Dr Alison Collins

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Dr Alison Collins BSc(HONS), MSc, PhD, SFHEA

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My profile

Biography

With a background in occupational  psychology my research interests include the implicit and explicit contracts employees have with their organization, workplace social support and work relationships, work life balance, homeworking/teleworking, and the positive and negative aspects of going to work whilst ill (sickness presenteeism).

I am interested in supervising PhD students in the area of sickness presenteeism.

Get in touch

Home working/Room 5.15 Business School
Please email me to arrange an appointment

Projects

Currently I am working on an exciting two year project with researchers from Lancaster University/the Work Foundation, funded by The Nuffield Foundation “Designing inclusive remote and hybrid working to support disabled workers”. 

The study is exploring disabled workers’ experiences of hybrid and remote working and whether employers’ hybrid working policies address the needs of disabled workers. More information about our study can be found on our dedicated research webpage. For further details, please contact the study team at [email protected]

You can also keep up to date on the most recent developments of the study

Previous projects  include:  co-investigator on a 30 month ESRC funded project researching “The role of Army Reservists: An analysis of their experiences and the attitudes and perceptions of Civilian Employers, Regulars and Significant Others”;  co-investigator in a British Academy funded project researching “Woodland working: Intergenerational skills gained and shared in the volunteer workforce”

Teaching

Teaching

I currently teach on the undergraduate unit Psychology at Work and also teach Literature Reviewing on the Doctoral Research Training Programme.

Supervision

I supervise MBA Masters students..

Research outputs

My research interests reflect my background in occupational psychology and centre upon employee wellbeing including homeworking and flexible working, sickness presenteeism and the social and workplace relationships within an organisation.

  • Reports

    Giga, S., Collins, A., Cartwright, S., Wilkinson, J., Cowlishaw, S. (2018) Supporting Employer and Employee Engagement in the Reservist Service.

    Giga, S., Collins, A., Cartwright, S., Wilkinson, J., Cowlishaw, S. (2018) The Role of Army Reservists: An Analysis of Their Experiences and the Attitudes and Perceptions of Civilian Employers, Regulars and Significant Others.

    Muijs, D., Chapman, C., Collins, A., Armstrong, P. (2010) Maximum Impact Evaluation: The Impact of Teach First Teachers in Schools - Final Report. University of Manchester, UK.

    Busby, J.S., Collins, A. (2010) Risk Leadership and Organisational Type - Contract Research Report.

    Woods, C., Gunter, H., Pearson, D., Armstrong, P., Collins, A., Muijs, D. (2010) School Business Directors Demonstration Project - Programme Evaluation and Impact Study - Final Report.

    Chapman, C., Muijs, D., Collins, A. (2010) Innovative Teaching and Learning? An Evaluation of the Teaching and Learning Strand of the Greater Manchester Challenge - Project Report. Bury Council, Manchester, UK.

    Chapman, C., Muijs, D., Sammons, P., Armstrong, P., Collins, A. (2009) The Impact of Federations on Student Outcomes.

    Chapman, C., Ainscow, M., Mongon, D., Muijs, D., West, M., Armstrong, P., Bragg, J., Collins, A. (2009) Emerging Patterns of School Leadership: A Deeper Understanding.

    Collins, A., Keeley, D. (2003) Loss of Containment Incident Analysis.

    Collins, A. (2002) Safety Culture: A Review of the Literature.

    Smith, A., Brice, B., Collins, A. (2000) Scale of Occupational Stress: A Further Analysis of the Impact of Demographic Factors and Type of Job - Contract Research Report No 311/2000.

  • Journal articles

    Collins, A.M., Bingley, A.F., Varey, S., Oaks, R. (2024) 'Negotiating the volunteer role: a qualitative study of older volunteers’ experiences in woodland conservation.' The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 35(3) pp. 483-506.

    Wilkinson, K., Collins, A.M., Antoniadou, M. (2022) 'Family status and changing demands/resources: the overlooked experience of solo-living employees transitioning to homeworking during the Covid-19 pandemic.' International Journal of Human Resource Management, 34(18) pp. 3585-3611.

