Mind Your Work (Jose Espinoza; Nicholas Bremner)

Find out more about the hosts, Jose and Nicholas as they tell you about themselves and why they decided to create this podcast. Timestamps: 00:25: What is this podcast and why should you listen to it? 02:30: Introduction to Jose Espinoza 03:05: Introduction to Nicholas Bremner 03:46: Outro Mentioned This Episode: Mindyourwork.io – Find us here! Ioatwork.com – Information about industrial/organizational psychology and its application to the workplace. Scienceforwork.com – Summaries of advances in research in the workplace. Credits: Our intro and outro music is “Ingenuity” by Lee Rosevere, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0). You can find more of Lee’s music at https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/. Logo Artwork by Antonella Espinoza. Find her at @ellaspin on Twitter!

Ever wonder where the standard 8-hour workday came from? Is it really the best way for us to work? What alternatives are there? In this episode, we discuss these issues and more, summarizing some of the key research in this area to shed light on the familiar 9-to-5 workday. Timestamps: 00:40: Topic introduction and the hosts’ experiences 04:55: The history of the 9-to-5 Workday 09:45: Alternatives to the 9-to-5 and some of the research on them 15:00: What about working less than 8 hours-a-day? 18:34: Positives of the 9-to-5 and potential consequences of alternative schedules 22:12: Outro and This Is Not Homework Mentioned This Episode: Mindyourwork.io – Find us here! MindYourWorkIO – Find us on twitter and tell us where you would cut two hours of your workday and why! Credits: Our intro and outro music is “Ingenuity” by Lee Rosevere, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0). You can find more of Lee’s music at https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/. Our transition music for this episode is “Introducing the Pre-roll” also by Lee! Licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0). Logo Artwork by Antonella Espinoza. Find her at @ellaspin on Twitter!

Online personality tests can be fun and might teach you a little bit about yourself, but what is personality exactly? In this episode, we describe a popular science-based model of personality and talk about how this applies to the workplace. We also discuss how different personalities affect the performance of teams and pose the question, “are some personalities better than others in a work environment?” Timestamps: 01:07: Introduction to personality and what do we mean by that 03:00: The Big Five Model of Personality (OCEAN) 07:53: How does personality influence individual performance 10:47: How do we study teamwork 13:28: The research on the impact of personality on teams 18:41: Are some personality traits “better” than others overall or better for certain jobs? 21:44: This Is Not Homework and how to answer personality surveys Mentioned This Episode: Mindyourwork.io – Find us here! MindYourWorkIO – Send us a tweet! http://hexaco.org/ – Take the HEXACO (an evidence-based measure of personality) and learn about yourself in relation to the Big Five plus the trait Honesty-Humility. Credits: Our intro and outro music is “Ingenuity” by Lee Rosevere, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0). You can find more of Lee’s music at https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/. Our transition music for this episode is “Late Night Tales” also by Lee; licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0). Logo Artwork by Antonella Espinoza. Find her at @ellaspin on Twitter!

In this episode, we keep the discussion going on personality to address different ways of measuring this concept and talk about where the future of personality assessment is headed. We cover how personality test results differ when you rate yourself versus when someone else rates you, and why this is likely to happen. We also discuss a new method of measuring personality that doesn’t ask you any questions about yourself at all (hint: it involves machine learning). Timestamps: 00:47: A recap of our previous episode and an introduction to Part 2! 02:50: Jose and Nicholas discuss self- and other-ratings of personality and the implications of whether you or someone else knows you best 09:04: Discussion of Honesty-Humility, a unique trait to the HEXACO, and the relevance of impression management and self-monitoring 14:15: Personality assessments based on social media using algorithms 19:23: Employers’ current use of personality assessments and potential future uses 23:57: This is Not Homework and learning about data privacy Mentioned This Episode: Mindyourwork.io – Find us here! MindYourWorkIO – Send us a tweet! “People Don't Actually Know Themselves Very Well” in The Atlantic – An article on the accuracy of self- versus other-ratings of personality. Applymagicsauce.com – Get an algorithm-based assessment of your personality. Run by the University of Cambridge (NOT Cambridge Analytica!) Donottrack-doc.com – An interactive documentary on data privacy Credits: Our intro and outro music is “Ingenuity” by Lee Rosevere, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0). You can find more of Lee’s music at https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/. Our transition music for this episode is “Try Anything Once” also by Lee; licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0). Logo Artwork by Antonella Espinoza. Find her at @ellaspin on Twitter!

