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FOR INDIVIDUALS Autonomy preferences If you like to have a lot of autonomy, you might be a good candidate for a flexible work arrangement. However, a risk of flexible working is that it can lead to an increase in managerial control “micromanagement” type behaviours, which can decrease one’s autonomy, leading to greater frustration in individuals attempts at satisfying their need for autonomy at work. Find more resources for workers: Download Back to main page

SMART Work is Stimulating About the model The first letter in the SMART work framework stands for 'Stimulating'. Simply put, Stimulating refers to the extent to which a job involves skill variety, task variety, and problem solving demands. Skill variety describes the degree to which your job requires a variety of skills and abilities, while task variety refers to the degree to which you perform a wide range of tasks in your role. Problem solving demands describes the degree to which your job requires you to 'think outside the box'. Not all jobs are the same, so an individual’s work can be more or less stimulating. JUMP TO Mastery Agency Relational Tolerable demands RELATED RESEARCH SMART Design for Care Watch this animated explainer video on Stimulating Qualities of highly stimulating jobs In highly stimulating jobs, individuals are likely to: use a wide variety of different skills and abilities to complete the work carry out a number of different tasks to achieve their goals need to 'think outside the box' to create solutions to problems "There's never a dull moment. I like the variety and being out and about around the hospital...This job teaches me a lot." -Hospital supply worker. BORING - so much time to wait for deliveries! - Deliveroo workers Qualities of un-stimulating jobs In contrast, jobs with a low degree of stimulation will likely contain: a lack of opportunities to use one’s skills and a narrow variety of tasks monotonous and repetitive tasks the need to solve menial and unchallenging problems What are the risks of a low Stimulating job? Non-stimulating, boring, and repetitive work carries risks for both individuals as well as organisations: Employees can become disengaged, have lower job satisfaction and have no or limited access to professional or personal development [1]. In highly physical work, narrow tasks can cause biomechanical strain or musculoskeletal injuries [2]. Employees in non-stimulating roles can also get “bore-out”, which involves feelings of demotivation, anxiety and sadness and can turn into burnout, depression and even physical illness [3] [4]. For organisations, the risks of narrow, repetitive or passive work include wasted talent, impaired performance, higher accident rate, turnover and absenteeism, as well as less and slower return to work after an injury or illness[5] [6]. Research spotlight Over the last two decades, studies have revealed that boredom can detrimentally affect one's job performance and elevate the likelihood of experiencing anxiety, depression, substance abuse, alcohol dependence, anger, aggression, and various antisocial behaviors. [3] Research from the University College of London looked at the extent to which individuals experienced a sense of boredom at work within a three year period 20 years previously. The researchers then looked at the relationship between boredom and heart problems. It was found 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. [7] Strategies to make work more Stimulating If you find that your job does not require you to utilise a variety of different skills, come up with unique ideas or involve a wide range of tasks, there is still good news - you don’t necessarily have to change your current job to increase stimulation. Strategies for Employees Strategies for Managers Strategies for Organisations Here are some tips to help you increase challenge and variety in your job: Meet with your manager and ask for new challenges and skill development opportunities. Check out what training opportunities are available through your organisation. To learn more strategies, check out our training opportunities. Explore opportunities Given the risks of low stimulating jobs as well as the benefits of highly stimulating jobs, it is a good idea to apply strategies that increase challenge and variety for your employees: Provide opportunities for job shadowing or job rotation, so your employees can learn something new in a different part of the company. Check in with your employees to understand if they are sufficiently challenged by the tasks they have been given. To learn more strategies, check out our training opportunities. Explore opportunities To learn more strategies, check out our training opportunities. Explore opportunities Further resources Mental Stimulation and Dementia Risk Bored out of your mind at work? - Dan Cable HBR Podcast - Bored and Disengaged References [1] Parker, S. K. (2014). Beyond motivation: Job and work design for development, health, ambidexterity, and more. Annual Review of Psychology, 65, 661-691. [2] Parker, S. K., Bindl, U. K., & Strauss, K. (2010). Making things happen: A model of proactive motivation. Journal of Management, 36(4), 827-856. [3] Loukidou, L., Loan-Clarke, J., & Daniels, K. (2009). Boredom in the workplace: More than monotonous tasks. International Journal of Management Reviews, 11(4), 381-405. [4] Bakker, A. B., Demerouti, E., & Euwema, M. C. (2005). Job resources buffer the impact of job demands on burnout. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 10(2), 170-180. [5] Bakker, A. B., Demerouti, E., de Boer, E., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2003). Job demands and job resources as predictors of absence duration and frequency. Journal of Vocational Behaviour, 62(2), 341-356. [6] SafeWork NSW. (2017). Review of evidence of psychosocial risks for mental ill-health in the workplace. [7] Britton, A., & Shipley, M. J. (2010). Bored to death?. International Journal of Epidemiology, 39(2), 370-371.