    Holland, P., Collins, A.M. (2020) 'Supporting and retaining employees with rheumatoid arthritis: the importance of workplace social support.' International Journal of Human Resource Management, 33(3) pp. 539-560.

    Holland, P., Collins, A.M. (2018) '“Whenever I can I push myself to go to work”: a qualitative study of experiences of sickness presenteeism among workers with rheumatoid arthritis.' Disability and Rehabilitation, 40(4) pp. 404-413.

    Holland, P., Collins, A. (2018) '"Whenever I Can I Push Myself to go to Work": a qualititative study of experiences of sickness presenteeism among workers with rheumatoid arthritis.' Disability and Rehabilitation, 40(4) pp. 404-413.

    Collins, A., Cartwright, S., Cowlishaw, S. (2017) 'Sickness Presenteeism and Sickness Absence Over Time: A UK Employee Perspective.' Work and Stress, 32(1) pp. 68-83.

    Collins, A., Hislop, D., Cartwright, S. (2016) 'Social support in the workplace between teleworkers, their office-based colleagues and supervisors.' New Technology, Work and Employment, 31(2) pp. 161-175.

    Skagen, K., Collins, A.M. (2016) 'The consequences of sickness presenteeism on health and wellbeing over time: A systematic review.' Social Science & Medicine, 161pp. 169-177.

    Hislop, D., Axtell, C., Collins, A., Daniels, K., Glover, J., Niven, K. (2015) 'Variability in the use of mobile ICTs by homeworkers and its consequences for boundary management and social isolation.' Information and Organization, 25(4) pp. 222-232.

    Busby, J.S., Collins, A.M. (2014) 'Organizational Sensemaking About Risk Controls: The Case of Offshore Hydrocarbons Production.' Risk Analysis, 34(9) pp. 1738-1752.

    Collins, A.M., Cartwright, S., Hislop, D. (2013) 'Homeworking: Negotiating the psychological contract.' Human Resource Management Journal, 23(2) pp. 211-225.

    Collins, A., Cartwright, S. (2012) 'Why Come Into Work Ill? Individual and Organisational Factors Underlying Presenteeism.' Employee Relations, 34(4) pp. 429-442.

    Collins, A., Cole-Davies, V., McNamara, R. (2001) 'Accidents, Injury and Fatigue in the Offshore Oil Industry: A Review.' Contemporary Ergonomics,

    McNamara, R., Collins, A., Cole-Davies, V. (2001) 'An Analysis of Accidents in the Offshore Oil Industry.' Contemporary Ergonomic,

  • Conference papers

    Imbusch, N., Giga, S., Collins, A. (2017) 'Practising Mindfulness in the Workshop: Idiographic Perspectives of Mindful Line Managers.' In Health Promotion Annual Conference 'Promoting Health and Wellbeing in the Workplace. NUI, Galway, 15/6/2017 - 15/6/2017.

    Imbusch, N., Giga, S., Collins, A. (2017) 'Practising Mindfulness in the Workshop: Idiographic Perspectives of Mindful Line Managers.' In Health Promotion Annual Conference ' Promoting Health and Wellbeing in the Workplace. NUI, Galway, 15/6/2017 - 15/6/2017.

    Imbusch, N., Giga, , Collins, A. (2017) 'Managing Mindfully: Perception of Line Managers With High Dispositional Mindfulness.' In American Psychological Association (APA) 12th International Conference on Occupational Stress and Health. USA, 1/1/2017 - 1/1/2017.

    Collins, A., Cartwright, S., Cowlishaw, S., Giga, S. (2017) 'The Psychological Contracts of Regular and Reserve UK Army Personnel: A Qualitative Study.' In American Psychological Association (APA) 12th International Conference on Occupational Stress and Health. USA, 1/1/2017 - 1/1/2017.

    Imbusch, N., Giga, S., Collins, A. (2016) 'Mindfulness in Commercial Settings: Enablers and Inhibitors.' In European Association of Work and Organisational Psychology (EAWOP). Dublin, Eire, 17/5/2016 - 20/5/2016.