This episode focuses (no pun intended) on the practice of mindfulness and its implications for our behavior and personal experience at work. The hosts discuss everything from whether being mindful is something you’re born with or whether you can learn it to what are the potential negatives of mindfulness on your ego! Timestamps: 00:48 Discussion of workplace distractions and does your cell phone lower your IQ 01:50 Understanding what we mean by mindfulness 05:06 Nature vs. nurture and mindfulness as a trait 06:39 The research on the benefits of mindfulness 10:10 Potential negatives of mindfulness and misapplications in the West 14:08 Common mindfulness interventions 17:32 The hosts discuss their personal experiences with mindfulness 20:09 This Is Not Homework and your thoughts on implementing mindfulness at work Mentioned This Episode: Mindyourwork.io – Find us here! MindYourWorkIO – Send us a tweet! MindYourWork on iTunes – Please leave us a review, it really helps others find us Handbook of Mindfulness: Theory, Research, and Practice (2015; Eds. Brown, Creswell, & Ryan) – Comprehensive textbook on the science of mindfulness Headspace – Guided meditation app for beginners to seasoned meditators Awake at Work (2006; Michael Carroll) – Practical guide for being more mindful in the workplace Credits: Our intro and outro music is “Ingenuity” by Lee Rosevere, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0). You can find more of Lee’s music at https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/. Our transition music for this episode is “Chinatown” by Audiobinger, licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0. You can find more music by Audiobinger at freemusicarchive.org Logo Artwork by Antonella Espinoza. Find her at @ellaspin on Twitter!

What’s the difference between leaders and managers? Are leaders born or made? In this episode, we answer these questions and discuss leadership through the lens of “transformational leadership” – a concise way of describing why leaders are so effective and held in such high regard. We conclude with discussing what you can do if you want to become a better leader yourself. Timestamps: 01:03 Episode outline 01:33 Are leaders born or made? 03:50 Thinking about leadership and management as behaviour: initiating structure and consideration 08:18 Transformational leadership 11:46 This is Not Homework and How can you improve your leadership? Mentioned This Episode: Mindyourwork.io – Find us here! MindYourWorkIO – Send us a tweet! MindYourWork on iTunes – Please leave us a review, it really helps others find us MYW Leadership Infographic – A 5-minute guide to understanding and building your capacity to lead and manage with poise (https://imgur.com/a/AfdHybK) Credits: Our intro and outro music is “Ingenuity” by Lee Rosevere, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0). You can find more of Lee’s music at https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/. Our transition music for this episode is “Here's the Thing” also by Lee; licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0). Logo Artwork by Antonella Espinoza. Find her at @ellaspin on Twitter!

What is it about an organization that makes it an attractive place to work? In this episode, we describe the process of organizational attraction from beginning to end and explain why someone would likely choose one organization over another. We also discuss modern strategies for engaging and attracting candidates such as social media and reframing the candidate experience. Timestamps: 01:32 Episode outline 03:20 Stage 1: Subconscious attraction and brand 05:20 Stage 2: Initial attraction to the organization 07:54 Stage 3: Attraction through tailored information 09:58 Mechanisms of attraction 11:10 Stage 4: Attraction from the inside: verifying attraction through experience 12:36 New strategies for attracting employees 13:32 Arby’s Twitter account: Using social media to attract candidates 16:26 General Electrics’ Instagram and the curation of brands online 21:20 Reframing the “candidate experience” through data 23:35 This is Not Homework: Recruitment videos Mentioned This Episode: Mindyourwork.io – Find us here! MindYourWorkIO – Send us a tweet! MindYourWork on iTunes – Please leave us a review, it really helps others find us Recruitment videos: 1. Amazon Services Recruitment Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRdn71yG9Lk 2. New Zealand Police Recruitment Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9psILoYmCc 3. Fiverr Recruitment Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5rvJOcff_I Credits: Our intro and outro music is “Ingenuity” by Lee Rosevere, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0). You can find more of Lee’s music at https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/. Our transition music for this episode is “Good Morning” by Audiobinger, licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0. You can find more music by Audiobinger at freemusicarchive.org Logo Artwork by Antonella Espinoza. Find her at @ellaspin on Twitter!

We’ve all set goals that we never attain. The research says that goals, however, are one of the most powerful motivators we have access to. In this episode, we explore goal-setting theory and provide you with all the information you’ll need to design better goals and tap into their motivational power. Timestamps: 01:27: Why are goals powerful motivators? 03:02: How to design better goals (Goal-Setting Theory & S.M.A.R.T. Goals) 06:45: Misapplications of S.M.A.R.T. Goals and their consequences 10:48: Other important pieces to make goals effective motivators 13:04: Objectives & Key Results (OKRs) and expanding goals to a broader context 16:30: The importance of understanding what your goals might be missing out on 22:30: This Is Not Homework: Applying Goal-Setting Theory & S.M.A.R.T. Goals Mentioned This Episode: Mindyourwork.io – Find us here! MindYourWorkIO – Send us a tweet! MindYourWork on iTunes – Please leave us a review, it really helps others find us https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/id1390387919?mt=2&ls=1 Objectives & Key Results – felipecastro.com/en/okr/what-is-okr/ Humanyze Research – https://hbr.org/2014/09/give-your-unsung-office-heroes-a-raise and http://www.humanyze.com/case-studies-multi-national-tech-company/ MYW Goal-Setting Infographic: A brief guide on how to design better goals! (https://imgur.com/pLZxmdV) Addendums: 9:01: An important aspect of the logging company study we mention is that the drivers were not offered any reward for meeting the goals and were not punished if they did not meet their goals. Incredibly just setting a goal for the drivers was enough to influence performance without any tangible outcome tied to it. 11:45: An important clarification is that the Pygmalion effect did not originate from military research (although there is support for its existence in a military setting). It actually stemmed from work by Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobson who studied this phenomenon in the classroom and published their findings in 1968. Credits: Our intro and outro music is “Ingenuity” by Lee Rosevere, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0). You can find more of Lee’s music at leerosevere.bandcamp.com. Our transition music for this episode is “Evening Glow” also by Lee; licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0). Logo Artwork by Antonella Espinoza. Find her at @ellaspin on Twitter!

