This Working Life (ABC listen)

Imagine you’re applying for a job. You’re asked a few questions and have a conversation online. But it’s not with a human. It’s with a chatbot. How would you feel? Possibly relaxed? Maybe even a bit more confident? More likely to apply for that job, if there’s no intimidating interview panel? Probably.

AI is increasingly being used in recruitment and it’s being employed to make the hiring process more efficient, less daunting, and some argue, free from bias... so how does it stack up? And given these technological advancements, is it time to call the CV obsolete?

Guests:

Charles Cameron -  CEO of RCSA Australia & New Zealand (Recruitment, Consulting and Staffing Association)

Barb Hyman - CEO of PredictiveHire

Professor Andreas Leibbrandt - Monash University

How do we tap into our inner captain to better lead ourselves and others in times of crisis?

What will 2021 hold for you at work? We've wrangled the experts and polished the This Working Life crystal ball to bring you our best predictions for this year.

Demographer, Bernard Salt thinks this is our chance to hit the reset button and rebuild our working lives to a much better place than ever before.

Insecure work was a strong theme for 2020 and Alison Pennington, senior economist for the Centre for Future Work, says 2021 will be no different. She argues that it may however provide us with an opportunity to improve some of the worst quality jobs in the workforce.

And if you're hoping to 'thrive, not survive' in 2021, Pip Dexter who leads Deloitte's Human Capital Practice has one top focus for this year - adaptability. She shares why she believes this characteristic will matter above all else and how you can cultivate it in yourself and your workplace.

Last to place their predictions is Dr Ben Hamer, he's the lead for Future Work at PWC Australia. He works with their 8000 employees to look ahead at what could be coming for them and their clients. They recently put out an organisation wide survey to learn about the impact of 2020 on their work. The surprise? Most people thought workplace culture had actually improved thanks to the pandemic. Ben shares why that is and what we can learn from it.

Producer: Edwina Stott

Supervising Producer: Maria Tickle

We speak with proud Torres Strait Islander woman (Kubin; Moa Island descendant) Carla McGrath and proud Yorta Yorta man Ian Hamm about what First Nations perspectives bring to governance and management.

Does your inbox make you miserable? Is the constant barrage of back and forth emails stopping you from doing deeper, more focussed work you actually need to do? You are not alone. According to Cal Newport, on average, email interrupts knowledge workers work every six minutes. There is an alternative. Cal walks us through why our relationship with email is dysfunctional and how to break up with it. Cal's book: A World Without Email: Reimagining Work in the Age of Overload

Producer: Maria Tickle

Stay curious, find comfort in being wrong and create a "challenge circle" of people who actively challenge your beliefs - these are all steps towards knowing what you don't know according to Adam Grant.

And he argues in today's rapidly changing work environment questioning your beliefs, rethinking and even unlearning are key skills.

Adam is an organisational psychologist and professor at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. His research focuses on generosity, motivation and meaningful work. And I imagine that there are few senior managers who don’t have at least one of his New York Times best-selling books on their shelves.

His new is book Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know in which he argues "if knowledge is power, knowing what we don't know is wisdom".

Producer: Maria Tickle

Stay curious, find comfort in being wrong and create a "challenge circle" of people who actively challenge your beliefs - these are all steps towards knowing what you don't know according to Adam Grant.

How old is "old" at work and why are some employers admitting they are reluctant to hire older workers in spite of Australia facing a skills shortage? We dig into ageism at work and what needs to change with Age Discrimination Commissioner Dr Kay Patterson and CEO of Australian HR Institute, Sarah McCann-Bartlett. And ad agency Thinkerbell co-founder Adam Ferrier runs us through his internship program for over 55s.

Producer: Maria Tickle

Finding yourself the right mentor is more critical than ever before to get through these tough and uncertain times at work. But how do you find the right mentoring relationship? And do men and women need different things out of it?

In this episode: * Bobbi Mahlab from Mentor Walks explains and how walking and talking helps develop a safe and trusting environment for sharing for women.

* Miles Protter of pro bono mentoring program Men’s Business tells why having a mentor is so critical for men.

* Writer and broadcaster Benjamin Law and entrepreneurs Naomi Simson (Red Balloon and TV series The Shark Tank), Kietah Martens-Shaw and Julie Demsey tell how mentoring has helped them in their careers.

(This episode was first broadcast on Radio National on 15 July, 2020.)

Producer: Maria Tickle

What is your role in your family of origin? Jester, responsible one, black sheep or peacemaker, we all have one. But did you know the role you have inherited or the values and beliefs your family held could be holding you back at work? Professor Deborah Ancona runs us through how to recognise the “family ghosts” and how to bust them.

Guests:

Deborah Ancona, Seley Distinguished Professor of Management at MIT’s Sloane School of Management

Rebekah Donaldson, executive manager, people group at Qantas

Anetta Pizag, workplace design consultant, strategist and author.

HBR article Deborah co-wrote, Family Ghosts in the Executive Suite

Producer: Maria Tickle

Never underestimate the power of habits, especially the teeny, tiny ones we repeat every day, the ones author James Clear calls “atomic habits”. We discuss Clear’s ideas of how we can harness habits to perform better at work especially in these stressful pandemic times with fangirl and neuroscientist Dr Sarah McKay.

Then organisational psychologist and leadership coach Dr Travis Kemp explains why You Are Not So Smart by David McRaney is his go-to work book.

Recommended read: Atomic Habits, How to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones by James Clear.

Producer: Maria Tickle

Australia’s renowned for its multiculturalism. But when it comes to the workplace and leadership positions, that diversity isn’t represented. So, what’s going on?

In part two of our special series, we dive into some solutions to improve diversity and inclusion at work to see Australia's multiculturalism reflected in leadership positions.

