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One in two Healthcare and Social Assistance (H&SA) employees with poor work design report experiencing burnout, with only 15% of care workers surveyed reported having good work design. In an industry rife with burnout and staff shortages, these statistics are alarming.


But poor work design isn’t inevitable - research shows work design interventions can be effective in aiding the redesign of existing work systems, roles and tasks to improve staff well-being and mental health.


Design for Care research team recently hosted its 3rd State of Affairs Breakfast, focusing on some of the key learnings, insights and success stories to emerge from 30 pilot work design interventions implemented in five NSW-based Health and Social Assistance (H&SA) organisations to date.


The breakfast kicked off with opening remarks from NSW Minister for Industrial Relations and Minister for Work Health and Safety the Hon Sophie Cotsis MP, emphasising the NSW Government's ongoing support for the first-of-its-kind of research.


The event continued with a keynote by Professor Anya Johnson and Professor Helena Nguyen from the University of Sydney, followed by a panel discussion featuring Imran Ayoubi (Key Assets NSW), Kanada Long (Whiddon), Sarla Singh and Wirda Cabucos (Bankstown City Aged Care) on their firsthand insights into co-creating SMARTer work at their organisations.


Here are the four main takeaways from the event:


1. Good work design is SMART work design


When employees have good work design, that is, SMARTer work, they are more likely to experience better well-being and mental health, higher productivity and engagement.


In brief, good work design is SMART work design. It is work that is Stimulating - so it gives people opportunities to use skills and to learn new skills. It gives opportunities to gain Mastery - this is about competence, clarity and feedback. It gives people Agency. also known as autonomy or control. It is Relationally rich, which means that there's a lot of social capital in that organisation as well as in the job, and that there is enough resources. It's where people can cope with the demand, so it's at least Tolerable. - Professor Helena Nguyen

2. Good solutions require a good diagnosis


To effectively redesign work, it's crucial to adopt a data-driven and evidence-based approach. Recognise that while many care organisations share common challenges, each organisation is unique. Therefore, a tailored approach to work redesign is more likely to yield positive results than a generic solution.


A key approach to the interventions is the PARRTH to SMART Work Design, which involves the co-creation of good work by collaborating directly with care workers to understand their experiences of work and opportunities for improvement in their work design.


To learn more about PARRTH to SMART Work Design and the key work redesign success factors that emerged from the Design for Care project, download our report 'Changing work design to improve mental health in the healthcare and social assistance industry' here.



3. Co-design localised work redesign solutions that work for the context


When employees have a say in shaping changes to their work, they're more likely to embrace them fully, as the solutions are tailored to their concerns.


Some of the interventions highlighted during the 'Redesign' phase of the PARRTH process included:

  • Reducing emotional demands through social support (Key Assets NSW)

We ran weekly Wellbeing Wednesdays where we provided a safe space for the team just to check in, talk about their day and what's going on for them. Another thing that we ran was emotional intelligence training, which myself and another social worker developed and run with the team. And we also held weekly leadership training as well and get togethers. So we are, as a team, accountable for how everyone else is feeling as well. - Imran Ayoubi (Key Assets NSW)

  • Improving Mastery through strengthened onboarding in residential aged care (Whiddon)

The supernumerary position enabled us experienced staff to take a step back. We weren't worried about the goings on of the entire day, we were able to take our time and let new staff experience things for themselves. - Kanada Long (Whiddon)

  • Improving handover processes and knowledge sharing (Bankstown City Aged Care)

Now it's like so much easier for us. Because like instead of waiting around [for an RN], we just come to the board and look at what the task for the day is. And then it just is just good for the time management as well. It gives us more time to spend with the clients instead of just wasting our time waiting around. - Wirda Carbucos (Bankstown City Aged Care)

Furthermore, participating care workers have expressed appreciation for the safe environment created, the opportunity to learn from peers, and the emotional support received throughout the process.


So we sat together with the staff. And we went through ‘Will this work? Will that work?’ And we would trial it at first. And we'll say ‘Well, it's not set in concrete. Let's try this’. And it was successful. - Sarla Singh (Bankstown City Aged Care)

4. Leadership engagement and support is crucial

Leadership engagement and support are paramount in the ultimate success (or failure) of a work redesign initiative. While leaders should not be tasked with generating specific redesign ideas (as this process should involve collaborative input from care workers), their commitment to implementing proposed solutions is vital.


Many of the care workers who actively participated in the redesign process identified their leader’s support for change as a crucial factor enabling the success of interventions.