    Giga, S., Collins, A., Cartwright, S., Cowlishaw, S., Hall, M. (2016) 'Managing Competing Responsibilities: Army Reservists and Their Work-Life Balance.' In European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology. Athens, Greece, 11/4/2016 - 13/4/2016.

    Hamilton, J., Cartwright, S., Collins, A. (2015) 'Implementing an Organisational Intervention for Work-Related Stress: An Action Research Study.' In British Academy of Management Doctoral Symposium. Portsmouth, UK, 8/9/2015 - 10/9/2015.

    Bingley, A., Collins, A., Varey, S., Oaks, R. (2015) 'Still Learning Beyond Retirement: The Experiences of Older Volunteers in Woodland Conservation.' In British Sociological Association. Glasgow, UK, 1/4/2015 - 1/4/2015.

    Bingley, A., Collins, A., Varey, S., Oaks, R. (2014) 'Balancing Acts of Work in the Third Sector: Older Volunteers' Experience in Woodland Conservation.' In The Third Sector, The State and the Market: Challenges and Opportunities in an Era of Austerity. Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, UK, 28/10/2014 - 28/10/2014.

    Collins, A., Cartwright, S., Cowlishaw, S. (2013) 'An Examination of the Concurrent and Prospective Influences of Sickness Presenteeism and Sickness Absenteeism Behaviour in Organizational and Individual Outcomes in UK Workers.' In Workshop on Sickness Absenteeism and Presenteeism. Trier, Germany, 10/10/2013 - 11/10/2013.

    Collins, A., Cartwright, S., Berridge, D. (2013) 'The Relationship Between Absenteeism and Presenteeism: A Longitudinal Study of the Attendance Patterns of UK Workers.' In 10th International Conference on Occupational Stress and Health. Los Angeles, California, USA, 16/5/2013 - 19/5/2013.

    Collins, A., Cartwright, S. (2012) 'The Attendance Dynamics of UK Employees: A Longitudinal Study Into the Health Consequences of Presenteeism and Absenteeism of Public and Private Sector Employees.' In 10th European Academy of Occupational Health (EAOHP) Conference. Zurich, Switzerland, 11/4/2012 - 13/4/2012.

    Collins, A., Cartwright, S. (2011) 'Why Come Into Work Ill? Individual and Organizational Factors Underlying Presenteeism.' In 11th European Academy of Management (EURAM) Conference. Tallinn, Estonia, 1/6/2011 - 4/6/2011.

    Muijs, D.R., Woods, C., Armstrong, P., Collins, A., Pearson, D. (2010) 'The New Role of School Business Managers: An Additional Route to School Improvement?.' In Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association. Denver, USA, 30/4/2010 - 4/5/2010.

    Muijs, R.D., Chapman, C., Collins, A., Armstrong, P. (2010) 'The Teach First Alternative Certiication Program in England: Impact on Teacher Leadership and Classroom Practice.' In Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association. Denver, USA, 30/4/2010 - 4/5/2010.

    Muijs, R.D., Chapman, C., Collins, A., Armstrong, P. (2010) 'The Impact of Teach First on Leadership and Classroom Practice: A Mixed Methods Study of the Impact of an Alternative Teacher Certification Programme on School Serving Disadvantaged Areas.' In International Congress for School Effectiveness and School Improvement. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 1/1/2010 - 1/1/2010.

    Busby, J.S., Collins, A., Miles, R. (2009) 'Is there an optimal type for high rehability organization? A study of the UK offshore industry.' 2. pp. 1251-1258.

Press and media

I have featured in The Conversation with an article about sickness presenteeism:  https://theconversation.com/why-you-should-call-in-sick-more-often-than-you-think-even-if-working-from-home-146940

And with colleagues in The Wall Street Journal with a piece on home working https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-plight-of-the-remote-workers-who-live-alone-11616252401

Interested in Inclusive Remote and Hybrid Working? Our project website can be found here

You can also keep up to date on the most recent developments of our inclusive remote and hybrid working study via @Hybrid_Working on Twitter, Inclusive Remote and Hybrid Working Study on LinkedIn or Inclusive Remote and Hybrid Working study on Facebook.