Guests:

Daisy Auger-Dominguez - Chief People Officer, VICE Media Group and author, Inclusion Revolution

Juliet Bourke - Professor of Practice and non-executive director at the UNSW Business School

Cryotherapy, sleep apps and binaural beats, are just some or the more than 20 biohacks Lisa Leong uses to perform her best at work. Are they useful or a complete waste of time and or money? We recruited three scientists to run the research filter over these hacks.

This episode was originally broadcast on Tuesday 12th November 2019

When your boss mentions "brainstorming" what do you picture - rapid, creative, ideas generation or death by Post-it Note?

Pick up your permanent markers and unroll that butcher’s paper because we’re diving into the art and science of brainstorming - what works, what doesn’t and why some people are doing it all wrong.

(This program first aired September 14, 2020.)

GUESTS

Professor Gerard Puccio, organisational psychologist from Buffalo State

Art Markman, Professor of Psychology and Marketing at the University of Texas, Austin.

CASE STUDIES

Sarah Crowley, transport and precinct planning specialist

James Atkins, director and strategic planning facilitator

Many of us dream about making big changes in the world, but so few do. So what does it take to be a changemaker?

Geoff Hucker’s 34-year career as a pilot took him around the globe multiple times. But he didn’t always feel the calling to make change. It was a trip to Ethiopia that led Geoff to start not one but two organisations aimed at making the world a better place: Beyond the Orphanage and Work For Impact.

And the end of 2020 is in sight and frankly it’s been a hell of a year. It’s been particularly tough on our mental health so we get some tips on how to manage mental health with people management specialist Karen Gately including avoiding burnout and what to do if one of your colleagues is struggling.

Producer: Maria Tickle

What do psychometric tests, workers comp and Sydney bin chickens have in common? Well they can be all in a day’s work for human resources professionals.

But their responsibilities and place in the company is rapidly changing in organisations today. Jacqui Curtis is chief operating officer of the Australian Tax Office and is also in charge of this change in HR for the Australian Public Service.

Jacqui explains why HR must have a seat at the boardroom table and how AI and data analytics can help the people management.

Producer: Maria Tickle

Illustrator: Tatum Kenna

What happens when the career you chose at 18 just isn't you anymore?

Coaching is not just for leaders but we should all become "coach like", according to Michael Bungay Stanier. Michael knows a thing or two about what it takes to be a great coach, he was recently named world's number one thought leader in coaching and his book The Coaching Habit has sold more than 700,000 copies. Michael unpacks his seven essential coaching questions:

1. What's on your mind?

2. And what else?

3. What's the really challenge here for you?

4. What do you want?

5. How can I help/so what do you want from me?

6. If you're saying yes to this, what are you saying no to?

7. What was most useful/valuable here for you?

And one of the least favourite days of the working year for many employees and more than a few managers is that of the performance review. You may feel they are futile at best and damaging at worst if not done properly so we asked people management specialist Karen Gately how we can get the most of of our performance reviews.

(This program was first broadcast on ABC Radio National on December 3, 2019)

Producer: Maria Tickle

Arguing can actually make teams more innovative and productive. Yes really. According to journalist and writer Ian Leslie, not rocking the boat may make for a nice work life it but may not actually be good for business. 

For his book Conflicted, Ian interviewed conflict resolution experts from around the globe to understand how it can be harnessed as a superpower and he shares what he’s learned. (And spoiler alert turning conflict into a positive is all about how it is framed and managed in the company culture.)

And when it comes time to kiss and make up why do we find it so hard to apologize? Media trainer Brett de Hoedt has had to wrangle many an apology for his clients and he shares his top tips for an effective “sorry”.

For more on the artful apology hear Brett’s podcast The Hardest Word.

Producer: Maria Tickle

Producer: Maria Tickle

Sex, religion and politics have long been hot button topics at work. But in 2021 we can now add another. Vaccinations. So how do we talk about the COVID-19 jab without coming to blows?

GUESTS:Dr Norman Swan host of the Health Report and co-host of Coronacast.

Professor Julie Leask, social scientist specialising in vaccination uptake, programs and policy. She is a visiting fellow, National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance, University of Sydney

Distinguished Professor Richard Osborne, epidemiologist and director of the Centre for Global Health and Equity at Swinburne University of Technology

Michael Byrnes, employment, workplace relations and safety specialist, Swaab Lawyers

Thanks also our voices of the people: musician Emily, paramedic Phil, and tertiary educator, Francesca.

Producer: Maria Tickle

What is your personal brand at work? Not sure? And does it matter? Well replace "brand" with "reputation" as our guest entrepreneur and author Dorie Clark suggests, and it matters a lot. We hear how to optimise your personal brand and the steps to take to kick off a career as an entrepreneur. And researcher and executive coach Tom Loncar gives Lisa the hard truth about whether her power pose has any scientific validity or if it's just another stretch.

Producer: Maria Tickle

Owen Eastwood shares how the Maori principle of whakapapa has helped create dynamic, inclusive cultures in some of the world's most diverse elite teams, including the England Football team for the past five years.

Producer: Maria Tickle

Owen Eastwood shares how the Maori principle of whakapapa has helped create dynamic, inclusive cultures in some of the world's most diverse elite teams, including the England Football team for the past five years.

(This program was first broadcast on Monday 12 July 2021.)

Producer: Maria Tickle

The cliche of bright red lipstick and shoulder pads as symbols of power for women went out of style in the 80s, thank goodness.

But who gets power at work today and why? And what do you need to do to keep it?

Social psychologist Professor Dacher Keltner, from the University of California, Berkley has studied power for 25 years. He has found the Machiavellian approach to power (force, deception, manipulation) is not what keeps you in power. Neither does red lipstick.

