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  • Professor Tim Bentley

    Professor Tim Bentley

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Professor Tim Bentley

Professorial Chair of Mining, Health and Safety

Staff Member Details
Telephone: +61 8 6304 5418
Mobile: +61466 947297
Email: t.bentley@ecu.edu.au
Campus: Joondalup  
Room: JO2.432  
ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3859-548X

Tim Bentley is the Mining Work Health and Safety Professorial Chair and Director of the Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety (MARS) Centre, which is an ECU Industry Collaboration Centre for the Mining Sector. Tim is based within the School of Business and Law.

Key research areas

  • Psychosocial risks
  • Workplace bullying and ill-treatment
  • Occupational health and safety
  • The future of work and new ways of working
  • Workplace human factors and ergonomics

Biography

Professor Tim Bentley is an experienced research leader with over fifteen-years in research and academic leadership roles. His research is highly engaged with industry and the professions and has influenced both government policy and organisational practice within Australia and New Zealand.  Tim joined the School of Business and Law at Edith Cowan University as Professor of Work and Wellbeing in 2019, and since late 2020 has served as Director of the Centre for Work + Wellbeing, a strategic research entity of Edith Cowan University.  In July 2023, Tim took up the position of Director of the Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety (MARS) Centre within the School of Business and Law. The MARS Centre was created as part of a recently announced multi-million-dollar partnership between ECU and the State Government.  As both MARS Centre Director and Mining Work Health and Safety (WHS) Professorial Chair, Tim leads a program of research, teaching and engagement designed to elevate mining sector WHS capability and to move the dial on sector culture towards greater respect and safety.

Prior to joining SBL, Tim’s New Zealand-based roles included Director of the New Zealand Work Research Institute and Auckland University of Technology’s Future of Work Program; Director of Massey University’s Healthy Work Group; and Director of the Centre for Human Factors and Ergonomics at Forest Research.  Tim is also a former Editor-in-Chief of the Cambridge University Press publication, Journal of Management & Organization, and has served as Scientific Editor for the Elsevier publication, Applied Ergonomics.

Tim’s research primarily focuses on psychosocial risk, workplace bullying, and new ways of working, and he is passionate about creating healthy work for the advancement of organisational and employee wellbeing. Tim’s research has been supported by almost AU$9M of external funding from government and industry within New Zealand and Australia, while his published research is extensive and has received considerable scholarly attention.

ECU Research Themes

Theme One: Health

Theme Two: Society and Culture

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, England, 1998.

Research Outputs

2024

Journal Articles

  • Ajith, M., Lux, A., Bentley, T., Striepe, M. (2024). Adaptive crisis management at the operational level: Responses to COVID-19 in the Australian resources sector. Journal of Management and Organization, 2024(article in press), 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1017/jmo.2024.62.
  • Franken, E., Hernandez Grande, A., Farr-Wharton, B., Bentley, T., Sharafizad, F. (2024). Seeing the forest for the trees: The role of growth-oriented leadership in shaping public servants’ work experiences. Public Personnel Management, 2024(Article in press), 25 pages. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/00910260241278378.
  • Ahmad, R., Nejati Ajibisheh, M., Farr-Wharton, B., Bentley, T. (2024). Impact of Leadership on Unethical Pro-Organizational Behavior: A Systematic Literature Review and Future Research Directions. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 31(3), 338-367. https://doi.org/10.1177/15480518241265399.
  • Hussain, A., Franken, E., Bentley, T., Jogulu, U. (2024). The value of work for doctors in Pakistan: Towards a framework for ensuring decent work. Labour and Industry: a journal of the social and economic relations of work, 2024(Article in press), 24 pages. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/10301763.2024.2356366.