The year is coming to a close so we take a few minutes to review Season 1 of MindYourWork and talk about some exciting new things happening in Season 2! Timestamps: 00:25: Introduction and thanks! 01:50: Adjustments to the release schedule 03:33: Our exciting new mini-series 06:40: A preview of Season 2 Mentioned This Episode: Mindyourwork.io – Find us here! Send us a tweet with suggestions at MindYourWorkIO Credits: Our intro and outro music is “Ingenuity” by Lee Rosevere, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0). You can find more of Lee’s music at https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/. Logo Artwork by Antonella Espinoza. Find her at @ellaspin on Twitter!

If you work on a computer, you’ve likely been touched in some way by the advances that have made “Office 2.0” possible. In this episode, we discuss a key aspect of tech-enabled work environments: telework and virtual teams. We cover what the research says about the pros and cons of these arrangements, some important factors to consider to have an effective virtual team, and how to know if you are well-equipped to be effective as a remote worker. Timestamps: 1:00: What is Office 2.0? 1:35: What are teleworkers and virtual teams? 2:58: Prevalence of virtual teams and benefit to organizations 5:02: Impact of telework and virtual teams on employees 6:50: The importance of trust and social interaction in virtual teams 10:01: Balancing office work and telework 12:16: Competencies and traits that help with remote work 14:50: Our experience making a podcast as a virtual team 19:45: This is not Homework: What other technologies could we leverage for the podcast? Mentioned This Episode: mindyourworkpodcast@gmail.com – Email us your ideas here! MindYourWorkIO – Send us a tweet! Mindyourwork.io – Find us here! Credits: Our intro and outro music is “Ingenuity” by Lee Rosevere, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0). You can find more of Lee’s music at https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/. https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/. Our transition music for this episode is “I’m Going For a Coffee” also by Lee; licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0). Logo Artwork by Antonella Espinoza. Find her at @ellaspin on Twitter!

In the first episode of our new series, Unscripted, we use a video by Jon Bois of SBNation to jump into a discussion about careers that are considered works of passion, the possibility of consumers co-opting the labor that goes into a product, and how careful psychologists need to be when nudging people at work to behave in certain ways. Timestamps: 0:11: An introduction to Unscripted and why we're talking about this video 2:20: Losing ownership of your work when that work is your passion 5:53: The thin line between encouraging passion and taking advantage of employees 9:46: Our takeaways from today’s discussion 11:50: Wrapping up and getting you involved in the conversation! Mentioned This Episode: “Randall Cunningham Seizes the Means of Production” by Jon Bois of SBNation – 20 minutes of your time well-spent! mindyourworkpodcast@gmail.com – Email us your ideas here! MindYourWorkIO – Send us a tweet! Mindyourwork.io – Find us here! Credits: Our intro and outro music for Unscripted is “Pamgaea” by Kevin McLeod, licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. You can find more of Kevin’s music at incompetech.com. Logo Artwork by Antonella Espinoza. Find her at @ellaspin on Twitter!

When was the last time you avoided speaking up or trying something new because you were afraid of what others might think or say about you? This is a common feeling in psychologically unsafe environments. This episode, we discuss what psychological safety is, why it is important to foster in work environments, and how to go about creating a psychologically safe space for your team. We also share our own experiences with two highly charged environments that require significant amounts of vulnerability and (by association) psychological safety for you to “perform” effectively. Timestamps: 1:00: What is psychological safety? 2:35: What implications does psychological safety have for workplaces? 4:25: How do you foster a psychologically safe work environment? 7:37: This is not Homework: Identifying psychologically safe and unsafe environments 8:41: Our experiences in psychologically (un)safe environments 8:58: Nicholas’s example: improv classes 14:39: Jose’s example: playing in a band Mentioned This Episode: Science for Work evidence summary on psychological safety - https://scienceforwork.com/blog/psychological-safety   mindyourworkpodcast@gmail.com – Email us your ideas here! MindYourWorkIO – Send us a tweet! Mindyourwork.io – Find us here! Credits: Our intro and outro music is “Ingenuity” by Lee Rosevere, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0). You can find more of Lee’s music at https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/. https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/. Our transition music for this episode is “Southside” also by Lee; licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0). Logo Artwork by Antonella Espinoza. Find her at @ellaspin on Twitter!

In this episode, Jose and Nicholas discuss Nicholas’ third favorite topic, personality models. In Season 1 Episodes 2–3, we discussed a single model of personality but there are many others out there. This time we talk about some of those other models and, boy, do we have opinions. Although we don’t like many of these models, we do our best to explain our concerns and link them to what research knows. Join us and learn about what you should be looking for when it comes to different models of personality! Timestamps: 0:30: Why are we talking about personality, AGAIN? 2:00: The Myers-Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI): Why it’s popular and why we don’t like it 7:20: The True Colors model of personality: We also don’t like this one 9:10: Personality in the context of selecting and coaching employees 11:00: Our takeaways from the episode’s discussion 13:00: Thank you for listening and soliciting feedback! Mentioned This Episode: mindyourworkpodcast@gmail.com – Email us your ideas here! MindYourWorkIO – Send us a tweet! Mindyourwork.io – Find us here! Credits: Our intro and outro music for Unscripted is “Pamgaea” by Kevin McLeod, licensed under licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. You can find more of Kevin’s music at incompetech.com. Logo Artwork by Antonella Espinoza. Find her at @ellaspin on Twitter!