We also hear from Chief People Officer, Estimate One, James Law and executive coach Cassandra Goodman.

(This program was first broadcast on Mon 8 Feb 2021.)

Producer: Maria Tickle

If we confront our regrets and use them as signals, they're a powerful force for working smarter and living better.

That’s according to New York Times best-selling author Daniel Pink. He’s collected the regrets of thousands of people around the world and discovered what connects us in our regrets, and how we can use them to live and work better. So let go of any shame around your regrets, and learn how to harness their power.

Guest:Daniel Pink, New York Times bestselling author, most recently The Power of Regret.

With appearances from people who proudly have regrets:

Dr Tim Sharp, Chief Happiness Officer, The Happiness Institute

Ginger Gorman, Award-winning print and radio journalist

Mark Brandi, Author

Janelle Delaney, Partner at IBM

Amanda Rose, Founder of Western Sydney Women, #bosslady

Juliet Bourke, Author and Adjunct Professor UNSW Business School

Do more of what matters without burning out. In Effortless Greg McKeown implores us to move away from the cult of busy and overwork. 

He argues to achieve breakthrough results, we need to save our energy by inverting the question “How can I work harder?” to become “How can I make this easier?”

Producer: Maria Tickle

Do more of what matters without burning out. In Effortless Greg McKeown implores us to move away from the cult of busy and overwork. 

He argues to achieve breakthrough results, we need to save our energy by inverting the question “How can I work harder?” to become “How can I make this easier?”

(This program was first broadcast on Monday 19 July 2021.)

Producer: Maria Tickle

Founder of Google's Empathy Lab, Danielle Krettek, believes that using empathy at work results in happier staff, and greater productivity.

Minter Dial, author of Heartificial Empathy thinks it might even help you fall in love!

Empathy has become the business world’s new secret sauce – but can it be taught to a chat bot?  

Producer: Maria Tickle

What to eat, how to move for peak brain power.

We dig into what science says about what to feed your brain and how to move your body in order to perform at your best at work in these stressful times.You'll hear:* The good oil on the good fats and how NOT to cook with them. * Are supplements useful additions to our diet or just expensive wee?* Coffee, yay or nay?* And the best way to exercise to increase focus and creativity at work. This one may surprise you, it surprised the researchers!

(This program was first broadcast on July 13, 2020.)

GUESTS:Dr Delia McCabe, is a nutritional neuroscientist her book is Feed Your Brain.

Dr John Ratey, is a psychiatrist and clinical assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, who has studied the effect of exercise on the brain for more than 40 years.

Producer: Maria Tickle

It’s not just about getting the job done when we’re working hybridly, it’s about the connections we make. And this has been lost when we’re working from home, and this is making us feel lonely.

In the second part of our hybrid work feature, we look at how hybrid work can leave us feeling lonely and disconnected, and what we can do about it.

Guests:

• Mark Mortensen - Associate Professor, INSEAD
• Dr Caroline Knight - Research Fellow, Curtin University’s Future of Work Institute
• Sasha D’Arcy - Psychologist and ‘Inventiologist’ at Inventium

Hybrid is here to stay. So, what is pandemic-driven hybrid work doing to our ability to focus and what do we need to do to find that elusive flow state in this brave new world of work?

In the first part of our hybrid work feature, we look at hybrid work and our level of focus when working from home, compared to in the office, and along the way we’ll bust some myths and get some attention hacks.

Guests:

Sue Williamson - Associate Professor of Human Resource Management in the School of Business at UNSW, Canberra

Katherine Johnson - Associate Professor in Psychology in the School of Psychological Sciences at the University of Melbourne

Sasha D’Arcy - Psychologist and ‘Inventiologist’ at Inventium

Teamwork, resilience and grit – just some of the skills from sport that we can all learn from when it comes to our work. So how can the corporate world harness these skills, and what can we learn from the athlete’s mindset?

Is it too much to ask to be happy at work? Do you subscribe to the view that work mainly involves pain and suffering, that is why we get paid to do it. 

In this episode we explore the meaning of happiness, and why striving for society’s measures of career success: status, power, money - may not in fact lead you to happiness.

Our guest: Penny Locaso, author of Hacking Happiness: How to Intentionally Adapt and Shape the Future You Want and Dr Tim Sharp, clinical psychologist and founder of The Happiness Institute. Tim’s new podcast Habits for Happiness at Work: 10 Steps for Living Your Happiest Work Life is available on Audible.

Producer: Maria Tickle

We all know the impact of stress on our minds and bodies. But it turns out that it’s not the stress itself that’s impacting our health - it’s how we think about it.

We hear from people about their experiences of work-related stress and how it impacts them, and our expert panel tell us how to change our stress mindsets so we can harness its power to work and live better.

Guests:

Alison Earl, Author, speaker and trainer on mindset and resilience

Dr Kari Leibowitz, Health psychologist and mindset researcher, Stanford University

Like it or not, your employer has the right to track and measure just about everything you do in your work day. But should they, is it helpful or does it simply kill motivation? In the second episode of our series on Big Brother at work, we examine how surveillance is changing the way we work and we ask what ever happened to trust?

Assistant Professor of marketing from UC San Diego, Dr Liz Lyons says that tracking employees at work can have varying end results - not all of them good. She shares some of the best examples of boosting productivity in the workplace through tracking and emphasises the importance measuring the right things.

On the other side of the fence is Professor Paul Zak, a 'neuroeconomist' who says that the secret to helping workers reach their potential, doesn't lie in tracking worker through tech, but can be found in our ability to build trust.

If you're certain tracking employees is the way to go though, Dr Joeri Mol, who's an expert in organizational studies from Melbourne University has a warning about the change that can occur in organisations when people simply know they're being watched.

