Human Resources Unit
The issues discussed here are intended to provide promotion committee members with a perspective on the skills and experience gained by applicants apart from the traditional academic pursuits, and to recognise factors that may have interrupted their career development. Applicants have been encouraged to address these issues, if they are relevant, specifically in a separate section of their application.
The University’s Promotion policy HR-26 state that ‘applications will be assessed on merit’. The attachment to the policy, Information for Academic Staff Applying for Promotion, invites applicants to comment on any past discrimination.
Research in promotion and selection in a range of organisations have shown that the dominant culture has influenced how merit is recognised and valued. In any organisation a concept is developed over time about the expected and valued attributes of what is regarded as a traditional or normal applicant. Care must be taken when assessing an applicant whose skills and career path may not correspond with the ‘normal’ culture.
The definition of merit adopted by the University encompasses recognition of prior learning and of skills gained through various experiences other than traditional academic pursuits, such as family and community responsibilities. ‘Merit’ is defined as follows:
The extent to which each of the applicants has abilities, aptitude skills, qualifications, knowledge, experience (including community experience), characteristics and personal qualities relevant to the carrying out of the duties in question; and where relevant —
- the manner in which each of the applicants carried out the duties or functions of any position, employment or occupation previously held or engaged in by the applicant, and
- the extent to which each of the applicants has potential for development.
The University recognises that not all people have travelled the same path toward an academic career and that some people may have experienced disadvantage in the past due to societal and other demands, which may impact negatively on their careers. The Information for Academic Staff Applying for Promotion attachment states:
Past discrimination in promotion processes may have impeded the ability of groups such as women and some ethnic and cultural groups to progress in their chosen careers. Moreover, societal demands (for example, parenting responsibilities) placed upon some individuals may have also impeded their career prospects. Applicants are invited to comment in their application if they believe that such matters are relevant to their claims for advancement.
The changing role and expectations in society with respect to these groups have implications for people (especially women) who have borne the major responsibility for family and community obligations. Until the early 1970s it was generally expected or assumed that women stayed in the private sphere (the home) while men worked in the public sphere (the workforce). With the rapid movement of women into the paid workforce these expectations and assumptions about the roles of men and women in society are slowly changing. However, there are still women in the workforce whose career advancement will have been affected by these earlier attitudes.
Undertaking the dual role of combining work and family places enormous demands on people — often at the expense of career advancement.
Caring for children and aged relatives requires a great deal of physical and emotional energy, and most importantly, time. But the experience gained from this role provides people with a range of relevant skills, which include negotiating, organising and problem solving skills. These skills are important assets and will readily transfer into the academic context.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples may have experienced disadvantage due to delayed entry to secondary education and access to tertiary education. In addition, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff with formal qualifications have significant responsibilities in the wider community, which may have restricted individual achievement in the academic sphere.
People from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds often have significant responsibilities in their ethnic community where they support more recent migrants or become representatives of that community in Australia. Such experiences and skills are relevant to promotion, especially as ‘consultants’ for the ethnic groups they represent. Such people may have studied in a different context thereby bringing a valuable cultural perspective to the University.
Applicants may highlight certain facts to provide the promotions committee with a greater understanding of the circumstances that have affected their particular career development. Some considerations that should be taken into account may be:
Non-traditional skills
Although many skills are acquired outside of the academic arena, there are particular non-traditional skills and experience that contribute to academic development, such as:
Publications on family responsibilities are available from the Human Resources Unit.
Human Resources Unit
May 1993
Revised March 2002
Amended March 2002
