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Week 1

Introduction to the unit and exploring the

complexity of managing people at work

Managing People at Work: 200300

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Welcome to MPW

In this weeks lecture we will:

Conduct a First Year Briefing session;

Provide a broad overview of the units aims;

Outline the requirements of the unit;Explain the units assessment;

Discuss what is expected of students;

Begin discussion of the complexity ofmanaging people at work by exploring the

contemporary Australian work force.

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Briefing for First Year Students

Who are first year students?

Students entering UWS from high

school

Students returning to education

Students entering from UWSCollege

Students entering from a VET course(e.g. TAFE)

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What are the risk factors forcommencing students?

You may be at risk of dropping out if:

You dont activate your e-learning

(vUWS)account

You miss classes

You fail or dont submit an early

assignment

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How to use the Learning Guide

Locating the Learning Guide in vUWS

Learning outcomes for the unit

Assessment items for each learningoutcome

Resources to help you complete

assessments, including links to theLibrary

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What is a Pass, Credit, Distinction,High Distinction?

This Learning Guide includes:

Examples that show the various levels

of achievement

A detailed marking guide that helps

you understand the various levels of

achievement

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Your feedback is important

Why we survey your opinion Student

Feedback on Units, Commencing

Student survey, etc.

Improvements made to this unit as a

result of student feedback

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Who do I go to for help?

Your lecturer and/or tutor

The Unit Coordinator for this unit is:

Louise Ingersoll

l.ingersoll@uws.edu.au

Your Academic Course Advisor

mailto:l.ingersoll@uws.edu.aumailto:l.ingersoll@uws.edu.au

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Student Support at UWS

ClickCurrentstudents on the UWS

home page

Click Getting help in the Current

students box.

You are not alone! Get help if you need it!

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Unit Aims MPW is a level 1 introductory unit to the fields of

human resource management, human resourcedevelopment, industrial relations and employmentrelations.

It aims to:

identify the key stakeholders in the world of work; Expose students to a variety of perspectives on how

people are employed and managed in differentworkplaces;

Develop awareness of contemporary issues, regulations,processes and systems that are prevalent in managingpeople at work.

Further learning objectives are identified in the MPWLearning Guide.

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Unit Requirements Assessment:

1. Report (800 words; 20%; week 5)

2. Essay (1500 words, 40%; week 10)

3. Final Examination (2 hours, 40%)

This unit uses Turnitin software.

Class participation:

Students should attend lectures and tutorials on aregular basis.

Materials:

Textbook; Learning Guide; additional readings.

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Student responsibilities

The UWS Assessment Policyindicates the following: 16) Students have a responsibility to:

familiarise themselves with the University's policies on Assessment and Examinations;

ensure they read and understand the assessment requirements and note the due dates and methods forsubmission of assignments provided in the unit outline, seeking clarification from the lecturer or unitcoordinator if required;

follow the lecturer's guidelines and instructions for format and submission of assignments; and

when enrolling in a unit after teaching has commenced, to obtain the relevant information on

assessments in the unit from the unit coordinator. (17) Students are required to:

inform the lecturer if they have difficulty submitting their assignment electronically;

keep a hard copy of their assessment material; and

notify relevant staff (eg lecturer, unit coordinator, disability advisor) as soon as possible prior to, or at thebeginning of, the teaching session if they wish to have special requirements accommodated.

(18) In relation to assessment tasks, students must:

undertake all assessment tasks ethically, including avoiding any action or behaviour which would unfairly

advantage or disadvantage any student, in accordance with the Misconduct - Student AcademicMisconduct Policy;

submit, on time, their own individual work;

collect all marked assessment tasks in sufficient time to learn from the feedback provided; and

ensure they understand the requirements, including timetables, for examinations and other assessmenttasks.

http://policies.uws.edu.au/view.current.php?id=00051http://policies.uws.edu.au/view.current.php?id=00051http://policies.uws.edu.au/view.current.php?id=00051http://policies.uws.edu.au/view.current.php?id=00051http://policies.uws.edu.au/view.current.php?id=00051http://policies.uws.edu.au/view.current.php?id=00051http://policies.uws.edu.au/view.current.php?id=00051http://policies.uws.edu.au/view.current.php?id=00051

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The complexity of managingpeople at work

Many argue that the successfulmanagement of people is a key source of

competitive advantage.