Burnout is a commonly discussed topic these days, but what exactly is burnout and is it really a “millennial condition” as the popular press suggests it is? In this episode, we explain what it means to experience burnout at work and discuss some of the workplace challenges that often lead to burning out. We also provide some suggestions that may help you, or others, cope with burnout. We cap off with some discussion about burnout as a cultural phenomenon and if burnout can be viewed as a form of adaptation to the kind of work we do. Timestamps: 1:10: What is burnout? 2:46: What causes burnout at work? 4:54: Examples of stressors (autonomy, role ambiguity, role conflict) 7:34: Even more stressors - emotional dissonance and work-life conflict 9:48: Preventing and coping with burnout 12:00: Helping others cope with burnout as a manager or peer 14:02: Do we live in a burnout culture? 19:26: Does burnout protect us from emotional demands at work? 22:35: This is not Homework: Burnout self-assessment Mentioned This Episode: Buzzfeed article on burnout This is Not Homework – Are you showing signs of burnout? Take this shortened version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory to find out (Disclaimer: This in no way constitutes a medical diagnosis) mindyourworkpodcast@gmail.com – Email us your ideas here! MindYourWorkIO – Send us a tweet! Mindyourwork.io – Find us here! Credits: Our intro and outro music is “Ingenuity” by Lee Rosevere, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0). You can find more of Lee’s music at https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/. https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/. Our transition music for this episode is "Looking Back” also by Lee; licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0). Logo Artwork by Antonella Espinoza. Find her at @ellaspin on Twitter!

Almost a full season later, Jose and Nicholas finally get around to doing their homework! In this episode, we watch and discuss three very different recruitment videos mentioned in our episode on “What Attracts People to Organizations” (Season 1, Episode 6). We talk about some of the key messages that organizations try to communicate through recruitment videos and what they can tell you (and not tell you) about the organization’s culture. We also discuss the limitations of recruitment videos in general and the importance of seeking information from other sources to help you learn more about your potential organizational suitor. Timestamps: 0:22: What are we talking about today, exactly? 1:51: Amazon recruitment video discussion 4:47: New Zealand Police recruitment video discussion 9:09: Fiverr recruitment video discussion 11:16: General impressions Mentioned This Episode: Amazon Services Recruitment Video - youtube.com/watch?v=KRdn71yG9Lk2. New New Zealand Police Recruitment Video -youtube.com/watch?v=f9psILoYmCc3. Fiverr Recruitment Video -youtube.com/watch?v=S5rvJOcff_I. mindyourworkpodcast@gmail.com – Email us your ideas here! MindYourWorkIO – Send us a tweet! Mindyourwork.io – Find us here! Credits: Our intro and outro music for Unscripted is “Pamgaea” by Kevin McLeod, licensed under licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. You can find more of Kevin’s music at incompetech.com. Logo Artwork by Antonella Espinoza. Find her at @ellaspin on Twitter!

On this episode, Jose and Nicholas discuss the research on Counter-productive Work Behaviors (CWBs). CWB is the umbrella term that covers a wide variety of behaviors that intentionally harm the organization or other employees. We cover everything from theft and fraud to the newest kind of CWB to enter the workplace, cyberloafing. Listen and find out why firing the ‘bad apples’ is not enough and what you can do instead. Timestamps: 0:56: An introduction to Counter-productive Work Behaviors and their cost 3:50: The costs of CWBs to organizations 5:35: The drivers of CWBs – Understanding the frustration-emotion link 8:42: What about CWBs that are not driven just by frustration? 10:22: Selecting out the ‘bad apples’ and why it’s not enough 13:50: A summary of what we know and what can we do reduce CWBs 17:45: Cyberloafing: The latest and most prevalent form of CWB 22:20: Wrapping up and This Is Not Homework Mentioned This Episode: Our episodes on Personality (Learn about Honesty-Humility!) Our episode on Burnout (Reduce bad behavior and maintain employee well-being) Rescue Time – An app to analyze your own cyberloafing behavior! mindyourworkpodcast@gmail.com – Email us your ideas here! MindYourWorkIO – Send us a tweet! Mindyourwork.io – Find us here! Credits: Our intro and outro music is “Ingenuity” by Lee Rosevere, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0). You can find more of Lee’s music at https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/. Our transition music for this episode is "As I Was Saying” also by Lee; licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0). Logo Artwork by Antonella Espinoza. Find her at @ellaspin on Twitter!

Jose and Nicholas have been a little busier than usual lately so MindYourWork will take a break for June and be back in July with a new episode! Mentioned This Episode: Jose’s personal Twitter (@jae_noza) Nicholas’ personal Twitter (@nlbremner) MindYourWorkIO (@mindyourworkio) – Send us a tweet!   Credits: Logo Artwork by Antonella Espinoza. Find her at @ellaspin on Twitter!

