of the Robens Report on occupational health and safety management (OHSM) is widely recognised. Its approach to self-regulation and advocacy of greater consultation between workers and employers, helped formulate regulatory strategies for health and safety at work that have been extensively adopted internationally in modern OHS legislation and encouraged by national regulatory agencies. In this paper an attempt is made to describe what this means in terms of structures, processes and orientations of joint arrangements for OHSM in workplaces and to analyse strengths and weaknesses in their application. In Australia various approaches to reforming workplace arrangements have been informed by ideas derived at least in part from Robens. My intention is not to provide a detailed critique of Australian practice but to locate it within wider international experience in order to better understand the nature of participatory OHSM, the role of 'self-regulation' its links to OHS outcomes and the various supports and constraints underpinning its success or failure. Systematic approaches to participative workplace arrangements for OHS in Australia are therefore contextualised by comparison with those in other countries and especially with EU member states where revisions have emphasised the regulation of participative OHSM, following the impact of the EU Framework Directive 89/391. At the core of the paper is the question of the continued relevance of these approaches in a world of work that is fundamentally changed since they were originally formulated several decades ago. It looks at ways in which regulatory bodies, employers, trade unions and OHS practitioners have addressed the challenges to OHSM posed by changes in the structure and organisation of work and the labour market and it seeks to understand what it is about participatory strategies for OHSM that make them useful in the present regulatory and economic environment.

Conclusion: During the past three decades there has been a significant transformation of work arrangements in countries like Australia, characterized by a relative decline in permanent/secure full-time employees and a commensurate growth in short-term contract, casual and other contingent work arrangements. This shift poses a significant challenge for OHS legislation that was designed on a presumption of employment relationships and a level of unionization that are now no longer the norm. In particular, these changes undermine the mechanisms for worker involvement that were a critical component of post-Robens legislative reform in Australia and many other countries and which have been shown to be important in achieving tangible improvement in health and safety outcomes. This paper has highlighted the extent of these deficiencies, including the virtual exclusion of subcontractors, the self-employed and leased workers, from participatory mechanisms (notably workplace health and safety committees and being represented by HSRs). There is also evidence that the involvement of temporary employees and home-based workers (who are employees) in workplace committees is problematic even though they are not formally excluded by legislation. Further, it was noted that declines in union membership had weakened the logistical infrastructure for effective worker involvement, especially in industries and workplaces were insecure or contingent work arrangements are pervasive. The paper then explored a number of ways of remedying these deficiencies, including revising general duty and participation provisions and associated codes and regulations; and developing new forms of representation. It has argued that new and more embracing responsibilities on consultation should be aimed at employers in multi-employer worksites and it suggests that the WorkCover NSW OHS Consultation Code may be a good example of one step in this direction. It points out that while the original measures on worker representation and consultation established a useful floor of rights, they were based on assumptions about the structure and organization of work as well as about the power of trade unions which no longer apply in the changed world of work we describe in the early part of the paper. As these changes appear to have negative consequences for both the health and safety and the representation of the increasing number of workers that experience them, we argue that measures on representation and consultation are in need of revision. We suggest for example that existing Australian measures on 'deeming' and qualifications in relation to 'designated work groups' may be both limiting and inadequate in addressing the realities of supporting representation on health and safety in a changed world of work. Moreover, we note that issues of representation on health and safety for workers in small enterprises strongly overlap with those in the other increasingly fragmented and precarious employment situations that we have described. Importantly, we have derived several further observations from this. First that there is some evidence that representing workers' interests in small enterprises through the use of mobile representatives from outside the enterprises such as is the case in a number of European countries does lead to improved health and safety arrangements in the enterprises concerned. Second that legislative support for such representation is one of the factors that enhances both its coverage and effectiveness of workers as can be demonstrated in countries such as Sweden and Italy where such provisions exist and can be inferred from the limited and partial nature of both coverage and effectiveness of voluntary measures in countries in which they are the norm. Conversely, measures that exempt small enterprises from legislative provisions on health and safety and/or worker representation do nothing to support the improved health and safety outcomes in these firms. Furthermore there is a strong argument to suggest that such measures are in fact discriminatory and promote inequality at work. Suggestions about the need for new and innovative regulatory approaches to address the unfavourable situations that are a product of the new structure and organization of work does not imply that existing measures have been entirely successful in dealing with the situations for which they were intended. We have noted that on some issues such as for example, training, issuing notices, risk assessment and consultation in advance of change there is still some way to go before such measures can be claimed to be fully operational — even in traditional workplaces. We have suggested that discussion of regulatory reform needs to take this observation into account alongside those we have made concerning the new situations of work. This account has been specifically focused on regulatory reforms that could address current weaknesses in the Australian situation. However, it should be clear that there are similar challenges in most advanced market economies. This means there is much more to be learned from international comparative analysis of both regulatory and non-regulatory strategies in this field.