This technology which allows bosses to track what workers are up to whenever and wherever they are has developed rapidly over the last few years and the market has only increased thanks to the pandemic causing a rise in those of us who work from home. So what does this mean for the future? Jathan Sadowski from the Emerging Technologies Research Lab has a warning and a few suggestions for how we could even the scales and get this tech working for the employees.

Producer: Edwina Stott

Supervising producer: Maria Tickle

Resolutions don't work. Set goals the right way.

For us to really commit to a goal and achieve it, we should ensure we’re making a ‘worthy’ goal.

That’s according to author Michael Bungay Stanier who, in his new book How To Begin: Start Doing Something That Matters, gives us nine steps to help us find our worthy goal, commit to it and just begin.

Guest:

Michael Bungay Stanier, Author of The Coaching Habit and How to Begin.

Forget what you think you know about motivation.

We’ve done the work for you and found some science-based motivation hacks, so you can get the job done and actually enjoy it.

We bust some myths and find out what really motivates us - from incentives, to mindsets and increased empathy.

What we want in our leaders has evolved; we’ve seen a growing desire for more ethical and empathetic leaders.

But destructive leaders are still in charge in many workplaces and their impacts are far-reaching. So how can we identify them and, more importantly, change them?

We look at the personality traits and four styles of destructive leaders and get some tips on how to avoid them to help improve employee and business wellbeing.

Guests:

Professor Paula Brough, Professor of Organisational Psychology and Director of the Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing at Griffith University

Dr Vicki Webster, Founder and Director of Incisive Leaders

“A group of behavioural scientists walk into a bar…”  

Sounds like the start of a joke right - it’s not.

Those ten people were gathering to perform sketch comedy and two of them ended up researching the hypothesis that humour is serious business and that it is vastly underleveraged in most workplaces today.   

Dr Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas now teach the course Humor: Serious Business at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and have co-authored the book Humor, Seriously: why humor is a secret weapon in business and life.

They explain what levity does to our brains and how anyone can harness it and use it skilfully at work.

Can you spot the finger in the photo? Now that's funny.

What is your humour type? Here is the quiz.

Producer: Maria Tickle

“A group of behavioural scientists walk into a bar…”  

Sounds like the start of a joke right - it’s not.

Those ten people were gathering to perform sketch comedy and two of them ended up researching the hypothesis that humour is serious business and that it is vastly underleveraged in most workplaces today.   

Dr Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas now teach the course Humor: Serious Business at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and have co-authored the book Humor, Seriously: why humor is a secret weapon in business and life.

They explain what levity does to our brains and how anyone can harness it and use it skilfully at work.

Can you spot the finger in the photo? Now that's funny.

What is your humour type? Here is the quiz.

(This program first aired on Radio National on Monday November 2, 2020.)

Producer: Maria Tickle

Trust is hard to gain but easy to lose. And it's crucial at work particularly in times of crisis like the current pandemic.

So how do you build trust with your colleagues and throughout the wider organisation? Can you re-build it after you lose it? And what does the neuro-chemical oxytocin have to do with trust?

GUESTS:

Dr Paul Zak, Professor of economic sciences, psychology and management, Claremont Graduate University and author of Trust Factor: The Science of Creating High Performance Companies 

Dr Nicole Gillespie, Professor of management and KPMG chair in organisational trust, University of Queensland.

Producers: Edwina Stott and Maria Tickle

Australians are constantly told the only way out of rolling lockdowns is vaccination. So why aren't most workplaces mandating COVID-19 jabs so everyone get back to business? We dig into tricky legal, ethical and practical issues with workplace relations lawyer Michael Byrnes (partner at Sydney firm Swaab) and infectious diseases social scientist Dr Holly Seale (UNSW).

Producer: Maria Tickle

Crisis = life lessons. Who hasn't learnt some serious life lessons and made some painful personal growth this year? At home and at work. Oh that's right they became one.

In our final new episode for 2020 we meet up with our guests from throughout the year to hear the most important thing they learn about work, and themselves, this year.

GUESTS:

Deirdre Dowling, professional classical musician

Dr Kirstin Ferguson, company director and author

Oscar Trimboli, author of Deep Listening

Kayley Chu, founder author of 100 Lunches

Nir Eyal, author of Indistractible

Kath Blackham, founder and CEO Versa Agency

Jennifer Petriglieri, associate professor of organisational behaviour at INSEAD and author of Couples That Work

Producer: Maria Tickle

Even though the majority of workers are concerned that they don't have the skills required for the future, a recent national survey has revealed that more than half of Australian workers spend less than an hour a week on any form of learning. 

We weigh up the value of university degrees versus micro-credentials and hear how life-long learning can keep you in the game.

We also crystal ball gaze to understand what work and learning might look like for our newest generation - Generation Alpha. 

GUESTS:

Dr Sean Gallagher - director of the Centre for the New Workforce at Swinburne University.Sean’s report is Peak Human Workplace.

Professor Liz Johnson - Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education at Deakin University

Mark McCrindle, social analyst and futurist.  Mark’s book is Understanding Generation Alpha.

PRODUCER: Maria Tickle

We’ve been living through the greatest workplace disruption in generations. Now, two years and counting of Covid here in Australia, that volatility isn’t going anywhere and business managers are struggling.

Energy is low, resilience is low, and staff numbers are fluctuating as people fall ill to Covid. Combine, mix and stir and you’ve got the ‘Covid shiftstorm’.

We go inside the world of managers and hear what’s happening, how they’re feeling and get some tips on how to get through this tough period.