In the first episode of a two-part series, Jose and Nicholas use Reply All’s The Crime Machine episodes to talk about the importance of good metrics and what they mean for making successful changes in an organization. They also discuss the role of high-level leaders in ensuring that interventions are carried out effectively.   Timestamps: 0:34: A recap of The Crime Machine episodes from Reply All 4:44: Good data and how it can help you allocate resources effectively 6:17: Finding the right metrics to address a problem 8:31: Understanding the importance of data quality 10:02: The role of “buy-in” from the top in interventions and reward vs. punishment 13:44: The police as a critical case study for learning about these concepts 15:07: Our takeaways from the discussion and wrap-up   Mentioned This Episode: Reply All: The Crime Machine Part I – https://gimletmedia.com/shows/reply-all/o2hx34/ Reply All: The Crime Machine Part II – https://gimletmedia.com/shows/reply-all/n8hwl7/ mindyourworkpodcast@gmail.com – Email us your ideas here! MindYourWorkIO – Send us a tweet! Mindyourwork.io – Find us here!   Credits: Our intro and outro music for Unscripted is “Pamgaea” by Kevin McLeod, licensed under licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. You can find more of Kevin’s music at incompetech.com.   Logo Artwork by Antonella Espinoza. Find her at @ellaspin on Twitter!

In the second episode of a two-part series, Jose and Nicholas cover what went wrong with the NYPD’s system for tracking crimes and have a broader discussion around the challenges of picking metrics to incentivize behavior and drive performance.   Timestamps: 0:40: Brief recap of part 1 and setup for part 2 1:50: Downsides of applying “The Crime Machine” 4:37: The problem with chasing metrics 7:18: Maximum or ceiling value of metrics 9:09: Danger of focusing on single metrics at the expense of others 11:16: “The Cobra Effect” 15:38: Our takeaways and wrap-up   Mentioned This Episode: Reply All: The Crime Machine Part I – https://gimletmedia.com/shows/reply-all/o2hx34/ Reply All: The Crime Machine Part II – https://gimletmedia.com/shows/reply-all/n8hwl7/ mindyourworkpodcast@gmail.com – Email us your ideas here! MindYourWorkIO – Send us a tweet! Mindyourwork.io – Find us here!   Credits: Our intro and outro music for Unscripted is “Pamgaea” by Kevin McLeod, licensed under licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. You can find more of Kevin’s music at incompetech.com.   Logo Artwork by Antonella Espinoza. Find her at @ellaspin on Twitter!

We all know getting enough sleep is important, but a good night’s rest is often one of the first things we skip out on when life gets busy. In this episode, we cover the intersection between sleep and work. We outline some of the work-related consequences of lacking sleep, explain how work can hinder employees’ sleep, and discuss some of the ways organizations can support their employees’ sleep schedules and wellbeing. We also share some of our own experiences, and challenges, when it comes to sleep hygiene.      Timestamps: 1:04: Episode outline 1:52: The consequences of a lack of sleep 4:01: Why lacking sleep is harmful 7:16: How work interferes with sleep 11:01: What can organizations do to support their employees when it comes to sleep? 14:45: What can we do as individuals to improve our sleep? 17:28: Our own sleep hygiene practices and personal recommendations for getting a better sleep 23:12: Sleep tracking applications and This is Not Homework      Mentioned This Episode: f.lux - Blue light reducing software Felix Gray - blue light blocking glasses sleepscore and Sleep Cycle – Sleep tracking applications mindyourworkpodcast@gmail.com – Email us your ideas here! MindYourWorkIO – Send us a tweet! Mindyourwork.io – Find us here!      Credits: Our intro and outro music is “Ingenuity” by Lee Rosevere, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0). You can find more of Lee’s music at https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/. https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/. Our transition music for this episode is "Looking Back” also by Lee; licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0).      Logo Artwork by Antonella Espinoza. Find her at @ellaspin on Twitter!

In this episode of Unscripted, Jose and Nicholas discuss their thoughts on the taboo of talking about pay with your coworkers. They cover their own ideas as to why this taboo is so prevalent, how it negatively impacts workers, and what organizations have to gain from being more transparent about what and how they pay their employees.   Timestamps: 00:20: Introduction and why we’re talking about this topic 2:43: Our feelings on talking about money and why it can be difficult 7:30: Why talking about pay is important for employees 9:34: Can organizations and stakeholders benefit from pay transparency? 14:28: Pay bands in the context of pay transparency 16:58: Glass Door and crowd-sourced pay information 20:55: Our takeaways and wrap-up   Mentioned This Episode: mindyourworkpodcast@gmail.com – Email us your ideas here! MindYourWorkIO – Send us a tweet! Mindyourwork.io – Find us here!   Credits: Our intro and outro music for Unscripted is “Pamgaea” by Kevin McLeod, licensed under licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. You can find more of Kevin’s music at incompetech.com.   Logo Artwork by Antonella Espinoza. Find her at @ellaspin on Twitter!