FOR INDIVIDUALS Basic psychological needs According to Self-determination theory (SDT), there are three universal psychological needs: autonomy; competence; and relatedness, and SDT suggests that the satisfaction of these three basic psychological needs is essential for individuals to thrive at work. SDT focuses on the degree to which individuals experience need satisfaction in different contexts, as such, it is recommended that: (1) You understand your need for autonomy, relatedness and competence at work; (2) Whether these needs are likely to be satisfied in a flexible work arrangement, and; (3) Any strategies to increase your needs satisfaction in a flexible work arrangement. Find more resources for workers: Download Back to main page

FOR TEAMS Four ways to create role clarity within virtual teams • Ensure the team has clear expectations around its duties, responsibilities, and the tasks of each team member. Allow time to explain what tasks need to be completed and what the objectives are. • Encourage team members to share information about their tasks and responsibilities to increase transparency across the team and provide team-level role clarity. • Remember that providing role clarity isn’t a ‘one off thing’ – make sure to check in with your team occasionally to ensure that your expectations still match up. • Be careful not to define roles too tightly. Consider defining objectives and responsibilities at the team-level and then encouraging team members to autonomously define their own roles Find more flexible work resources for managers: Download Back to main page

FOR TEAMS High-quality team charters for effective virtual teams The creation of high-quality team charters, which clearly lay out team roles, responsibilities, and processes, have been found to lead to more effective team performance over time, especially in combination with high quality team performance planning. Find more flexible work resources for managers: Download Back to main page

Podcasts and Interviews REFINE SEARCH Filter by topic Select Filter by Staff appearance Select Work, Promotions Prof Sharon Parker Failing up: why are mediocre workers around me getting promotions? It’s frustrating if you're working hard for a promotion at work just to see a colleague you feel is less deserving advance ahead of you. ABC Radio National - Life Matters Listen now 19 Dec 2024 Mining, Mental health Prof Sharon Parker Mining Culture | Prof Sharon Parker & Dr Patricia Todd Western Australia's mining sector is the lifeblood of the state, but it's not without scrutiny. The Future Of Listen now 1 May 2023 SMART model, Work design Prof Sharon Parker SMART Work Design Pt 2 The second of our two-part SMART work design episode sees us explore how we as individuals can ensure that our work settings enable us to thrive. Coffee with Fleur Listen now 10 Dec 2022 SMART model, Work design Prof Sharon Parker SMART work: implementing better work design In this episode with guest Sharon Parker, we cover topics such as the SMART model, Hierarchy and compliance. HSTalks Listen now 4 Sept 2022 Work design, Hybrid work Prof Sharon Parker Work Design in the hard reality of remote work with Professor Sharon Parker In this episode, Sharon discussed: How to design work to maximize efficiency? How to use work design to shape the reality of our employees in remote and hybrid environments? Science of Business by Valueships Listen now 20 Mar 2022 Work design, Hybrid work Prof Sharon Parker Redesigning Work Life with Dr Sharon Parker Sharon Parker is the Director of the Center for Transformative Work Design at Curtin University, and creator of the SMART work design model that can help companies. Leadium Talks Listen now 1 Jun 2021 SMART model, Work design Prof Sharon Parker Smart work design: now and into the future Professor Sharon K Parker talks about smart work design in the workplace. Work Safe QLD Listen now 31 May 2021 SMART model, Work design Prof Sharon Parker How to use SMART Work Design to help your team thrive in the Future of Work we discuss: The ‘future of work’ - how digitisation and automation are impacting on jobs and skills of the future; The responsibility managers have. Lean Mean Marketing Teams Listen now 15 Feb 2021 1 2 3 1 ... 1 2 3 ... 3 Want more podcasts? Check out our podcast page at the Future of Work Institute Listen to our researchers as they dive into a range of topics, including mental health in the workplace, hybrid work models, AI technologies, recruitment, and much more! See more