2023

Journal Articles

  • Farr-Wharton, B., Simpson, AV., Brunetto, Y., Bentley, T. (2023). The Role of Team Compassion In Mitigating The Impact of Hierarchical Bullying. Journal of Management and Organization, 8(3), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1017/jmo.2023.24.
  • Bentley, T., Caponecchia, C., Onnis, L., Brunetto, Y., Farr-Wharton, B., Cattani, M., Neto, A., Vassiley, A. (2023). A systems model for the design of occupational health and safety management systems inclusive of work-from-home arrangements. Applied Ergonomics: human factors in technology and society, 109(May 2023), Article number 103966. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2023.103966.
  • Bentley, T., Onnis, L., Vassiley, A., Farr-Wharton, B., Caponecchia, C., Andrew, C., O'Neill, S., De Almeida Neto, A., Huron, V., Green, N. (2023). A Systematic Review Of Literature On Occupational Health And Safety Interventions For Older Workers. Ergonomics: an international journal of research and practice in human factors and ergonomics, 2023(article in press), TBD. https://doi.org/10.1080/00140139.2023.2176550.
  • Farr-Wharton, B., Bentley, T., Onnis, L., Caponecchia, C., Neto, A., O’neill, S., Andrew, C. (2023). Older Worker-Orientated Human Resource Practices, Wellbeing and Leave Intentions: A Conservation of Resources Approach for Ageing Workforces. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(3), article number 2725. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032725.
  • Roche, M., Shang, S., Bentley, T., Catley, B., Blackwood, K., Teo, S., Sutton, A. (2023). Mindfulness older workers and relational leadership. Journal of Management and Organization, 29(3), 571-588. https://doi.org/10.1017/jmo.2022.11.
  • Shafaei Darastani, A., Farr-Wharton, B., Omari, M., Pooley, JA., Bentley, T., Sharafizad, F., Onnis, L. (2023). Leading through Tumultuous Events in Public Sector Organizations. Public Performance and Management Review, 2023(Article in press), -. https://doi.org/10.1080/15309576.2023.2246948.
  • Jogulu, U., Green, N., Franken, E., Vassiley, A., Bentley, T., Onnis, L. (2023). Work arrangement ‘yo-yo’: forced flexibility from the office to home and back again. Personnel Review, 2023(Article in press), 20 pages. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-02-2023-0088.

Reports

  • Bentley, T., Onnis, L., O'Neill, S., Brunetto, Y., Blackwood, K., Bezemer, P., Franken, E., Farr-Wharton, B., Hernandez Grande, A., Huuskes, L. (2023). Strengthening the Priority of WHS for Business Leaders. Phase 2 Report. Joondalup, WA. ECU.

2022

Journal Articles

  • Teo, S., Bentley, T., Nguyen, D., Blackwood, K., Catley, B. (2022). Inclusive leadership, matured age HRM practices and older worker wellbeing. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 60(2), 323-341. https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7941.12304.
  • Plester, B., Bentley, T., Brewer, E. (2022). “It only hurts when I laugh”: tolerating bullying humour in order to belong at work. European Journal of Humour Research, 10(2), 116-134. https://doi.org/10.7592/EJHR2022.10.2.645.

2021

Journal Articles

  • Bentley, T., Green, N., Tappin, D., Haslam, R. (2021). State of science: the future of work–ergonomics and human factors contributions to the field. Ergonomics: an international journal of research and practice in human factors and ergonomics, 64(4), 427-439. https://doi.org/10.1080/00140139.2020.1841308.
  • Lundy, J., Keast, R., Farr-Wharton, B., Omari, M., Teo, S., Bentley, T. (2021). Utilising a capability maturity model to leverage inclusion and diversity in public sector organisations. Australian Journal of Public Administration, 80(4), 1032-1045. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8500.12521.
  • Teo, S., Nguyen, D., Shafaei Darastani, A., Bentley, T. (2021). High commitment HRM and burnout of frontline food service employees: a moderated mediation model. Employee Relations, 43(6), 1342-1361. https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-06-2020-0300.
  • Bentley, T., Teo, S., Nguyen, D., Blackwood, K., Catley, B., Gardner, D., Forsyth, D., Bone, K., Tappin, D., D'souza, N., Port, Z. (2021). Psychosocial influences on psychological distress and turnover intentions in the workplace. Safety Science, 137(May 2021), Article number 105200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2021.105200.
  • Franken, E., Bentley, T., Shafaei Darastani, A., Farr-Wharton, B., Onnis, L., Omari, M. (2021). Forced flexibility and remote working: opportunities and challenges in the new normal. Journal of Management and Organization, 27(6), 1131-1149. https://doi.org/10.1017/jmo.2021.40.