“Crunch Mode” may sound like a fun breakfast cereal, but it’s actually kind of a bummer. Crunch Mode is a controversial labour practice that is common in the video game industry. It involves long hours, high amounts of stress, and no extra pay. In this episode, Jose and Nicholas talk about where Crunch Mode came from, why it is so bad, and what could be done about it.   Timestamps: 0:40: What is Crunch Mode? 2:15: The rise of awareness of Crunch Mode 3:43: What are the specifics behind Crunch Mode? 8:42: What’s so bad about Crunch Mode? 14:27: How do we change this practice in the industry? 16:05: Key takeaways   Mentioned This Episode: mindyourworkpodcast@gmail.com – Email us your ideas here! MindYourWorkIO – Send us a tweet! Mindyourwork.io – Find us here! Original Crunch Mode blog entry - https://ea-spouse.livejournal.com/ Patriot Act Episode on Crunch Mode - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLAi_cmly6Q Kotaku article on Crunch Mode - https://kotaku.com/inside-rockstar-games-culture-of-crunch-1829936466 Kotaku article on hiring cycles: https://kotaku.com/why-game-developers-keep-getting-laid-off-1583192249   Credits: Our intro and outro music for Unscripted is “Pamgaea” by Kevin McLeod, licensed under licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. You can find more of Kevin’s music at incompetech.com. Logo Artwork by Antonella Espinoza. Find her at @ellaspin on Twitter!

In this episode, Jose and Nicholas discuss the thorny ethical issue of cognitive enhancement in the workplace. They cover what constitutes pharmacological cognitive enhancement (or PCE), talk about the norms around drug use, and explain how organizations benefit. They also discuss some of the reasons for, and against, the use of cognitive performance enhancing drugs in society.      Timestamps: 0:36: What is pharmacological cognitive enhancement (PCE)? 3:55: Pressure to cognitively enhance and social norms 7:05: Is PCE ethical? 14:47: The case for cognitive enhancement 16:26: Key takeaways      Mentioned This Episode: mindyourworkpodcast@gmail.com – Email us your ideas here! MindYourWorkIO – Send us a tweet! Mindyourwork.io – Find us here! Pro-cognitive enhancement article - https://www.researchgate.net/publication/23627947_Towards_responsible_use_of_cognitive-enhancing_drugs_by_the_healthy      Credits: Our intro and outro music for Unscripted is “Pamgaea” by Kevin McLeod, licensed under licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. You can find more of Kevin’s music at incompetech.com. Logo Artwork by Antonella Espinoza. Find her at @ellaspin on Twitter!

Mentorship is a well-known concept that is ubiquitous in organizations and frequently depicted in popular media (remember Master Yoda? “Do. Or do not. There is no try”). This is for good reason as mentors are the teachers, guides, and confidants who help us grow and reach our potential. In this episode, we discuss the research behind mentorship in the workplace. We outline some of the benefits of mentoring for mentees, the mentors themselves, and organizations. We also discuss some alternative forms of mentoring, such as sponsorship and “reverse mentoring”.      Timestamps: 1:28: What is mentorship? 3:20: Formal vs informal mentorship 6:23: Benefits of mentoring for individuals 10:02: Benefits of mentoring for organizations 11:27: How to get the most of your mentorship program 13:20: Alternatives to mentorship programs 24:45: This is Not Homework ­– What could you offer to others as a mentor?      Mentioned This Episode: HBR Article – Why Reverse Mentoring Works and How to Do It Right Reverse Mentoring: A Social Exchange Tool for Keeping the Boomers Engaged and Millennials Committed mindyourworkpodcast@gmail.com – Email us your ideas here! MindYourWorkIO – Send us a tweet! Mindyourwork.io – Find us here!      Credits: Our intro and outro music is “Ingenuity” by Lee Rosevere, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0). You can find more of Lee’s music at https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/. https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/. Our transition music for this episode is "Looking Back” also by Lee; licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0).      Logo Artwork by Antonella Espinoza. Find her at @ellaspin on Twitter!

Performance appraisals are something most of us are familiar with and probably don’t really enjoy (unless you’re accustomed to getting great appraisals!) – that said, there have recently been more widespread grumblings about this organizational tradition. Is a shift in the fundamentals of performance management upon us? Are there compelling alternatives to performance appraisals? In this episode, we discuss some of the fundamentals of performance appraisals, cover the recent debate about their effectiveness, and share our own views on the topic. Timestamps: 1:54: The basics of performance appraisals 8:40: The trouble with performance appraisals – two conflicting purposes 15:53: The debate about performance appraisals 18:37: Alternatives to performance appraisals 28:12: Shifting the burden of appraisals from people to machines 32:24: Additional readings and wrap-up Mentioned This Episode: Open-access article – Performance appraisal debate Open-access article – Performance evaluation will not die, but it should HBR – Deloitte’s alternative to traditional performance management Video – Big Ideas in Performance Management mindyourworkpodcast@gmail.com – Email us your ideas or suggestions here! MindYourWorkIO – Send us a tweet! Mindyourwork.io – Find us here! Credits: Our intro and outro music is “Ingenuity” by Lee Rosevere, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0). You can find more of Lee’s music at https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/. https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/. Our transition music for this episode is “New Day” also by Lee; licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0). Logo Artwork by Antonella Espinoza. Find her at @ellaspin on Twitter!