I know for our team, well-being is always a priority. If we're not looking after ourselves, how are we going to look after the young people that we serve? So [our leaders] supported the program and whatever we needed to do to support our staff. - Imran Ayoubi (Key Assets NSW)

The early results seen from our work design interventions are promising. We look forward to gaining further insights as we continue working with the remaining five H&SA organisations and transition to the 'Track' phase, where we evaluate the impact of these redesign interventions.


Watch the event recording below:



View the presentation slides below:


View the transcript from the audience Q&A session below:



To learn more about PARRTH to SMART Work Design and the key work redesign success factors that emerged from the Design for Care project, download our report 'Changing work design to improve mental health in the healthcare and social assistance industry' here.





A key role of management is to design jobs that not only meet the organisation’s goals, but also support the well-being of employees. However, we know that managers – even with the best of intentions – can sometimes make common mistakes when designing jobs.


Let’s explore three of these pitfalls - and more importantly, how to avoid them:



1: Limiting growth opportunities

  • When failing to incorporate the potential for new challenges and development into a role, employees may feel stagnated and seek opportunities elsewhere. This will increase employee turnover and a loss of valuable talent. Boring work can be harmful and may lead to negative effects like depression or burnout. Research shows that those who frequently experienced boredom at work were 2.5 times more likely to die of a heart problem than those who were not.

  • Solution: Create work that is stimulating, with a wide variety of tasks, skills, interactions and opportunities.



Mistake 2: Micromanagement

  • A high level of management control can discourage teams from contributing ideas and reduce their ownership of tasks. And constant monitoring of performance can undermine trust.

  • Solution: Most people thrive on having an element of freedom over how, when and where they work. Engage with your team to help them have some control over these factors and get their input into key decisions.





Mistake 3: Assuming that one-size-fits-all

  • Treating everyone the same, regardless of their strengths or interests, can lead to decreased motivation and less engagement at work.

  • Solution: When creating or reviewing a role, consider developing tailored solutions to fit the organisation, individuals and situation. For example, some people want more work variety than others, and people also vary in how much social interaction they prefer.


There is a set of key principles that can be applied to help you to design good work, which will have significant benefits for both employees and employers.


Want to learn more? We are pleased to be offering the next instalment of the SMART Work Design Curtin Credential course this year, commencing 18 September 2023. This fully online, self-paced, eight-week course gives you the understanding and the tools to redesign your own and others’ work based on the SMART Work Design principles. The SMART framework covers five key themes – Stimulating, Mastery, Agency, Relational and Tolerable Demands.


You will explore the SMART framework to create and redesign jobs to increase satisfaction, reduce stress and lead to a flourishing organisation.







The 2024 Centre for Transformative Work Design Conference


Perth, Western Australia | 12-14 February 2024

 

The 3-day inaugural Centre for Transformative Work Design (CTWD) Conference 2024 aims to inspire discussion around creating healthier, happier workplaces through work design.


The conference is dedicated to providing solutions for policymakers and industry practitioners, opportunities for research-industry collaborations, innovative research discussions and support for early career researchers.


Don't miss this opportunity to hear from world-leading experts, bridge research and practice, and gain valuable insights adopted by companies and businesses to transform work.


Why attend the conference?

  • Connect with like-minded peers from business, academia and government

  • Share ideas and contribute to the transformation of work

  • Engage in interactive workshops and professional development

  • Scholarships available for Early Career academics to assist with travel costs


Who should attend the conference?

  • Human resources leaders

  • Work, Health and Safety leaders

  • Consultants

  • Senior leaders

  • Regulators

  • Policy makers

  • Union officials

  • Anyone else passionate about creating great work for people


Keynote speakers include:


Professor Sharon Parker

ARC Laureate Fellow, John Curtin Distinguished Professor

Curtin University


Professor Arnold Bakker

Professor of Work and Organisational Psychology

Erasmus University Rotterdam


Professor Evangelia Demerouti

Full Professor

TU/e Eindhoven University of Technology


Professor Maria Tims

Full Professor

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam


*further speakers to be advised


Example topics include:

  • The SMART Work Design model

  • Psychosocial risks

  • Job crafting

  • Work redesign

  • Self-managing teams

  • Work design for AI and other digital technologies


 

EXPRESS YOUR INTEREST HERE:


For more information, please email:


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The Centre for Transformative Work Design

is part of the Future of Work Institute at Curtin University.

© 2025 Centre for Transformative Work Design​​

The Centre acknowledges Whadjuk Nyungar people who remain Custodians of the lands on which we research, learn and collaborate.

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