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to present and discuss the findings of a study on flexitime as a novel people management practice emerging in Sri Lanka. Specifically, the paper presents and discusses factors that predict the level of satisfaction with flexitime, differences in attitudes towards flexitime, the effectiveness of flexitime as a strategy to attract and retain employees, and barriers that hinder its use.Design/methodology/approachA total of 108 employees involved in producing IT‐related output as their primary job function, from 30 software development companies, responded to the self‐administered survey questionnaire. In analysis, univariate, bivariate and multivariate techniques were adopted.FindingsFlexitime allowed autonomy to employees to harmonize work and non‐work demands on their time, resulting in better workplace relations. Overall, the findings support a non‐traditional approach to people management. However, the findings also have important implications for the design or modification of flexitime arrangements.Originality/valueThe majority of flexitime research is criticized for its theoretical nature, a failure to include statistical treatment of the data, and failure to pay specific attention to managerial and professional employees. Further, there is a marked absence of research‐led literature in developing countries to clarify the way in which non‐traditional people management practices work in different contexts. Specifically, no such studies have been conducted in the context of Sri Lanka.

Various leaves and other forms of flexible working arrangements have been implemented in workplaces to support employees with family commitments. Some are a response to public policy, others developed voluntarily. However, research examining the effectiveness of these policies in a search for "good practices" often neglects the impact of specific national and workplace contexts. Some researchers are calling for more attention to social systems, especially at the macro and meso levels, and the relationships between them, to extend understanding of work family processes and experiences. We argue that this is critical for evaluating work-family policies and practices. However it is important to recognize that social systems are not static. They are dynamic and changing, particularly in the context of globalization processes. Drawing on data from six case studies of private sector organizations undergoing rapid change and transformation, carried out in six European states, as part of a qualitative cross-national EU project (Transitions)1 , this paper explores the impact of multiple layers of context on parents' experiences of flexible working arrangements for managing work and family boundaries. The study shows that although various aspects of macro layers of context are important and it is easier to make use of flexibility to combine work and parenting in some national and workplace contexts than others, changes taking place at the workplace level in response to global competition and efficiency drives can undermine both regulatory and voluntary initiatives to enhance flexibility for parents. This is occurring across national boundaries. Some implications for debates on "good practices" and for future work-family research are discussed.

The NDIS introduces changes to the level of control, choice and flexibility that persons with a disability can exercise over the services they require to support their individual needs. One of the main stays of NDIS is the ability for persons with a disability to utilise allocated funding how and with whom they choose to create a package of supports. Coinciding with the move towards the NDIS has been the introduction of the NSW WHS Act 2011. This Act introduces and broader new definitions relating to persons with responsibilities for ensuring health and safety at work. In some circumstances the individual person with a disability will be a direct employer, or an "other" in the workplace, and will take on responsibilities for health and safety for persons working in their home. For government organisations making funding decisions and allocating funds for the purchase of support services, there continues to be an obligation to ensure that services are conducted safely with risks to health adequately managed. NSW FACS can not "contract" out of their obligations. Instead we must work in partnership with all stakeholders to manage WHS risks as far as is reasonably practicable. Our role in government means we have the resources, experience, and must respond to the community expectation that we will support persons with a disability to understand and discharge their WHS obligations as far as is reasonably practicable. This is a way of operating presents the following questions: Do persons with disability understand the WHS obligations and risks associated with their care and supports? How to individuals with disability obtain sound advice and information on WHS risks that may be associated with their care arrangements? Can WHS information and resources that organisations like NSW Department of Family and Community Services (Ageing Disability and Home Care) have established be leverages to share with our "clients"? As Government partners in NDIS are we obligated to share our knowledge and information? What is the best way to bridge the gap in understanding and what types of information, tools and training can be made available on WHS for persons with a disability.A Joint WHS project currently underway within NSW FACS seeks to address the information and resources gap for all clients who participate in self directed funding arrangements (including NDIS). Our project will demonstrate how products and advice developed for internal staff use can be "reframed" and made accessible to persons with disability, their carers and individual service providers. The approach being applied within NSW FACS will potentially reduce costs in persons with disability being required to engage additional services to seek and develop WHS direct guidance and tools. The project being undertaken will deliver face to face training models, e-learning components and online information and tools to assist stakeholders in the NDIS and other Direct Funding Arrangements within NSW, to make informed decisions regarding WHS risk in the provision of care and support services. Guidance and information is provided on key risk areas utilising tested tools & WHS resources within the disability sector. E-learning solutions are made available to inform and train stakeholders of WHS obligations and potential risk management approaches. NSW FACS works with NGO stakeholders to ensure consistent advice and assistance is provided in the area of WHS obligations and performance expectations.

