The COVID-19 pandemic, the Australian government's response, and longer-term influences within Australia's higher education sector, provided the background and rationale for this study in an Australian public university. From a context of how Antipodean University (AU) dealt with the revenue crisis, this paper describes how a sample of staff were…

This paper reports on research conducted with staff employed in the Australian higher education sector during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sector has been significantly impacted, particularly those institutions heavily reliant on revenue from international student enrolments. Universities moved swiftly to introduce cost-savings measures such as,…

A reflexive thematic analysis was used to identify factors that enhance and inhibit employee engagement amongst professional staff working in shared services teams in an Australian regional university. With efficient and effective client service delivery expected of people working in a shared services structure, employee buy-in and the need for…

Rapid advances in technology have resulted in a worldwide drive to enhance science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforces to remain internationally competitive and ensure economic prosperity. Despite this, there is ongoing debate about the best strategies for promoting STEM literacy and building national STEM competencies.…

Indigenous student completion rates remain very low relative to non-Indigenous students. Some universities have higher Indigenous student completion rates than the national average but research-based evidence of these universities as 'success models' is limited. Drawing on findings from interviews with Indigenous university graduates and staff as…

Background: This study aimed to explore perceived work stress and its association with burnout, compassion fatigue, and compassion satisfaction and the mediating effect of psychological flexibility on these relationships. Method: Two hundred and fifty-one disability support workers across Australia reported on work stress, psychological…

The Australian regional university where this pilot study was completed is confronted with a number of demographic factors that challenge the delivery of effective student support and engagement. In 2020, the teacher education student cohort comprised of approximately 5,100 students, with 82.6% 25 years of age or older, 20.3% identified as having…

Contract cheating is, potentially, a serious threat to the quality of higher education around the world. Prior research has focused on student perspectives and the companies themselves, but the staff view is poorly understood, despite staff being a major stakeholder with considerable influence over strategies designed to address contract cheating.…

While no major change in relation to student attrition and retention data has been recorded over the past 20 years, the increasingly neoliberal agenda imposed on Australian higher education institutions has led to increased scrutiny around such data. In this case study, we explore discourses of attrition and retention to understand better the…

Purpose: Whilst the role that procurement plays in today's organisations is becoming increasingly strategic, recruitment into the discipline in Australia remains a significant challenge, and this has led to a serious ongoing skills shortage. By combining the findings from an online survey of Australian practitioners, with a set of face-to-face…

This article outlines a concurrent complementarity, mixed methods research design to explore the careers of university professional staff through the application of a contemporary career profile framework. Two hundred and twenty-six participants from Australia and the UK completed a multi-method questionnaire. Integration occurred at three points:…

Cohesive integration practices within 'one-stop' student support services are critical for student success, however empirical studies in this area are limited in number and scope. This case study addresses this gap by exploring the lived experience of staff and managers who support students at a regional Australian university's integrated student…

Universities are both a source of employable graduates and careers. This paper examines universities as developers and employers of their own graduates from the perspective of employees and recruited positions. Research questions were: what do learning and teaching careers look like at universities, and what are the occupational patterns,…

This research examines the impact of non-monetary work environment factors on employee discretionary effort within the higher education sector in Australia. There is limited qualitative research that examines the factors that drive and inhibit employee discretionary effort especially in the higher education sector. Semi-structured interviews were…

University employees experience high levels of workplace stress, with the perception that it is increasing, due to less autonomy, increased student numbers, excessive administrative work and role ambiguity. This study is part of a larger evaluation of the effectiveness of a Mindfulness, Self-Care and Resiliency (MSCR) program to improve the…