Guests:

Professor Kim Felmingham - Chair of Clinical Psychology in the School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne

Karen Gately - Founder, Corporate Dojo

With thanks to the managers who shared their stories with us:

Natalie Feehan - Chief Customer and Commercial Officer, EstimateOne

Lia Pacquola - Head of PR and Corporate Communications MYOB

Adam Chalk - Owner and Manager, Buddha Bowl Cafe

What if ADHD wasn't seen as a deficit or a disorder? What if it's actually harnessed as a superpower? We show how, given the right support and understanding, workplaces have the ability to turn ADHD into an asset and create environments where everyone thrives.

We take a deep dive into this medical mystery and look at how workplaces and individuals can navigate the world of work as they recover from long COVID.

Whether you are male or female, if you work with a woman over 40, menopause matters to you. And if you are a woman over 40 understanding what’s happening to your mind and body during “the change” is absolutely crucial.

As you'll hear many women, including those at the top of the game, are leaving careers they love because of poor management around menopause.

We dive deep into a topic that is steeped in silence, suffering and stigma to start this important conversation.

Have you ever sat at work thinking “Houston we have a problem, common sense has left the room!”? Brand and culture transformation expert Martin Lindstrom, walks us through how to bring common sense back into our workplaces by establishing what he calls a “ministry of common sense”. 

Martin has advised multinationals including Pepsi, Google, Burger King and Swiss Air but he started this movement in what traditionally has been a bastion of bureaucracy, banks.

How do you find your work mojo now that your holiday halo has started to dim?

January is the most popular month to give your job the flick (and to file for divorce apparently - but this is outside the scope of our show!). We talk motivation with sports and organisational psychologist Dr Travis Kemp and Chris Low, head of vibe at Canva which has twice been named Australia's best place to work.

We discuss why things come to a head in January - just what's going on in our brains? Plus why personal values trump free beer, why money isn't our primary motivator, and how eating breakfast and lunch together helped online graphic design business Canva become a unicorn company (a privately-owned start up worth more than a US one billion dollars).

Chris also refers to the importance of psychological safety in the workplace. To hear more about this, listen to our previous show on this topic:

After ramp up your motivation, you might want to tackle one of the toughest challenges in the workplace and have that difficult conversation. Karen Gately from Corporate Dojo gives us her very practical and imminently doable take.

Producer: Maria Tickle

(This program first aired on ABC Radio National on January 27, 2020.)

Not everyone wants to stop working when they reach retirement age.

How do you prove yourself or foster trust when you're seen as just the tech savvy junior or if you haven't worked for an organisation for very long?

Are you willing to recognise that a different way of thinking is required when you're stuck in a rut?

What role do your organs and the inner workings of your body play when you're making decisions?

Board members play a pivotal role in influencing the culture of their organisations. 

How might we individualise our work environment to optimise our performance

How reliable is that research data you are collecting and analysing?

How do you avoid the stress and burnout from too much collaboration?

How do you turn a hobby into a career?

Let's kickstart this 2022 working life with a few transformative ideas.

Working as a first responder can have a huge mental toll. Compared to the general public police and emergency services workers are more likely to have suicidal thoughts, anxiety, depression, PTSD and struggle with alcohol and substance abuse. They are the findings of Answering the Call, the first national survey into the mental health and wellbeing survey of more than 20,000 police and emergency services personnel. Dr David Lawrence from the University of Western Australia led the research and discusses these findings.

It took a long time for former police officer James Maskey to even realise he had PTSD and he shares how the trauma he faced at work led to him leaving a job he loved. Now, as national engagement manager of the Beyond Blue Police and Emergency Services Program, James helps others going through the same issues.

Producer: Maria Tickle

Are you feeling absolutely exhausted at work right now? What you are feeling may be uncertainty fatigue.

For ideas on how to work through the overwhelming and heavy feelings that come with yet another lockdown, psychologist Dr Shanta Dey from the University of Sydney Business School and leadership expert and coach Julia Steel share what they’ve learned through the COVID chaos.

Producer: Maria Tickle

Researcher: Kara Jensen-McKinnon

Office politics can be a minefield but we hear opting out is not be best option, you need to have skin in the game but with a special mindset.

And it’s been an interesting year in national and international politics. The pandemic has brought out the best and the worst in leaders around the globe. 

So when it comes to talking politics at work how can we talk politics at work without starting a workplace war?

GUESTS:

Dr Raina Brands, Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour, London Business School

Dorie Clark, entrepreneur, branding expert and executive coach.

Producer: Maria Tickle

Dorie Clark, sought after New York-based executive coach and consultant, warns it’s crucial to build a portfolio career - where you have multiple revenue streams - even if you have a full-time job. 

Recorded live at Pausefest 2021 Dorie explains how this model saved her in 2020 when hundreds of thousands of dollars income dried up almost overnight. She shares her blueprint for professional independence, including insights and advice on becoming a recognised expert, monetising your expertise, and extending your reach and impact online. 

Dorie has been recognized as #1 Communication Coach in the world, one of the top 50 business thinkers in the world and she’s worked with clients such as Google, Microsoft, and the World Bank.

She’s written numerous books including best sellers Standout and Entrepreneurial You and her next book The Long Game comes out in September this year.

We also hear from Madeleine Grummet (tech entrepreneur and investor Future Amp, girledworld) and Darren Milo (D Milo Consulting, Beaton) on how they have built their own portfolio careers.

And then we follow up our episode on Harnessing humour as a superpower at work with Naomi Bagdonas and Jennifer Aaker from Stanford Graduate School of Business with some Aussie research. Dr David Cheng from ANU joins us to explore how humour interacts with power, conflict and persistence at work. 

Producer: Maria Tickle

The cliche of bright red lipstick and shoulder pads as symbols of power for women went out of style in the 80s, thank goodness.

But who gets power at work today and why? And what do you need to do to keep it?

