Family Ties: The Relationship Between Family and Workforce Behaviors (Retention, Separation, and Re-entry) in the Royal Australian Air Forces Officer Aviation Workforce

Abstract

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) delivers air power for the Australian Government. To produce and sustain the personnel capability that generates air power, the RAAF must understand the retention and separation behaviors of their Officer Aviation (OA) workforce. Given the tremendous importance that people place on both their families and their careers, this thesis explores the interaction between family and workforce behaviors in the RAAF’s OA workforce. Using a series of linear probability models, I investigate the relationships between the separation characteristics of OA members and their family structure and composition. I further investigate the association between family composition and re-entry of OA members into the permanent service (after a period of separation). I find that within OA, being in a recognized relationship has a positive association with a member’s retention, and that having children reduces the propensity to separate and increases the chance of re-entry. Parents do, however, separate at an increased rate after their eldest child commences schooling or when their family consists of one child. My research can be used to inform further workforce analysis. With a greater appreciation of the influence of family on employee behaviors, workforce strategists can refine human resource management policy, target specific family constructs, and improve capability generation and sustainment.