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This article reviews published research on the effects of disability, age and gender on the job search process. Electronic databases (Medline [via Ovid], OT Seeker, CINAHL, AMED, and Proquest 5000) were used to identify studies focusing on job search and employment, disability, age, gender and other barriers to workforce participation. There has been extensive research on the effects of age and gender on the job search process, and the available evidence indicates that disability, age and gender play significant roles in shaping the job search processes of older workers. However, there has been little rigorous investigation of the role of disability and research specifically examining the relationships between disability, job search behaviours and employment outcomes was not identified. This is a significant gap in the literature on disability and participation in the labour market. Overall, this narrative review indicates that older workers with a disability face multiple disadvantages when seeking work, which impairs their ability to fully engage in the labour market.

This article examines the impact of disability and related variables (age, gender, and education level) on job search behaviours and employment outcomes. Data are from a two-wave study of 681 Australians between the ages of 45 and 65 who were not in paid employment. Regression modelling indicates that disability impedes job search at several stages of the employment process. Although is it unrelated to job search intensity, disability is negatively associated with the probability of engaging in job search, preferred weekly hours of work, and the likelihood of finding work. Gender and age are related to the probability of engaging in job search and gender is also associated with preferred hours to work. These findings indicate that older workers with a disability face multiple disadvantages when seeking employment.

Over 5 thousand family members and close friends of Australian workers become survivors of sudden workplace death each year. Formal responses following the death are central to surviving families' ability to adapt, yet families' experiences of these responses are unknown. This study used in-depth interviews to explore 7 surviving family members' experiences of formal workplace death mechanisms: postdeath protocols; interactions with employers, unions, media and statutory authorities; stages of legal process including coronial inquests, prosecutions by the occupational health and safety (OHS) regulator, and civil action; and outcomes of judicial proceedings. Participants identified difficulties arising from insensitive treatment by authorities, and significant bureaucratic problems, including a lack of information, communication and support. Systematic research that fully examines families' needs and identifies organisational postdeath protocols is required to advance the management of institutional responses following workplace death and thereby improve outcomes for families.

Australian government and organizational age-management policies continue to target employment participation among older workers in light of an aging population. Typically, efforts to reduce early retirement among older workers have focused on well-established factors, including the promotion of worker health, reducing injury, supporting caregivers, reducing age discrimination and enhancing skill development. This research extends on the former approach by examining established factors along with important emerging factors, namely work-life conflict, work centrality and person-job fit. Additionally, the research analyses the effects of gender and financial pressure on older workers' employment participation and preferences. Logistic regression analysis of cross-sectional survey data involving 1,504 Australians aged 45–65, revealed that two established factors, physical health and caregiving, and all three emerging factors were associated with employment participation and preferences to be employed. However, important variations on the basis of gender and financial pressure were also identified. Caregiving was more strongly associated with the preference to remain employed for men (OR = 0.2.54, p < 0.01) than women (OR = 1.03, ns) and person-job fit was more strongly associated with the preference to remain employed for women (OR = 1.64, p < 0.001) than men (OR = 0.91, ns). Work-life conflict was more strongly associated with the preference to leave employment for those reporting limited financial pressure (OR = 0.60, p < 0.001) compared to those in poorer financial circumstances (OR = 0.87, ns). These findings suggest that organizational age management policies should focus on both established and emerging factors, particularly the provision of flexible working conditions and improving the psychosocial work environment. However, such efforts should carefully consider the different needs of men and women, and those under varying levels of financial stress. With respect to government policy to promote ...

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine relationships between work organisation, bullying and intention to leave (ITL) in the Australian hospitality industry, using pressure, disorganisation and regulatory failure (PDR) to measure work organisation.


Design/methodology/approach
Cross-sectional survey data were collected from 72 workers in Australian accommodation hotels. They were aged 20-65 years (M=38.26, SD=12.60) and 57.1 per cent were female. The proposed path model was tested with the Mplus (v.7) statistical package using Hayes' (2009) procedure for mediation analysis.


Findings
There were positive bivariate correlations between all variables. The path model indicated that disorganisation and regulatory failure had direct positive associations with bullying. Financial pressure and bullying had direct positive associations with ITL.


Research limitations/implications
The small sample may not be representative and the cross-sectional design and self-report data risk common method variance effects and preclude attributions of causality. Future studies should use more representative samples and longitudinal designs to address common method variance issues and facilitate causal inferences.


Originality/value
Bullying and turnover are significant problems in the hospitality industry, but the contribution of work organisation variables is poorly understood. The present study provides promising preliminary evidence on the potential role of PDR as an antecedent of both bullying and ITL.