The Ageing Workforce Maximising the Productivity, Health and Well-Being of Mature Workers Project members Project lead Professor Sharon Parker Project lead Daniela Andrei Project lead Gigi Petery Project member Gina Chatelier Project member Jane Chong Project member Professor John Cordery Project member Christine Soo About the project We can't ignore that the workforce is ageing. With increasing life expectancy and changing welfare policies, many mature workers will have both the capacity and demand to work until until they are older. The health of our nation will be served through creating work that preserves the wellbeing and social, psychological, and mental capital of older workers. Our reserach, part of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Population Ageing Research (CEPAR), addresses these crucial challenges of work and ageing. Read more visit the CEPAR website Key Research Goals The aim of this research is to identify work designs and practices to attract and retain mature workers, thus enhancing their performance and wellbeing, and improving productivity within organisations and society more broadly. Specifically, there are three research questions addressed: 1. What are the factors that promote successful ageing in the workplace? 2. How can we promote successful teams, organisations, and societies by facilitating mature workforce participation? 3. How can organisations facilitate the optimal balancing of work and care responsibilities for mature employees? The outcomes of this research will inform best practice, organisational policies and implementation to enable older workers to participate longer in paid work while balancing this with their external care demands.

< Back Support Your Volunteers: Volunteer Leader Toolkit Read the report About the report The resource kit comprises three modules full of evidence-based, interactive and engaging videos, documents and activities that were developed in partnership with emergency service volunteers and their leaders. Support Your Volunteers: Volunteer Leader ToolkitNatural Hazards Research Australia Citation: Previous Next

< Back How to make my Flexible Work SMART: A Guide for Workers Read the report About the report This guide provides practical, evidence-based strategies on how the worker can optimise their performance and well-being when working flexibly. Parker, K., Parker, S. K., & Jorritsma, K. (2020). How to Make My Flexible Work SMART. Commissioned Guide prepared for Western Australian State Government Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation. Future of Work Institute, Curtin University. Citation: Previous Next

< Back How Digital Collaboration is shaping the future of Healthcare and Education Read the report About the report This white paper aims to explore opportunities, challenges and best practices for scaling and promotion of collaborative technology to enhance future work in the areas of healthcare and higher education? Sheng, Z., Li, K., Griffin, M.A., van Vulpen, E., & Desai, A. (2021). How Digital Collaboration is shaping the future of Healthcare and Education. Future of Work Institute, Curtin University, La Trobe University, National Industry Innovation Network (NIIN) Research White Paper. https://www.cisco.com/c/dam/global/en_au/solutions/industries/resources/healthcare/niin-research-whitepaper_how-digital-collaboration-is-shaping-the-future-of-healthcare-and-education.pdf Citation: Previous Next

< Back Does the evidence and theory support the good work design principles? An Educational Resource Read the report About the report The current paper analyses work design evidence and theory linked to the principles. Although it acknowledges physical, biomechanical, and cognitive work characteristics described in the handbook, this paper focuses on psychosocial work characteristics such as autonomy, support, variety, and a moderate level of demands. Parker, S. K. Does the evidence and theory support the good work design principles? An Educational Resource. SafeWork Australia, ISBN 978-1-76028-435-0. https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/system/files/documents/1702/does-the-evidence-theory-support-good-work-design-principles.pdf Citation: Previous Next

< Back Thrive at Work Audit Toolkit – Take stock and mature your organisation’s mental health and wellbeing practices Read the report About the report The Thrive at Work Audit Toolkit walks through the steps required to undertake a comprehensive stocktake of your organisation’s existing activities towards building a mentally healthy workplace. Jorritsma, K., Cham, B., Chi, J., & Chapman, M. (2023). Thrive at Work Audit Toolkit – Take stock and mature your organisation’s mental health and wellbeing practices. Toolkit by the Future of Work Institute, Curtin University, funded by the Mental Health Commission of WA as a part of the MARS Program. Citation: Previous Next

< Back How to Manage Virtual Teams: A Guide for Managers Read the report About the report This guide provides evidence-based recommendations on how to effectively lead virtual teams to optimise team member performance and wellbeing. Adams, K., Parker, S. K., Jorritsma, K., & Griffin, M. A. (2020). How to lead virtual teams for success: A guide for managers. Commissioned Guide prepared for Western Australian State Government Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation. Future of Work Institute, Curtin University. Citation: Previous Next

< Back Thriving Sustainably: Navigating the Complex Landscape of Workplace Mental Health - A Thrive at Work Survey Insights Report Read the report About the report This report delves into key findings from the ongoing Thrive at Work Survey conducted among Australian workers and workplaces, and represents the culmination of our extensive efforts at the intersection of research and practice. Cham, B., Jorritsma, K., Griffin, M., & Parker, S.K. (2023). Thriving Sustainably: Navigating the Complex Landscape of Workplace Mental Health. A Thrive at Work Survey Insights Report. Curtin University. https://www.thriveatwork.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Thriving-Sustainably-A-Thrive-at-Work-Survey-Insights-Report.pdf Citation: Previous Next

