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Organisational Restructuring: Considerations for Workplace Rehabilitation Professionals

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 August 2015

Dan Kearns ,
Paul McCarthy  and
Michael Sheehan
Dan Kearns
Affiliation:
University of York
Paul McCarthy
Affiliation:
Griffith University
Michael Sheehan*
Affiliation:
Griffith University
*
School of Organisational Behaviour and Human Resource Management, Griffith University, Nathan QLD 4111, Australia
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Abstract

Organisational restructuring is a pervasive strategy employed by organisations in Australia in response to changes in market competition and/or policy directives. Such restructuring often involves staff redundancies and increased demands on the remaining employees. This paper identifies important issues for workplace rehabilitation programs in response to this phenomenon of organisational restructuring. The paper notes the impact of organisational restructuring on clients in workplace rehabilitation programs and the types of issues rehabilitation professionals are likely to face at this time. A particular focus is the aspect of managerial behaviour during the process of change and the paper reports from a range of studies on employee well-being, managerial bullying and coercion in the context of organisational restructuring. Considerations for the rehabilitation professional include the need to understand communication issues, identify those at risk, and maintain the natural supports during the change program. Suggestions are given for convenors of workplace rehabilitation programs to actively collaborate with the human resource function of the organisation and disability management is outlined as a useful example of such strategies.

Type
Articles
Information
The Australian Journal of Rehabilitation Counselling , Volume 3 , Issue 1 , 1997 , pp. 21 - 29
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1997

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