. Chapter 15 Managing young workers Robin Price, Janis Bailey and Damian Oliver Copyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Strachan, French and Burgess, Managing Diversity 15-1

. Who is the young worker? ‘Youth’ are officially aged 15–24 Majority in retail; hospitality; cultural and recreational services Majority in ‘secondary labour market’ Very diverse –‘Student workers’, e.g. high school and tertiary students –Full-time workers in jobs ranging from services and blue collar (e.g. apprenticeships) to young graduates Copyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Strachan, French and Burgess, Managing Diversity 15-2

. The context Increased school retention Growth of service sector Growth of 24/7 trading Labour market factors, e.g. relative shortage or abundance of adult labour Industrial relations system: –Few limits on casualisation in Australia –‘Junior rates’ make young workers attractive on cost grounds Copyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Strachan, French and Burgess, Managing Diversity 15-3

. Employment issues Poor OHS and high injury rates Abuse (customers); bullying (supervisors); initiation rites; sexual harassment (customers, co- workers and supervisors) Work–life balance issues (particularly work–study and work–leisure balance) Copyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Strachan, French and Burgess, Managing Diversity 15-4

. Challenges for employers Complying with young-person specific legislation (usually for under-16s) Minimising OHS risks, bullying, harassment, etc. Providing appropriate induction and training (ongoing, appropriately sequenced) Ensuring effective supervision (especially training of frontline management) Copyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Strachan, French and Burgess, Managing Diversity 15-5

. Oliver’s study: graduate professionals University students in paid work secure better post-uni jobs if they work while studying. Students had better outcomes if they undertook less than 10 hours of work per week, as opposed to 10–19 hours per week. Students valued flexibility, and comfortable about asserting study needs to employers Employers can maximise the benefits of having a motivated workforce able to carry out complex tasks Copyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Strachan, French and Burgess, Managing Diversity 15-6

. Price’s study: Students in supermarkets Stores traded 83 hours per week Approximately 50 per cent of staff are under 21 years of age. Junior wages (as low as 45 per cent of adult wage) coupled with tight wage budgets led to high usage of youth workers. Turnover high, which refreshed staffing base and kept wages low Strategies to reduce cost of recruitment Mix of casual and permanent part-time work Copyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Strachan, French and Burgess, Managing Diversity 15-7

. Conclusion Not all young workers the same – heterogeneity Social expectations and legal requirements place higher ‘duty of care’ on employers of young people Need to take into account generational differences in work goals and expectations Copyright  2010 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd PPTs to accompany Strachan, French and Burgess, Managing Diversity 15-8