Reports

  • Teo, S., Bentley, T., Nguyen, D., Farr-Wharton, B., Onnis, L., Brunetto, Y., Nguyen, H., De Almeida Neto, A. (2021). Flexible work and psychological safety: best practice to advance psychologically safe solutions from alternate locations. Australia. Centre for Work Health and Safety, NSW Government.
  • Farr-Wharton, B., Bentley, T., Onnis, L., Caponecchia, C., De Almeida Neto, A., O’neill, S., Andrew, C. (2021). A quantitative study on the relationship between workplace factors, work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) and psychosocial risk (PSR) in older New South Wales-based workers. Australia. Centre for Work Health and Safety, NSW government.
  • Bentley, T., Caponecchia, C., Onnis, L., Farr-Wharton, B., Vassiley, A., O’neill, S., Andrew, C., De Almeida Neto, A., Huron, V. (2021). The Healthy Older Worker: A Systematic Review of Literature on Work Health and Safety Interventions for Older Workers. Australia. Centre for Work, Health and Safety, NSW government.

2020

Journal Articles

  • Gardner, D., Roche, M., Bentley, T., Cooper-Thomas, H., Catley, B., Teo, S., Trenberth, L. (2020). An exploration of gender and workplace bullying in New Zealand. International Journal of Manpower, 41(8), 1385-1395. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJM-02-2019-0067.
  • Teo, S., Bentley, T., Nguyen, D. (2020). Psychosocial work environment, work engagement, and employee commitment: A moderated, mediation model. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 88(July 2020), article number 102415. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2019.102415.

Reports

  • Farr-Wharton, B., Omari, M., Shafaei Darastani, A., Bentley, T., Teo, S., Pooley, JA. (2020). Department of Water and Environmental Regulation : Valuing Workers Working from Alternative Locations2020 Final Milestone Report 2020. Australia. Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, WA government.
  • Omari, M., Farr-Wharton, B., Bentley, T., Pooley, JA., Shafaei Darastani, A., Prichard, R., Dick, T. (2020). Literature Review: Work From Alternative Locations and Flexible Work Department of Water and Environmental Regulation. Australia. Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, WA government.
  • Lundy, J., Teo, S., Omari, M., Farr-Wharton, B., Bentley, T. (2020). Sharing and Understanding Diverse Identities: Enhancing Psychological Safety in WA Public Sector Workplaces. Australia. Public Sector Commission.
  • Bentley, T., Farr-Wharton, B., Omari, M., Vassiley, A., Onnis, L., Shafaei Darastani, A., Nejati Ajibisheh, M., Pooley, JA., Devine, A., De Almeida Neto, A. (2020). Flexible work and psychological safety - Best practice to advance psychologically safe solutions from alternate locations: A report on findings from interviews with NSW flexible employees and managers: Phase 2 Report. Australia. Centre for Work Health and Safety NSW.

2019

Journal Articles

  • Ababneh, O., Lefevre, M., Bentley, T. (2019). Employee engagement: development of a new measure. International Journal of Human Resources Development and Management, 19(2), 105-134. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJHRDM.2019.098623.
  • Bentley, T., Teo, S., Catley, B., Blackwood, K., Roche, M., O’driscoll, M. (2019). Factors influencing leave intentions among older workers: a moderated-mediation model. Personnel Review, 48(4), 898-914. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-03-2018-0095.

Conference Publications

  • Green, N., Tappin, D., Bentley, T. (2019). The impact of telehealth video-conferencing services on work systems in new zealand: Perceptions of expert stakeholders. Proceedings of the 20th Congress of the International Ergonomics Association (IEA 2018) Volume I: Healthcare Ergonomics (192-197). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96098-2_25.

2018

Journal Articles

  • Blackwood, K., Bentley, T., Catley, B. (2018). A victims search for resolution: Conceptualising workplace bullying and its intervention as a process. Journal of Health, Safety and Environment, 34(1), 7-31.
  • Page, S., Bentley, T., Teo, S., Ladkin, A. (2018). The dark side of high performance human resource practices in the visitor economy. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 74(2018), 122-129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2018.02.016.
  • Halteh, J., Arrowsmith, J., Parker, J., Zorn, T., Bentley, T. (2018). The impact of technology on employment: a research agenda for New Zealand and beyond. Labour and Industry: a journal of the social and economic relations of work, 28(3), 203-216. https://doi.org/10.1080/10301763.2018.1519774.