Our People Leadership Team Sharon Parker John Curtin Distinguished Professor, Director, Centre for Transformative Work Design Mail Star Research Fellow Team Michael Chapman Research Fellow Mail Star Lucinda Iles Research Associate Mail Star Cheryl Yam Research Fellow Mail Star Fangfang Zhang Research Fellow Mail Star Research Support Team Meredith Carr Applied Organisational Research Analyst Mail Star Jie Yi Tang Applied Organisational Research Analyst Mail Star Leah Zoszak Applied Organisational Research Specialist Mail Star PhD Students (Research support) Ilker Camgoz PhD Candidate Mail Star Annika Mertens PhD Candidate Mail Yijing Liao PhD Candidate Mail Guofan Li PhD Candidate Mail Operations Team Yue Zhang PhD Candidate Mail Star Kamila Kramarczyk Business Manager Mail Isabel Putri Communications Coordinator Mail Olena Legenka Project Administrator Mail Research Adjuncts Keyao (Eden) Li Adjunct Research Fellow - Edith Cowan University Mail Arian Kunzelmann Adjunct Research Fellow - Edith Cowan University Mail Anu Jolly Adjunct Research Fellow -University of Western Australia Mail Jane Chong Adjunct Research Fellow - University of Western Australia Mail Jane Chong Adjunct Research Fellow - University of Western Australia Mail Florian Klonek Adjunct Senior Research Fellow - Deakin University Mail Caroline Knight Adjunct Senior Research Fellow - University of Queensland Mail Giverny De Boeck Adjunct - IÉSEG School of Management Mail Eva Zellman Adjunct Research Fellow Mail Ulrike Fasbender Adjunct Professor - Universität Hohenheim Mail Eyal Karin Senior Research Adjunct Mail Star Alumni Daniela Andrei Senior Lecturer - School of Management and Marketing, Curtin University Mail Isabeau Tindall Adjunct Research Fellow - School of Population Health, Curtin University Mail Cathy Drane Provisional Psychologist Neira Psychology Mail Madison Kho Lecturer - School of Management and Marketing, Curtin University Mail Laura Fruhen Adjunct Research Fellow - Radboud University Mail MK Ward Head of Employee Dialogue Motive Mail Georgia Hay People Projects & Change Manager, Asia Pacific Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Mail Jess Gilbert Clinical Psychology Registrar PsyQuest Mail Xavier Parent-Rocheleau Assistant Professor - HEC Montréal Mail Bin Wang Associate Professor - Shanghai University Mail Yukun Liu Assistant Professor, Zhejiang University Mail Gigi Petery Co-Manager - National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)/ CDC Mail

FOR INDIVIDUALS Stay connected with your hybrid team Flexible work can affect how much contact you have with colleagues. If you need social contact (high need for relatedness); this can be done by going into the office when needing social contact to achieve work or to get support, or using ICTs to connect with people. Find more resources for workers: Download Back to main page