< Back From Incidents to Insights: A Guide to Leveraging Frontline Perspectives in Operational Debriefs Read the report About the report This toolkit includes resources to help senior prison officers to conduct a learning-focused operational debrief. These tools and insights aim to foster open and honest discussions, empowering team members to voice questions, concerns, and ideas. The goal is to explore lessons learned for continuous improvement. Hosszu, K., Gunson, H., Boeing, A., Chi, J., & Jorritsma, K. (2024). From Incidents to Insights: A Guide to Leveraging Frontline Perspectives in Operational Debriefs. Toolkit by the Future of Work Institute, Curtin University funded by the Mental Health Commission of Western Australia. Citation: Previous Next

< Back Long-term benefits of clean energy sources Kim Jennings 20 Mar 2023 This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. Want to view and manage all your collections? Click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. Here, you can make changes to your content, add new fields, create dynamic pages and more. Your collection is already set up for you with fields and content. Add your own content or import it from a CSV file. Add fields for any type of content you want to display, such as rich text, images, and videos. Be sure to click Sync after making changes in a collection, so visitors can see your newest content on your live site. Previous Next

< Back Mental awareness, respect and safety in the mining industry – The landmark study: A review and synthesis of the literature Read the report About the report This report provides an overview and synthesis of the current literature concerning the three focus areas: mental health and well-being, physical health and safety, and workplace culture and sexual harassment/assault. Yam, C., Parker, S., Fruhen, L., Anderson, M., Woodley, G., Hendriks, J., Burns, S., & Drane, C. (2022). Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety in the mining industry – The Landmark Study: A review and synthesis of the literature. https://www.wa.gov.au/system/files/2022-11/MARS_LMS_Preliminary_Report_2A.pdf Citation: Previous Next

Events Browse our upcoming and past events at the Future of Work Institute. Upcoming event No events at the moment Past Events Thrive at Work in Mining - Toolkits and Case Studies Launch 24 Nov 2025, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm Details Thrive at Work Leadership Masterclass Series Launch 04 Nov 2025, 8:30 am – 12:00 pm Details Multiple Dates Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety (MARS) Workshop #4 - Psychosocial Risks: Identification and Mitigation Strategies 25 Sept 2025, 9:00 am – 12:30 pm Details Multiple Dates Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety (MARS) Workshop #3 - Cultivating Respect: Fostering an Inclusive Workplace via Dive 28 Aug 2025, 9:00 am – 12:30 pm Details Multiple Dates Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety (MARS) Workshop #2 - Leading Well: How to Manage Workplace Well-being as a Manager 03 July 2025, 9:00 am – 12:30 pm Details Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety (MARS) Workshop #1 - Exploring the Benefits and Techniques of Good Work Design 19 June 2025, 9:00 am – 12:30 pm Details Design for Care Showcase: A Journey to SMARTer Workplaces in the H&SA Industry 30 Apr 2025, 8:30 am – 12:00 pm AEST Details Design for Care State of Affairs Breakfast 4: SMARTer work design to prevent psychological injury 05 Nov 2024, 8:30 am – 10:00 am Details Beyond the buzz: What can we really expect from a future with AI? 17 Sept 2024, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm Details Roundtable: Reshaping management for the future workforce 17 July 2024, 9:00 am – 11:00 am Details Breakfast: Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety (MARS) Landmark Study - Insights and ideas moving forward 27 June 2024, 7:00 am – 11:00 am Details Design for Care State of Affairs Breakfast 3: Changing work design to improve mental health 03 Apr 2024, 8:30 am – 10:00 am Details 2024 Centre for Transformative Work Design Conference 13 Feb 2024, 8:30 am – 14 Feb 2024, 5:30 pm Details Future Ready Series 04 Oct 2023, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm Details SMART Design for Care State of Affairs Breakfast 2 04 July 2023, 8:30 am – 10:00 am Details Thrive at Work in Mining Masterclass Cohort Celebration and Toolkits Launch 18 May 2023, 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm Details The State of Affairs: State of psychological injury in Healthcare and Social Assistance industry 15 Nov 2022, 8:30 am – 10:00 am Details Design for Care virtual launch: A work design approach to improving staff mental health and well-being 27 Oct 2021, 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm Details Load More Featured event Centre for Transformative Work Design (CTWD) Conference 2024 Leading global scholars in work design, industry and government representatives gathered in Perth to explore how to navigate the increasing complexities of our working lives. The theme of the inaugural conference was ‘Work Design for Success: Innovative Research and Leading-Edge Practice.’ Learn more FOWI Academy & Seminar Series Dedicated to research, learning and discussion Our FOWI Academy & Seminar series brings together researchers from all disciplines and career stages to explore enriching perspectives and new approaches in Management, Organisational Behaviour and related areas. View past recordings