2017

Journal Articles

  • Blackwood, K., Bentley, T., Catley, B., Edwards, M. (2017). Managing workplace bullying experiences in nursing: the impact of the work environment. Public Money and Management, 37(5), 349-356. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540962.2017.1328205.
  • Gardner, D., Bentley, T., Catley, B., Cooper-Thomas, H., O'Driscoll, M., Roche, M., Teo, S., Trenberth, L. (2017). Organisational strategies to manage workplace bullying. Journal of Health, Safety and Environment, 33(1), 12pp..
  • Catley, B., Blackwood, K., Forsyth, D., Tappin, D., Bentley, T. (2017). Workplace bullying complaints: lessons for “good HR practice”. Personnel Review, 46(1), 100-114. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-04-2015-0107.
  • Green, N., Tappin, D., Bentley, T. (2017). Exploring telework experiences of organisations in a post-disaster environment. New Zealand Journal of Human Resources Management, 17(1), 1-19.
  • Catley, BE., Bentley, T., Anderson, D., Tedestedt, R. (2017). An evaluation of the impact on organizational awareness and practice of a national level intervention for the prevention of workplace bullying. Journal of Health, Safety and Environment, 33(3), Article number 322.

2016

Book Chapters

  • Bentley, T., Blackwood, K., Catley, B., O'Driscoll, M., Roche, M., Teo, S., Twiname, L. (2016). The role of human resource practices and other factors influencing the continuing work participation of older workers in New Zealand. The Aging Workforce Handbook: Individual, Organizational, and Societal Challenges (213-239). Emerald Group Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/9781786354471.

Journal Articles

  • Tappin, D., Vitalis, A., Bentley, T. (2016). The application of an industry level participatory ergonomics approach in developing MSD interventions. Applied Ergonomics: human factors in technology and society, 52(1 January 2016), 151-159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2015.07.007.
  • Bentley, T., Teo, S., McLeod, L., Tan, F., Bosua, R., Gloet, M. (2016). The role of organisational support in mediating teleworker job satisfaction and psychological strain. Applied Ergonomics: human factors in technology and society, 52(1 Jan. 2016), 207-215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2015.07.019.

2015

Journal Articles

  • Tappin, D., Bentley, T., Ashby, L. (2015). An implementation evaluation of a qualitative culture assessment tool. Applied Ergonomics: human factors in technology and society, 47(March 2015), 84-92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2014.08.012.

2014

Journal Articles

  • Bentley, T., Catley, B., Forsyth, D., Tappin, D. (2014). Understanding workplace violence: The value of a systems perspective. Applied Ergonomics: human factors in technology and society, 45(4), 839-848. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2013.10.016.
  • Cooper-Thomas, H., Bentley, T., Catley, B., Gardner, D., O'Driscoll, M., Trenberth, L. (2014). The impact of bullying on observers and targets. New Zealand Journal of Human Resources Management, 14(2), 82-95.