Back in Season 2, Jose and Nicholas talked about what the science says about sleep and work. They also committed to tracking their sleep and coming back to discuss their experiences in the future. In this Unscripted, Jose and Nicholas discuss their experiences with various sleep apps, whether they’ve seen any improvement, and the kinds of features they wish these apps had. Timestamps: 1:10: A call-back to Season 2 and the importance of sleep. 2:21: Our mini-reviews of different sleep tracking apps. 7:08: Have we gotten anything out of tracking our sleep and general concerns 11:55: What additional data and features do we wish we had 14:30: Do we recommend you track your sleep  Mentioned This Episode: mindyourworkpodcast@gmail.com – Email us your ideas here! MindYourWorkIO – Send us a tweet! Mindyourwork.io – Find us here! Sleep Tracking Apps SleepScore Sleep Cycle Sleep for Android Credits: Our intro and outro music for Unscripted is “Pamgaea” by Kevin McLeod, licensed under licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. You can find more of Kevin’s music at incompetech.com. Logo Artwork by Antonella Espinoza. Find her at @ellaspin on Twitter!

Unlimited vacation! Sounds great, right? Not so fast. There are definitely upsides, but with greater freedom comes some potential disadvantages for both employees and organizations. In this Unscripted, Jose and Nicholas discuss some of these pros and cons, and talk about their own experiences with unlimited PTO and flexible work arrangements.   Timestamps: 1:45: Unlimited Vacation? PTO? What’s the difference? 3:15: Perhaps the biggest downside of “unlimited” PTO 6:00: Vacation time as a reward, PTO as flexibility 9:50: Unlimited PTO in practice - how to support it with other policies and processes 12:40: Should you still track vacation with unlimited PTO?   Mentioned This Episode: mindyourworkpodcast@gmail.com – Email us your ideas here! MindYourWorkIO – Send us a tweet! Mindyourwork.io – Find us here!      Credits: Our intro and outro music for Unscripted is “Pamgaea” by Kevin McLeod, licensed under licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. You can find more of Kevin’s music at incompetech.com. Logo Artwork by Antonella Espinoza. Find her at @ellaspin on Twitter!

In this episode, we discuss how the COVID pandemic has affected the way we do our jobs and relate to each other at work. As I-O psychologists, we frame the issue from a human-centered perspective and use a popular (and well-supported) theory of motivation to unpack the challenges (and opportunities).    Timestamps: 1:58: Framing the problem 3:30: Universal human needs and motivation 10:10: New challenges that may threaten our needs 19:45: New opportunities that may help fulfill our needs 30:56: How we’ve been coping   Mentioned This Episode: Living COVID HR Comms & Resources Guide Office 2.0 and Virtual Work Episode Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Self-determination Theory mindyourworkpodcast@gmail.com – Email us your ideas or suggestions here! MindYourWorkIO – Send us a tweet! Mindyourwork.io – Find us here!      Credits: Thanks to Hannah Soicher for helping with background research for this episode! Our intro and outro music is “Ingenuity” by Lee Rosevere, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0). You can find more of Lee’s music at https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/. https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/. Our transition music for this episode is “Places Unseen” also by Lee; licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0).      Logo Artwork by Antonella Espinoza. Find her at @ellaspin on Twitter!

A 30-second introduction to the hosts, what the podcast is about, and why you should listen!

If you received $1000 per month, no strings attached, how would you spend your time? In this episode, we discuss the concept of universal basic income. We cover some of its potential psychological consequences for the individual and the value of work itself. The conversation turns toward what makes a job viable or not, how to enrich jobs, and the question of whether or not a significant portion of the population would “coast” or spend irresponsibly if given an unconditional monthly stipend.   Timestamps: 1:40: Defining Universal Basic Income 8:52: The future of undesirable jobs under UBI 13:08: Making nonviable jobs better 17:05: Takeaways and overall impressions 21:42: The case against UBI   Mentioned This Episode: mindyourworkpodcast@gmail.com – Email us your ideas here! MindYourWorkIO – Send us a tweet! Mindyourwork.io – Find us here!   Credits: Our intro and outro music for Unscripted is “Pamgaea” by Kevin McLeod, licensed under licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. You can find more of Kevin’s music at incompetech.com. Logo Artwork by Antonella Espinoza. Find her at @ellaspin on Twitter!

Essential services ensure that our continues to run, but things are a bit different during a pandemic. In this episode, we talk about some of the occupations that have graduated to essential and discuss how their new “value” has yet to reach employees.      Timestamps: 1:10: What is an essential service? 2:56: The shift in importance of custodial work and other occupations 8:00: Will the perceived value of certain occupations shift? 10:20: Job evaluation 17:45: Are certain essential services now “non-essential”? 22:50: Final thoughts   Mentioned This Episode: NYT article on custodial services Episode of 99pi on Social Infrastructure mindyourworkpodcast@gmail.com – Email us your ideas here! MindYourWorkIO – Send us a tweet! Mindyourwork.io – Find us here!      Credits: Our intro and outro music for Unscripted is “Pamgaea” by Kevin McLeod, licensed under licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. You can find more of Kevin’s music at incompetech.com.   Logo Artwork by Antonella Espinoza. Find her at @ellaspin on Twitter!