Top of Page Proactive behaviours and job crafting in teams Project Brief This project seeks to further our understanding of proactive work behaviour in teams (in the form of job crafting). Job crafting involves people altering their tasks and interactions at work to better align them with their needs, abilities, and preferences. There are four different types of job crafting, which involve increasing or decreasing certain job demands or job resources. So far, the research on job crafting has mainly focused on exploring its individual benefits. It suggests that people who job craft are more fulfilled and happier within their job roles, and that they are therefore more likely to thrive at work. To the best of our knowledge however, there is a gap in the research on the ways in which job crafting may affect others. We aim to address this gap in research by studying the role of job crafting in team contexts. In doing so, we shed light on the team dynamics affected by these behaviours, informing our understanding of pro-activity in organisations and contributing to the growing body of research on this topic. We seek to sample a minimum of about 200 adult participants who are either full-time or part-time working to take part in this study. How to participate? You can participate in this research through an online experiment. Your participation involves working on an interdependent task that can be carried out online. First, you will receive some background information about the task. You will then interact with another team member via online messaging about this task. This team member will send you email messages and you may select how you wish to respond to them. Afterwards, you will be asked about your perceptions of this co-worker (i.e. his/her behaviours, e.g. “This co-worker tries to develop him/herself professionally”), as well as some questions about yourself (your gender, age, work experience, etc.). You will only have to participate once in this study and your data will be saved electronically. The entire study should take about 30 minutes to complete. Apart from your time, there will be no extra cost to you for taking part in this research. We will use an experimental approach in this study, and each participant will be randomly assigned to their co-worker for this task. That is, your co-worker will be assigned to you by chance, like tossing a coin. Interested to participate in our simulation? If you would like to help us with this, please click the following link. Link for Online Experiment Curtin University Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) has approved this study (HREC number HRE2019-0296 Faculty Dr Florian Klonek florian.klonek@curtin.edu.au External Dr Maria Tims m.tims@vu.nl Professor Sharon Parker s.parker@curtin.edu.au Student Investigator Jasmine Labriola jasmine.labriola@outlook.com Other Projects on Team and Organisations