Research Projects

  • Psychological Capital - The Last Line of Defence in Psychosocial Safety in the Mining Industry, Minerals Research Institute of Western Australia, PhD Scholarship, 2024 ‑ 2031, $162,953.
  • The Critical Impacts of Psychosocial Risk Factors on Workers' Behaviours in Mining Industry, Minerals Research Institute of Western Australia, PhD Scholarship, 2025 ‑ 2028, $162,977.
  • Impact of COVID-19 on the leadership of operational leaders in the oil, gas, and mining sector of Australia, Minerals Research Institute of Western Australia, PhD Scholarship, 2024 ‑ 2028, $104,758.
  • MARS: Better Together Platform, DMIRS: Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety - MARS, Grant, 2024 ‑ 2025, $96,804.
  • MARS: Building a PSC system for the management of psychosocial risks in WA Mining Sector organisations, DMIRS: Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety - MARS, Grant, 2024 ‑ 2025, $116,612.
  • MARS: Building Work Design Capabilities Using the PHRed-T Model: Pilot Evaluation in the WA Mining Sector, DMIRS: Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety - MARS, Grant, 2024 ‑ 2025, $57,647.
  • MARS: Advancing Capability for Preventing Workplace Harassment in the Mining Industry - MARS Workplace Barometer Capability Maturity Model Evaluation, DMIRS: Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety - MARS, Grant, 2024 ‑ 2025, $27,836.
  • MARS: Understanding technological impact and human-centric practices to mitigate future mining risks , DMIRS: Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety - MARS, Grant, 2024 ‑ 2025, $33,220.
  • Strengthening the Priority of WHS for Business Leaders , NSW Government, Centre for Work Health and Safety Tender, 2022 ‑ 2024, $369,050.
  • What is the role of the safety Regulator in suicides?, Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, Grant, 2023 ‑ 2024, $125,000.
  • MARS: Understanding psychosocial risks for mining workforce with digital advancements, DMIRS: Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety - MARS, Grant, 2024, $20,000.
  • Crafting a psychosocial risk taxonomy for the Mining Sector, Fortescue Metals Group, Health & Safety Division, 2024, $57,050.
  • New approaches to the prevention of workplace bullying , Comcare Australia, Comcare Australia, 2023 ‑ 2024, $122,680.
  • Mental Health – Enhancing workplace mental health during and post-COVID-19, Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation, Covid-19 Research Fund, 2020 ‑ 2023, $100,000.
  • A toolkit for promoting mental health and wellbeing in hospitality, Healthy Mind Menu, Grant, 2023, $18,164.
  • Evaluating a multi-level participatory psychosocial risk intervention , Health Research Council of New Zealand, Grant, 2020 ‑ 2023, $109,453.
  • The Healthy Older Worker (HOW) Toolkit: A participatory organisational intervention, NSW Government, Centre for Work Health and Safety Tender, 2021 ‑ 2022, $186,808.
  • Mentally Healthy Workplaces, NSW Government, Centre for Work Health and Safety Tender, 2021 ‑ 2022, $59,859.
  • Flexible work and psychological safety: best practice to advance psychologically safe work from alternate locations, NSW Government, Understanding the Changing World of Work (Tender), 2020 ‑ 2021, $135,157.
  • BHP - Heritage: Work and Wellbeing, BHP Billiton, Grant, 2020, $47,989.
  • Valuing Remote Workers, Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (WA), Grant, 2020, $75,000.
  • Diversity Disclosure in an Inclusive and Psychologically Safe Work Environment - A Work Guide for the WA Public Sector, Public Sector Commission, Public Sector Commission, 2020, $32,879.

Research Student Supervision

Current Supervisions

Principal Supervisor

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Impact of COVID-19 on the leadership of operational leaders in the oil, gas and mining sector of Australia

Co-principal Supervisor

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Shining a Spotlight on Leader Mental Health: Exploring its Antecedents and Consequences

Associate Supervisor

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Addressing Societal Grand Challenges: The Role of Sustainability Leadership in Business
  • Doctor of Philosophy, The impact of telecommuting, awareness, and self-determination on worker performance and well-being

Completed Supervisions

Principal Supervisor

  • Doctor of Philosophy, The concept and role of meaningful work in the context of Pakistan – An exploratory study of junior doctors
  • Doctor of Philosophy: Workplace bullying in the New Zealand nursing profession: The case for a tailored approach to intervention
  • Doctor of Philosophy, Understanding workplace bullying in the Pakistani public sector: An ecological systems perspective
  • Doctor of Philosophy: An inquiry into contextual factors impacting the occupational health, safety and well-being of New Zealand truck drivers: An ecological systems approach

Associate Supervisor

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Exploring the effects of ethical leadership on the intention of unethical pro-organisational behaviour in the public sector context
  • Doctor of Philosophy: The search for sustainable competitive advantage: a stakeholder management perspective
  • Doctor of Philosophy: A systems analysis of quadbike loss of control events on New Zealand farms
  • Doctor of Philosophy: Job stress and post-traumatic stress disorder in the context of terrorism
  • Doctor of Philosophy: Conceptualising and measuring employee engagement, and examining the antecedents of leadership styles and personality attributes
  • Doctor of Philosophy: Investigating musculoskeletal disorders in New Zealand meat processing using an industry-level participative ergonomics approach
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