Social psychologist Professor Dacher Keltner, from the University of California, Berkley has studied power for 25 years. And it turns out, the Machiavellian approach to power (force, deception, manipulation) is not what keeps you in power. Neither does red lipstick.

Thanks to James Law, Chief People Officer, Estimate One, Cassandra Goodman author and executive coach plus our anonymous This Working Lifers, who shared their stories! 

Due to the huge amount of interest in this topic next week we dig deeper into the interplay of gender and power at work.

Producer: Maria Tickle

On the verge of burnout or feeling disconnected from your workmates? Don't underestimate the power of working music into your workflows and even meetings.

Psychologist and classical musician Greta Bradman explains how our brains respond to music and runs through research-backed ways we can use music to connect, help focus and manage stress.

Greta consults on culture with organisations across technology and creative industries. She also hosts ABC Classic weekend mornings. Hear the playlists from her series Music For Wellbeing.

Producer: Maria Tickle

Changing careers isn’t easy - overcoming inertia is hard and knowing where to start can seem really difficult.

Career coach Kate Richardson debunks some myths and steps us through the process. We also meet some brave souls who’ve pulled it off including criminologist turned crime writer Mark Brandi, former lawyer now psychiatrist-in-training Nicca Grant and Monique Ross who left a 12-year career in digital media to follow her passion and become a forest therapy guide.

Producer: Maria Tickle

Changing careers isn’t easy - overcoming inertia is hard and knowing where to start can seem really difficult.

Career coach Kate Richardson debunks some myths and steps us through the process. We also meet some brave souls who’ve pulled it off including criminologist turned crime writer Mark Brandi, former lawyer now psychiatrist-in-training Nicca Grant and Monique Ross who left a 12-year career in digital media to follow her passion and become a forest therapy guide.

(This program was first broadcast on Monday August 9, 2021.)

Producer: Maria Tickle

As the saying goes “money can’t buy happiness”, but does getting paid more make us happier and more motivated at work? And if not, what does? And why is it still such a taboo topic? We also hear negotiation strategies to use with your boss and what you need to do to stay employable after 40.

GUESTS:

Professor Adrian Furnham, author of The New Psychology of Money (and about 100 other books)

Adjunct professor at BI Norwegian Business School and professor at University College London.

Emily Barnes, mediator

Kate McCallum, financial advisor and co-author of The Joy of Money.

Producer: Maria Tickle

As the saying goes “money can’t buy happiness”, but does getting paid more make us happier and more motivated at work? And if not, what does? And why is it still such a taboo topic? We also hear negotiation strategies to use with your boss and what you need to do to stay employable after 40.

GUESTS:

Professor Adrian Furnham, author of The New Psychology of Money (and about 100 other books)

Adjunct professor at BI Norwegian Business School and professor at University College London.

Emily Barnes, mediator

Kate McCallum, financial advisor and co-author of The Joy of Money.

(This show was first broadcast on Radio National on November 30, 2020.)

Producer: Maria Tickle

Even today, the class you are born into can largely determine your career. Research by Diversity Council Australia shows that more than any other diversity demographic, it was social class which most determined Australian workers’ experience of inclusion or exclusion at work. 

Talking about class at work can be awkward, especially when most Australians believe we live in the land of a “fair go”. But, talk about it we must.

Amanda Rose, Western Sydney Women founder

Author and journalist Rick Morton

Lisa Annese, CEO of Diversity Council Australia

Producers: Kara Jensen-Mackinnon and Maria Tickle

This episode was first broadcast on 31 May 2021

Are Australian trade unions losing their teeth? Union membership has been in sharp decline for decades. In 1976 just over half of Australia workers were members of a union but by 2018 that figure had dropped to just over 14 per cent.With the rapid increase in the number of people in casual and gig work, unions should be more important than ever. We investigate what has led to this dramatic drop, in particular amongst younger workers. And hear what unions need to do to modernize and adapt to remain relevant in the future.GUESTS:Anthony Forsyth is a professor of workplace law at RMIT, and author of “The Future of Unions and Worker Representation: The Digital Picket Line” which will be published in 2022. Sally McManus is the Secretary of the ACTU. PRODUCERS: Kara Jensen-Mackinnon and Maria Tickle

Emotions at work - do you repress or ruminate? Both could be dangerous for your career. Harvard Medical School psychologist Dr Susan David is one of the world's leading management thinkers. Her Ted talk has been viewed more than five million times and her book Emotional Agility is a bestseller.

Susan discusses the benefits of bringing our whole selves to work; emotions as data not directives (we shouldn't let them boss us around) and why emotional agility is important for teamwork and creativity.

Beauty industry entrepreneur Kate Morris has given her imposter syndrome's voice in her head a name: "That's just Kevin, you can zip it Kevin," she laughs. And she gets on with her day.

And she's not alone. Researchers have found around 70 per cent of us feel like an imposter some of the time at work (...and let’s face it the other 30 per cent are probably lying). So since these feelings are so common, we've decided it's time we gave this ‘syndrome’ a rebrand and learned how use it to help, not hinder, our careers.

Beauty industry entrepreneur Kate Morris has given her imposter syndrome's voice in her head a name: "That's just Kevin, you can zip it Kevin," she laughs. And she gets on with her day.

And she's not alone. Researchers have found around 70 per cent of us feel like an imposter some of the time at work (...and let’s face it the other 30 per cent are probably lying). So since these feelings are so common, we've decided it's time we gave this ‘syndrome’ a rebrand and learned how use it to help, not hinder, our careers.

Beauty industry entrepreneur Kate Morris has given her imposter syndrome's voice in her head a name: "That's just Kevin, you can zip it Kevin," she laughs. And she gets on with her day.