This article examines workplace safety conditions in Atlanta's construction industry in light of the growing presence of temporary staffing agencies in the industry. Using data collected from surveys of building contractors, temporary staffing agencies, and temp workers, the article explores the ways in which the use of agency‐supplied temps by construction contractors subverts workplace health and safety regulations, thereby exposing construction workers to heightened risk of injury.

Students' learning in the workplace during their clinical placements is an important part of their education to become healthcare professionals. Despite the number of studies of student interprofessional learning in clinical placements, little is still known about the significance of interprofessional learning and how it is facilitated and arranged for to occur. This article aims to investigate interprofessional learning between students collaborating in a workplace-driven arrangement integrated into a clinical placement. A focused ethnographic research approach was applied, comprising observations of ten students participating in the arrangement organised by clinical supervisors on a medical emergency ward at a Swedish university hospital, followed by group interviews. Using a boundary-crossing lens, the article analyses the workplace arrangement, in which students' learning across professional boundaries and their negotiations around a boundary object were prerequisites to coordinate their interprofessional knowledge and manage emerging challenges while being in charge of care on the ward.

AbstractAlthough studies have examined the distribution and conditions of employer‐provided work–family arrangements, we still lack a systematic investigation of how these vary for different countries and industries. Based on the European Working Conditions Survey 2010, this study examines the conditions under which firms provide family‐friendly working time arrangements and what the differences are across four countries (Austria, Denmark, Italy and the UK) and four industries. The impact of employee representatives, employee involvement, manager support and female managers varies across countries and industries because of the institutional environment (prevailing family model, industrial relations) and workforce composition (gender). The impact of employee representatives depends on their co‐determination rights, and the direction of their effect on the prevailing family model (e.g. negative in conservative countries such as Austria) and the gender composition of the workforce (negative in male‐dominated production, but positive in services). Employee involvement in the work organization is significantly positive in Austria and Denmark (both with co‐operative industrial relations), while manager support has the strongest effect in the UK (liberal regime). At the industry level, female supervisors are positively associated with family‐friendly working time arrangements only in the male‐dominated production industry. These findings suggest that the effects of agency variables and their direction vary depending on the institutional context.

In this article, an argument is made for greater attention to contextuality in the study of workplace democracy and self-management. The central theme is that general statements about the political effects of such workplace arrangements are untenable; they must, instead, be grounded in historically specific politicaleconomic settings. The various political effects of workplace democratization are then explored across a range of such contexts, identified as unmediated market capitalist societies; mediated market capitalist societies; settings of revolutionary upheaval; and post-revolutionary societies. The article concludes by suggesting that workplace democratization generates objectively reactionary political effects in unmediated market capitalist societies like the United States.

Diese Textsammlung präsentiert sich als Beitrag zu einer interdisziplinären und international vergleichenden Klärung des heute inflationär gebrauchten Begriffs Diversität. Vorgestellt werden theoretische Ansätze und Ergebnisse empirischer Untersuchungen zur Wahrnehmung und zu Strategien des "Management" von Diversität im urbanen und im institutionellen Rahmen sowie in der virtuellen Welt der Medien. Das Buch richtet sich an Wissenschaftler , die aus verschiedenen Disziplinen heraus (Soziologie, Ethnologie, Psychologie, Erziehungswissenschaft, Politikwissenschaft, Philosophie u. a.) zu diesem Themenkomplex forschen. Handlungstheoretische und praxisorientierte Anregungen sind ebenfalls für Experten von Nutzen, die als Berater, Multiplikatoren, Dozenten und Trainer in Verwaltungen, Behörden, Bildungseinrich-tungen, sozialen Diensten, in Unternehmen sowie in den Medien Programme zur reflektierten Berücksichtigung von Diversität entwerfen oder darin praktisch tätig sind