People are different to other resources andthis can make the management of staff

complex.

What factors do you think make themanagement of people complex?

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The complexity of managingpeople at work (2)

As we will see over the next few weeks, thereare many different views on how staff should

be managed.

However before we move into our discussionof the different frames/perspectives used to

understand managing people, we need to

understand who it is we are managing.

We will now begin our discussion of the

demographics of the Australian workforce

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The contemporary Australianworkforce

The last two decades have witnessed dramaticchanges to the world of work. This week we are

focusing on the Australian context. The lecture will

explore some of the key changes to the Australian

labour market.

Change occurs both in the external environment and

within organisations.

Managers need to be able to deal with these changes

effectively to ensure a productive workforce and

successful organisation.

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The way we were: Work in the20thCentury

Blue collar

Manufacturing

Full time

Gradual reduction in hours of work

The last two decades have witnessed

substantial changes to Australian

workplaces.

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Patterns of Change in theAustralian labour market

Move from smokestack industries to servicework.

Growth in service work

Many organisations have reduced the size

of their workforce through downsizing.

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Patterns of Change in theAustralian labour Market (2)

Gender -Increasing female participation in theworkforce

Age -There are more than two million Australians aged

65 and older, and the number will double by 2025

Ethnicity -immigrants comprise 25% of Australia's

workforce

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Changing patterns of work Full-employment until 1970s (end of the long boom)

Decline of full-time employment (1970s 89% of all

employees were full time. By 2002 this had fallen to

62%)

1990s explosion in casual work

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Changing patterns of work: Thecasualisation of the workforce

A trend in industrialised economies is the casualisation ofthe workforce.

23 million US workers (20% of the countrys workforce)now work part-time.

In Australia, the percentage of casual workers isapproximately 29%.

Competitive pressures, changes in technology, the need formore flexible staffing, increased use of outsourcing andunfavourable industrial relations legislation have

contributed to this trend. This is partially attributable to the decline in

manufacturing and the growth of service work.

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Changing patterns of work: Thegrowth in labour hire

Beyond casualisation, there has alsobeen a growth in particular categories

of non-employees such as:

Independent contractors

Labour-hire workers

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Changing patterns of work:Working hours

Australia was once seen as the land of the longweekend; many now consider Australia the land of the

lost weekend.

Increasing hours of work -Australia is one of a small

number of OECD countries in which long term decline

in working hours has been reversed.

Who works long hours?

For some other workers, underemployment is aproblem.

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Why have hours of workchanged?

Social change

Technology

Culture of overwork

Global pressure Push for flexibility

Bargaining

Changes to the labour market

Management may see long hours as a means to

improve productivity/ profitability.

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Working hours: theimplications

Many Australian workplaces now have a culture oflong hours.

Many writers have pointed to the hazards associated

with long hours:

OHS

Disruptions to family life

Community concerns (sport and charity work)

Stress/Pressure

Carbon footprint

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managing people at work:Technological change

Technological advances in communications andtransportation, and increased labour mobility,have facilitated the internationalisation ofbusiness.

Companies are no longer locked into using moreexpensive, less skilled and less productivedomestic labour.

Labour is now a global resource.

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managing people at work:Globalisation

Globalisation is allowing skilled labour to movelike capital across the world to locations that offerthe best compensation and the best future.

It is estimated that at least a million Australians

are overseas at any one time, of which at least75% are living overseas on a permanent or long-term basis.

Australia is losing more than 80 000 residents a

year

the majority being academics, managersand professionals.

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managing people at work:Outsourcing

Strategic outsourcing of functions that anorganisation cannot do efficiently itself means thatthe organisation can focus on what it does best.

Trend towards an increase in the number of

contractors and a reduction in permanentemployees.

Increasing focus on identifying which activitiescan be performed more cheaply externally.

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managing people at work:Government regulation

Government rules and regulations have asignificant impact on:

Employment relations procedures and outcomes

The role of, and interaction between, employment

relations stakeholders Managing people at work

Can you think of any laws that impact onemployment?

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Take home message Employment is changing Domestically there are more casual, part-time and

contract employees

Full-time jobs are in relative decline

Working patterns are changing

The workforce is increasingly diverse

These trends are not unique to Australia

These changes create challenges andopportunities for both employees and managers