The objective of the RA Fellowship is to develop the future leaders of our industry.
To support this goal, and as part of the annual program, our Fellows are asked to work in groups on a research project that demonstrates their:
- understanding of key issues and challenges faced by industry,
- ability to work together on a collective response,
- ability to apply presentation skills taught during the mid-year workshop;
- ability to communicate a convincing argument to key stakeholders, and develop feasible implementation solutions for RA.
The 2021 research task
In 2020, RA Fellows undertook a project to consider primary interventions that could eliminate or reduce job stressors for the white-collar workforce. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic limited opportunities to assess the practical effectiveness of these interventions.
Accordingly, our 2021 RA Fellows built on this work by collecting work demand data using qualitative and quantitative data collection tools.
Over the course of this year, Fellows gathered data prior to and post deployment of a job re-design option, enabling them to assess the impacts and reach conclusions about whether a particular option can potentially reduce job stressors.
In presenting the outcomes of their projects, our Fellows will be making a significant contribution to wider industry efforts to embrace flexible work.
This will enhance our capacity to attract workers whose diverse background and perspectives will help to create a more sustainable industry for the future.
Group 6 from WA/SA was announced as the 2021 winner, receiving an invitation to share their initiative nationally with the RA Network.
Group 6 comprised:
- Thilanka Silva, Arup
- Darren Hastings, Georgiou Group
- David Boots, Boral Australia
- Ana Guzman, WSP
- Nathan Shaw, Downer Infrastructure
- Erica Smith, BG&E
- Ellen McInerney, McConnell Dowell