And she's not alone. Researchers have found around 70 per cent of us feel like an imposter some of the time at work (...and let’s face it the other 30 per cent are probably lying). So since these feelings are so common, we've decided it's time we gave this ‘syndrome’ a rebrand and learned how use it to help, not hinder, our careers.

(This program was first broadcast on Monday June 28, 2021.)

Uber's story is a cautionary tale in what NOT to do when creating corporate culture in a startup, according Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber. It's the book Lisa's fellow work book nerd Catherine Robson chose as best bedtime page turner. Written by award-winning New York Times technology reporter Mike Isaac, the book chronicles the rise and the catastrophic fall of the corporate giant based on hundreds of interviews with current and former Uber employees.

Producer Maria Tickle

Are you a giver or a taker at work?

Our team has self-experimented with the productivity tips we've covered in 2020 and we reveal the hits and misses. Warning: there IS a mention of "sex" so if taking about procreation bothers you, may we gently suggest an episode of Conversations.

Producer: Maria Tickle

PERFORMING IN A PANDEMIC EPISODES

What works and what doesn't in a virtual job interview? How should you prepare? And managers, how do you evaluate someone when they aren't in the same room? People management specialist Karen Gately has all the answers.

Producer: Maria Tickle

Burning out has become a phrase thrown around almost as often as anxiety. But being stressed and overworked is not actually burnout. There is  more to it.

Individuals can’t fight burnout alone - things have to change in our organisations. This is what the ‘pioneer’ of burnout theory and research has found.

It’s Christina Maslach's measurement tool that’s been used by workplaces and the World Health Organisation to assess if someone’s burning out - the Maslach Burnout Inventory.

Even today, the class you are born into can largely determine your career. Recent research by Diversity Council Australia found that more than any other diversity demographic, it was social class which most determined Australian workers’ experience of inclusion or exclusion at work. 

Talking about class at work can be awkward, especially when most Australians believe we live in the land of a “fair go”. But, talk about it we must.

Amanda Rose has dealt with the stigma her whole life, simply because she comes from Western Sydney. When an event MC introduced her as “from Parramatta…but that’s ok because she’s gorgeous” she knew things had to change. Amanda has since gone on to found six businesses including Western Sydney Women, an organisation which offers free programs and workshops designed to help women from the area thrive in the workplace. 

Author and journalist Rick Morton grew up in poverty in rural Queensland, and believes his acute understanding of the class experience has shaped his career.  As an award-winning journalist, Rick has broken stories on aged care, refugees and the NDIS for some of Australia’s biggest news publications. 

Lisa Annese, CEO of Diversity Council Australia shares the surprising findings in their ground breaking class research, and how workplaces might overcome our unconscious class biases. 

Report by Diversity Council Australia: Class at Work 

Producers: and Maria Tickle

Producers: Kara Jensen-Mackinnon and Maria Tickle

Since the start of the pandemic, the global take-up of the four-day work week has accelerated.

We first looked into the pros and cons of the four-day work week back in 2020 when it was very much in its early days in Australia.

Since then, more companies and industries in Australia and around the world have adopted the four-day work week. We get the latest on what is and isn’t working in this global workplace experiment and what we can learn from the early adopters.

Guests:

Andrew Barnes – Founder, Perpetual Guardian and 4 Day Week Global

Alex Pang – Founder, Strategy and Rest

Nikki Beaumont - Founder and CEO, Beaumont People

Kath Blackham – Founder and CEO, Versa

Sasha D’Arcy – Four-day-week employee at Inventium

A trifecta of CEOs share why they introduced the four-day work week to their companies, how it has actually helped them navigate the economic downturn, and hard lessons learnt along the way.

GUESTS: Andrew Barnes, CEO Perpetual Guardian, Kath Blackham CEO Versa, Nikki Beaumont CEO Beaumont People.

Andrew's book: The Four Day Week: How the Flexible Work Revolution Can Increase Productivity, Profitability and Well-being, and Create a Sustainable Future.

(This program first aired on ABC Radio National on August 24, 2020.)

Call it what you like, The Great Resignation, The Great Reshuffle, or even The Great Reimagination, the employment landscape in Australia has changed radically in the past two years. 

CEO of the Australian HR Institute Sarah McCann Bartlett and career coach Kate Richardson talk us through how can you use this moment in time to your career advantage and what businesses need to do to get through it.We also hear stories of pandemic career changes from software engineer Zubin, UX designer Fern and clinical researcher Fay.

Producer: Maria Tickle

Workplace bullying is a complex and insidious problem that one in 10 of us in Australia experience at some stage in our careers.

We look at the organisational structures behind bullying itself, how many of us might be unwilling bystanders, and the impact it has on us physically and mentally.

Guest:

Michelle Tuckey, Professor of Work & Organisational Psychology within UniSA Justice & Society and the Centre for Workplace Excellence.

With thanks to Jessica, Neil and Therese for sharing their stories of experiencing workplace bullying.

Have you ever sat at work thinking “Houston we have a problem, common sense has left the room!”?

Brand and culture transformation expert Martin Lindstrom, certainly has. He walks us through how to bring common sense back into our workplaces by establishing what he calls a “ministry of common sense”. 

And Martin has walked the talk -  he has advised multinationals including Pepsi, Google, Burger King and Swiss Air but he started this movement in what traditionally has been a bastion of bureaucracy, banks.

Martin’s book: Ministry of Common Sense: How to Eliminate Bureaucratic Red Tape, Bad Excuses and Corporate Bullshit.

Producer: Maria Tickle

What's it actually like to be a teacher these days? There’s a worldwide shortage of teachers at the moment, so what’s going on in the classroom and school yards? In this episode we meet a bunch of teachers and former teachers and hear first hand about the new pressures, and what’s driving them out of the profession. What needs to change about the working lives of teachers?

