Overview

Productivity in Australia is currently a hot topic. The Prime Minister and Treasurer are hosting the Economic Reform Roundtable on the 19^th – 21^st August. Key topics in this meeting are making our economy more productive and building resilience in the face of the global economy.

While there will be many economic, regulatory and technological ideas put forward, in the end, it will be the actions and behaviours of people that will lead to these ideas being implemented. This puts the conversation squarely in the field of organisational psychology practice.

In this national webinar, we will bring together eminent contributors in the organisational psychology field to discuss the issues, the evidence and the strategies that can enable the contribution of the Australian workforce to meet Australia’s productivity challenges while protecting wellbeing at work.

After a debrief and response to the outcomes of the PM’s Roundtable, we will tackle topics such as how productivity can improve through:

• Better implementation of large-scale organisational change with a technology focus
• Managing the impact of job changes on workers, particularly with a technology focus
• Psychosocial risk and the cost to productivity of not managing this well
• Applying contemporary learning approaches to accelerate the development of new capabilities

The panel will both share their expertise and perspectives and respond to questions from the Zoom room for an interactive and lively event. Key themes that emerge may inform submissions from the College of Organisational Psychologists to the next round of consultation by the Productivity Commission. Join us and be part of the conversation.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this event, participants should be able to:

• Explain the connection between productivity, people and organisational systems.
• Articulate key areas where org psych practice can influence productivity.
• Identify key areas of opportunity and risk for productivity improvement in their own business context.

Presenter(s)

About the presenter(s)

Professor Frederik Anseel is the Dean of UNSW Business School. With a background in organisational psychology, he studies the psychological underpinnings of work, organisational design, leadership and organisations. He was one of the authors of a highly influential paper, cited more than 2500 times, on postcovid workplaces published in the American Psychologist.

Prof Anseel was the President of the European Association for Work and Organizational Psychology from 2017 to 2022. He is an elected Fellow of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, the International Association of Applied Psychology and the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia. Prof Anseel writes a fortnightly column for a leading Belgian newspaper and since 2021, he has been recognized by LinkedIn as one of the "Top Voices" to follow on their platform for insights on Work & Careers.

Frederik’s recent article “When productivity meets reality: Why working harder isn't the answer” (https://www.businessthink.unsw.edu.au/articles/australiaproductivity-growth-innovation-ai) was one of the inspirations for this session.

Adam Hall has more than 20 years experience in culture, engagement, reward and people strategy consulting. He is currently the leader of WTW’s International region Organisational Insights and Change Community, responsible for the development and implementation of employee insights, analytics and transformation solutions tailored to market needs across APAC, LATAM and CEEMA.

In his consulting work Adam leads client projects in the areas of Culture, Employee Experience, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Wellbeing. Recent projects include modelling the relationship of employee experience and wellbeing measures to safety, people risks and performance for a global mining company and leading an employee insights program for a professional services firm, linking firm and team experience and employee wellbeing to performance and productivity.

Adam is passionate about ongoing research and innovation with a focus on culture, psychology of reward, employee wellbeing and employee experience. He also serves on the Industry Advisory Board for Deakin University Industrial/Organisational Psychology program.

Sam Popple is an organisational psychologist who brings curiosity and critical insight to complex questions about how we work, why it matters, and what’s required to sustain both health and productivity in Australia. With a background that spans intensive care nursing, WHS policy advisory roles, and with published research on the regulation of psychosocial hazards, she is deeply interested in how all the moving parts of policy, legislation, and the frontline realities fit together.

Sam is drawn to the kind of questions that take time and rigour to answer: How do we build systems that support mental health and productivity at scale? What role should psychological, particularly organisational psychology expertise play in shaping national conversations about work, wellbeing, and economic resilience? And how do we ensure that policies made in boardrooms and government translate into something meaningful at the sharp end of work?

She believes organisational psychology, as a discipline grounded in evidence and practice, has a powerful role to play in helping decision-makers design work that enables people to thrive. Her contribution to this panel is shaped by lived frontline nursing experience, deep regulatory knowledge, and a commitment to bringing psychological insight to the national conversation on productivity.

Notes

Target Audience

This event is aimed at all members of the Org Psych community and anyone working in the Human Capital space.

Duration of Access

This event will be recorded. The recording will be emailed to all registered within 2 weeks post event and available for viewing up to 90 days.

CPD

It is up to attendees to assess and determine how learning from this event aligns with the requirements of their learning plan. The providers accordingly do not make any representation that the event counts towards attendees’ CPD learning requirements. If an attendee determines themselves that the learning they complete aligns to their learning plan, then they can decide to count those hours towards their CPD requirements for the registration cycle.

The information in this presentation has been prepared in good faith and for educational purposes only. Therefore, the information is general in nature and should not be relied upon in the treatment of any condition and you should seek your own independent professional and/or legal advice concerning any specific issue. The APS accepts no responsibility for any errors, omissions or decisions relating to the information. The content should not be reproduced without permission or unless permitted by law.

If you are experiencing registration difficulties please contact APS Events Support.