The State Government has engaged the Centre for Transformative Work Design (CTWD) at Curtin University to design and implement a research and evaluation project on mental health, awareness, respect and safety - the MARS Landmark Study in the mining industry. Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety (MARS) Program in the mining industry LATEST RESEARCH Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety (MARS) Program Landmark Study Report: Insights from the worker survey and interviews The Insights from the Worker Survey and Interviews report surveyed 2,550 WA mine workers to understand their perceptions of mental health awareness, respect and safety. Sixty further workers were interviewed one-on-one. Full report Read Ministerial Statement Infographic Summary Report launch slides JUMP TO Key findings Our approach Publications Contact us RELATED RESEARCH Previous study (2018) Key findings Safety remains a strength of the industry Most WA mining workers reported high levels of safety behaviours such as safety compliance and safety participation 4 in 10 workers Reported experiencing positive aspects of mental health at work Levels of bullying are high while preliminary indicators suggest that rates of bullying have decreased since 2018, 16% of workers reported experiencing bullying at least 2-3 times per month in the last 6 months. Underreporting of notifiable safety incidents and near misses While low continue to exist in the industry Nearly 4 in 10 workers Reported feeling burnt out at work Covert forms of sexual harassment (e.g., sexism, misogyny, sexual remarks) are far more prevalent in the mining industry compared to overt forms of sexual harassment About this research The Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety (MARS) Program is a WA Government initiative that aims to improve the health, safety and wellbeing of workers and others in the mining industry. The Landmark Study is one of the many initiatives under the MARS Program . The Landmark Study was commissioned by the Western Australian Government to design and implement a research and evaluation project focused on the mining industry, regarding three focus areas: Creating mentally healthy workplaces By managing psychosocial hazards and promoting positive practices at work that support mental health and wellbeing Building a culture of safety and respect With healthy, safe, gender-equitable, respectful and inclusive workplaces Preparing workplace safety in the future mine Addressing emerging risks and fostering innovation in safety by design, automation and artificial intelligence The Landmark Study will be completed over a four year period, including: A mapping and scoping exercise of initiatives currently undertaken by the Australian mining industry, and initiatives that are applicable to the mining industry A literature review to summarise the existing research A workplace policy and practices survey to understand the initiatives related to mental health, respect, and safety that WA mining companies currently undertake One-on-one, confidential listening sessions with workers and contractors An employee survey of workers and contractors to better understand perceptions of mental health, respect and safety Survey is now closed, thank you for your participation. Our Approach Our advisory groups Industry Panel We have invited representatives from peak bodies, unions, government and public health to join the MARS Industry Expert Panel. The Industry Expert Panel includes representatives from organisations, associations and bodies who are committed to contributing to meaningful change in the mining industry. A key aim of the Industry Expert Panel is to maximise the impact of the MARS Landmark Study by ensuring that the research is guided not only by scientific evidence, but also that findings and recommendations are contextualised for the current Australian mining context and resonates with practices in the mental health sector. The industry expert members of this panel will advise the project team on the unique challenges and issues of the mining industry, to provide feedback at each stage of the project, to connect the project team to organisations in the mining industry, to contextualise findings, and assist with disseminating findings and recommendations. Academic Panel We have a team of senior academics who are subject matter experts who are established and well-respected in their fields. Members of this panel include senior academics from Curtin University (School of Population Health), Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre and the University of Western Australia (School of Psychological Science). The academic members of this panel will provide technical oversight of the methodology, contribute to selection of reliable and valid survey measures and provide advise on data analysis approaches, and review key reports. Publications NEW: Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety (MARS) Program Landmark Study Report: Insights from the worker survey and interviews This report establishes a baseline of current practices and experiences, through: a workplace policy and practices survey that assesses the initiatives that mining companies engage in to support employee well-being; an employee survey that assesses employees’ experiences in regard to the three focus areas; employee interviews to understand the lived experiences of employees in relation to the three focus areas. Access the report Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety in the mining industry – MARS Program Landmark Study: Workplace policy and practice survey This report establishes as baseline of current pracitces and experiences, through a workplace policy and practice survey. The survey asked than 100 human resources and related experts about the initiatives engaged in by their current companies. Access the report Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety in the mining industry – The Landmark Study: A review and synthesis of the literature This report provides a literature review which provides an overview and synthesis of the current literatureconcerning the three focus areas: Creating mentally healthy workplaces Building a culture of safety and respect Preparing for workplace safety in the future mine Access the report Towards a healthy and safe workforce in the mining industry: A review and mapping of current practice This report provides an assessment of employee well-being in the mining sector and develops an innovative approach to construct measures of employers’ prioritisation of three dimensions of well-being: mental health and well-being, physical health and safety, and workplace culture that protects against sexual harassment. Access the report Impact of FIFO work arrangements on the mental health and wellbeing of FIFO workers Report produced for the WA Mental Health Commission (September 2018) Access the report Learn more about our study on FIFO mental health In 2018 extensive research was conducted by expert researchers from Curtin University and the University of Western Australia on the impact of fly-in-fly-out (FIFO) arrangements on the mental health and well-being of workers. More than 3000 FIFO workers and partners were surveyed or interviewed. See our research Sign up for updates To receive invitations to the workshops and survey For any enquiries for the MARS Landmark Study, please email marslandmarkstudy@curtin.edu.au. First name Last name Email Position I currently work in the WA mining industry Subscribe to the MARS Landmark Study mailing list (Required) Submit Thank you.

FOR INDIVIDUALS Is flexible work for you? It is clear that flexible working has both benefits and challenges that may not be ideal for every employee, and this could be due to individual differences, such as in one’s personality as well as differences in one’s life situation (e.g., the space for a home office). Find more flexible work resources for workers: Download Back to main page

FOR TEAMS Virtual teams thrive on complexity Complex work can improve virtual team performance through its ability to stimulate efficient and effective communication, team reflection and learning, and better team solutions. Find more flexible work resources for managers: Download Back to main page