Thinking of quitting your job? Join the club!The COVID pandemic has led to what’s being dubbed The Great Resignation in the US. And apparently this seismic shift in the workforce is about to hit our shores, especially in the tech industry.Aaron McEwan from global research and advisory firm Gartner shares industry trends and what organisations need to do to head it off at the pass.

With stories from Anna Burgess Yang, Chicago-based content marketing manager; Cathy, Australian start up founder; and Deb Mavric, community innovation director, Culture Amp

Producer: Maria Tickle

Routines and rituals boost productivity and wellbeing - but how? We explore why we need routines and rituals, how to create your own and how they can improve your work ethic, output and satisfaction.

(This program first aired on ABC Radio National on July 20, 2020.)

GUESTS:

Dr Sean O’Connor, Director of Sydney University’s Coaching Psychology Unit Casper ter Kuile, Harvard Divinity School fellow and author of The Power of Ritual: Turning Everyday Activities into Soulful Practices

With thanks to: 

Kate Christie, time management expert

Steph Clarke, podcaster

Susie Hopkins, TWL listener

Producer: Zoe Ferguson

Routines and rituals boost productivity and wellbeing - but how? We explore why we need routines and rituals, how to create your own and how they can improve your work ethic, output and satisfaction.

(This show was first broadcast on Radio National July 20, 2020.)

GUESTS:

Dr Sean O’Connor, Director of Sydney University’s Coaching Psychology Unit Casper ter Kuile, Harvard Divinity School fellow and author of The Power of Ritual: Turning Everyday Activities into Soulful Practices

With thanks to: 

Kate Christie, time management expert

Steph Clarke, podcaster

Susie Hopkins, TWL listener

Producer: Zoe Ferguson

What was your first job, and what did it teach you?

We’re turning back the clocks and heading back into the supermarket and greasy fast-food joints to find out just why first jobs are so crucial in our careers and what they can teach us.

If we put on our detective caps, we can look at our first jobs and pick up the little clues and insights about ourselves that can help us navigate our current career. And if you have kids, or are mentoring young people, we learn how we can advise teenagers on what to look for in their first job.

Guests:

Professor Julia Richardson, Curtin University School of Management and Marketing

Daisy Turnbull, teacher and author 50 Questions to Ask Your Teens: A Guide to Fostering Communication and Confidence in Young Adults

So your boss or HR has emailed you, and in no uncertain terms it’s time to head back into the office. How do you feel? Elated at the prospect of being near your colleagues or deflated at the prospect of putting on pants with an actual waistband and an hour each way on the train. Or both?According to Professor Tsedal Neeley from Harvard Business School employers may have a battle on their hands to turn the ship on remote work. And peak performance researcher Dr Adam Fraser explains how rituals around a “third space” can help us make the transition back to the office a little easier.Tsedal’s book, Remote Work Revolution.Adam’s book, The Third Space.Do you have the right to work from home? from our sister show Life Matters

Producer: Maria Tickle

As many of us head back into the office - at least some of the time - after a year at home, it’s a pretty big psychological shift. How are you coping?We delve into how best to manage this transition despite feeling like we have run headlong into the pandemic wall.And we hear what it takes for a team to be successful in hybrid work from the woman who coined the term - psychological safety.

GUESTS:

Michelle Morrison, organisational psychologist who is coaching and running programs for leaders facilitating their own and their employees return to work.

Amy Edmondson, professor of leadership and management at Harvard Business School. Amy's book is The Fearless Organisation: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation and Growth.

If you missed part one of The Return where we learn how to ace hybrid and creating a third space listen here.

Producer: Maria Tickle

How does your boss keep tabs on your work? Before the pandemic, they probably popped their head over the partition or reviewed your KPIs over a coffee. But now, with more of us working from home, many companies are increasingly using time tracking software or surveillance technologies that allow employers to check what you’re up to whenever and wherever you are, even if you don't work at a desk. So how are you being tracked, how is it changing your work and is there anything you can do about it?

GUESTSJathan Sadowski, Research Fellow at the Emerging Technologies Lab at Monash University Assistant Professor Liz Lyons, from UC San Diego School of Global Policy

Tyler Sellhorn, Head of Customer Experience for Hubstaff

Lauren Kate Kelly, Senior Policy Researcher at the United Workers UnionPatrick Turner, Senior Associate at Maurice Blackburn lawyers.

CASE STUDIESBen Worthington, IELTs Podcast

Producer: Edwina StottSupervising Producer: Maria Tickle

In the last 20 years, the way we’re employed has evolved almost as quickly as our mobile phones. For a lot of us that means our work has become a lot less secure than it once was. We explore why that is, the impact on us and what we can do about it.

Are you seeking leadership nirvana? Is there even such a thing? Leadership development is such a lucrative, multi-million dollar industry but are we just throwing resources at the executive level managers with little benefit to the broader organisation? Are we going about leadership development all wrong?

When’s the last time you had fun at work? Really had fun? FUN. What is it, and how can it  help us enjoy work more, which of course will help us work better! How can we bring more fun into our working lives? 

Catherine Price is a science journalist and author of The Power of Fun. She also wrote How to break up with your phone. 

What’s your relationship with feedback? Maybe you’ve thought you could learn how to be better at giving it…but how about switching it round and considering how you receive it? Turns out, if we hone our skills at receiving we also get better at giving feedback.

Mindfulness … being mindful,  meditating, you know it’s good for you, but it just never feels like there’s enough time.

Using meditation to create mindfulness is an ancient practice, and the science backing it has been piling in for years now.

But how can we be motivated to make meditation part of our essential routine? How will it actually help our working lives?