Data has become increasingly common in our day-to-day lives. It has become easier than ever to collect, analyze, and share data than ever before. What implications does this have for us and how we make decisions in organizations? In this episode we discuss the rise of data in society, some of the ethical implications of collecting and using data in organizations, and preview our mini-series on data literacy coming in 2021. Timestamps: 1:45: Where is data becoming more prevalent in society? 8:35: Increased use of data in organizations 10:45: Is collecting more data a good thing? 14:04: How do we approach collecting and using data? 21:15: How do we consume data as individuals? 27:33: Final thoughts and upcoming mini-series on data literacy Mentioned This Episode: mindyourworkpodcast@gmail.com – Email us your ideas here! MindYourWorkIO – Send us a tweet! Mindyourwork.io – Find us here! Credits: Our intro and outro music for Unscripted is “Pamgaea” by Kevin McLeod, licensed under licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. You can find more of Kevin’s music at incompetech.com. Logo Artwork by Antonella Espinoza. Find her at @ellaspin on Twitter!

Let’s talk about data literacy. Data is already ubiquitous in our day-to-day lives, so even if you don’t work with data directly, it’s still important to understand it. In this episode, we provide a brief introduction to our three part series on data literacy, which spans the issues of data collection, analysis, and communication/visualization. We also cover the first of these three topics.       Timestamps: 1:30: What is data literacy? 2:35: Why is data literacy important? 4:12: A way of thinking about data: Inputs, processes, and outputs 7:05: Inputs: Data collection and measurement 9:40: General pros and cons of measurement instruments 19:35: Collecting data from the right people at the right time 24:05: Statistical power 24:50: Validity (accuracy) and reliability 31:30: Wrap-up   Mentioned This Episode: Gartner - A Data and Analytics Leader’s Guide to Data Literacy   Some episodes covering issues of data literacy: Why Can’t We Hold All These Personality Models? (Validity and personality) Bad Behavior at Work (Measuring and preventing counterproductive work behavior) Of Metrics and Interventions (Examining the “right” metrics and data quality) Of Metrics and Interventions - Part 2 (The danger of focusing on too few metrics and how picking metrics can actually influence human behavior)   mindyourworkpodcast@gmail.com – Email us your ideas or suggestions here! MindYourWorkIO – Send us a tweet! Mindyourwork.io – Find us here!       Credits: Our intro and outro music is “Ingenuity” by Lee Rosevere, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0). You can find more of Lee’s music at https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/. https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/. Our transition music for this episode is “Places Unseen” also by Lee; licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0).   Logo Artwork by Antonella Espinoza. Find her at @ellaspin on Twitter!

Okay, we’ve got a research question and some data! Now what? In this episode, we talk about common analytical techniques used in the social sciences (particularly industrial and organizational psychology) and what questions they can help answer. We also talk about the only “true” way to demonstrate that X causes Y and cover some common things to watch out for when conducting analysis.   Timestamps: 1:00: Statistics and how we’re teaching them the wrong way 6:10: Describing data vs making inferences with data 9:40: Describing survey data with “percent favorability” 13:55: Why Jose thinks (knows) descriptive stats are great 17:08: Let’s talk about correlations and shark attacks 23:05: T-tests 32:23: Experimental design 101 36:13: Statistical pitfalls 40:48: Wrap-up   Mentioned This Episode: Tyler Vigen – Spurious Correlations Science Forum – Ten common statistical mistakes to watch out for mindyourworkpodcast@gmail.com – Email us your ideas or suggestions here! MindYourWorkIO – Send us a tweet! Mindyourwork.io – Find us here!      Credits: Our intro and outro music is “Ingenuity” by Lee Rosevere, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0). You can find more of Lee’s music at https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/. https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/. Our transition music for this episode is “Tech Toys” also by Lee; licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0).      Logo Artwork by Antonella Espinoza. Find her at @ellaspin on Twitter!

Time to pull it all together! In this episode, we wrap up our mini-series on data literacy by discussing how to communicate effectively using data. We cover important things to consider when preparing your talk (or write-up), knowing your audience, and effectively structuring your message. We also briefly talk about data visualization as a tool that can be used to augment your delivery.      Timestamps: 0:50: Why is storytelling important? 2:30: Putting data and stories together 4:38: Preparation: Deciding on your purpose 6:30: Preparation: Knowing the context 9:45: Knowing your audience 22:25: Structuring your presentation or message 28:55: The structure of a story 31:30: Data visualization 34:27: Data viz “commandments” (aka basic tips) 36:15: Effective delivery in presentations 39:40: Effective delivery in documents or manuscripts 41:40: Wrap-up   Mentioned This Episode: Cicero Public Speaking Cards Examples of great storytelling: The beauty of data visualization – David McCandless (chosen by Jose) Start with why – Simon Sinek (chosen by Nicholas) mindyourworkpodcast@gmail.com – Email us your ideas or suggestions here! MindYourWorkIO – Send us a tweet! Mindyourwork.io – Find us here!   Credits: Our intro and outro music is “Ingenuity” by Lee Rosevere, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0). You can find more of Lee’s music at https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/. https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com/. Our transition music for this episode is “Bike ride with you” by Ryan Anderson. Licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 4.0).   Logo Artwork by Antonella Espinoza. Find her at @ellaspin on Twitter!