Fit for Work

Welcome to this special episode of the Fit for Work Podcast. This episode will wrap up Season 2, where we’ve enjoyed 6 months of guests and topics that I hope have helped scratch your health, safety and leadership itches. We’ll be taking a break for a little while and endeavour to return to your ears […]

What could we learn by sharing lived-experiences of mental illness? What difference would it make if leaders shared their own struggles with anxiety or depression? What practical ways can we reduce stigma and promote a safe space at work? In this episode I speak with Jerome Doraisamy who’s a Lawyer, author and lecturer. Following his […]

*Are you a death by power point kind of health and safety trainer? *When was the last time you revamped your induction to include blended learning to actually engage the mere human? *Do you employ tech and gamification to boost engagement and track physical and psychological safety outcomes? In this episode I chat with Dr […]

Why focus on mental health at work? What’s the state of workplace mental health in NSW? What are the most compelling evidence-based interventions? In this episode, I invite back on the show Jim Kelly, Director of Health and RTW for SafeWork NSW. We chat through the launch of the Mentally Healthy Workplaces Initiative and the Regulators intentions for increased […]

What common language can we use to bridge cultures in health and safety? What do you do when leading a global team who don’t see risks that we Aussie WHS professionals think are obvious? What can safety look like in sedentary or lower risk work environments? Wendy Demarte has spent almost a decade championing the […]

Have you ever experienced a workplace bully and not known how to handle them? Have you worked out how to give a voice to your values and stand up for what you feel is right at work? Do you know your individual risk factors or that of your team which could lead to poor mental […]

Can we rewire our brain to improve focus and awareness? And in doing so what impact can this have on injuries and safety outcomes? What are some ways we can practise mindfulness to boost resilience and workplace mental health? This episode I chat with Sally Cumming of Engage Health. Sally is a certified mindfulness practitioner […]

In this episode I share Andrew Barretts interview with me on his Safety on Tap Podcast which if you’re not already subscribed to and are a WHS professional, then I highly recommend. As an upcoming speaker at the Safety Institute of Australia National Conference in May Andrew probes me for DIY, done with you and […]

What does your professional development look like? Do you have a coach challenging you to ‘do the work’ to become a more effective leader? How much influence do you have in your workplace? What are you doing to boost this? Today I interview a fellow podcaster who’s become a great friend. Andrew Barrett is host […]

What does it mean to do Safety Differently? How much could we move health and safety forward by sharing our failures not just our wins? What if you as the leader DIDN’T have to have all the answers? What could work look like if we challenged the systems and practises designed to control rather than […]

Are you a safety leader who wants to go beyond just compliance and check lists? Who wants safety to be regarded as more than an a** covering exercise motivated by fear of fines and prosecution? Who wants to see business leaders value their employees security and regard their efforts as part of GREAT work? Who […]

Are you responsible for injury prevention in your workplace and looking for a more innovative approach? Have you flogged manual handling training to death and failed to see marked improvements in injury rates? Are you open-minded about technology and keen to boost efficiency and effectiveness of injury data analytics? Well if so, you’re in the […]

If money is the leading cause of stress, why don’t we talk more about it more? Why don’t we focus on stewarding not just earning money at work? How can workplaces proactively support their people with financial literacy? What are some simple ways we can cultivate healthy money habits and plan for retirement? Today I’m […]

If you were to design the workplace of tomorrow what would be in it? If money wasn’t an issue should ALL employees be issued a sit-stand desk? Does standing impact on heart health or just injury risk? How much standing is too much? All of these questions will be address in today’s episode of the Fit […]

We’re back with Season 2 of the Fit for Work Podcast! We hope to continue our mission of supporting you to make your workplace GREAT and strengthen your conviction that looking after people is not just the RIGHT thing to do but the SMART thing to do. What you can expect for Season 2: Fortnightly […]

Let’s picture for a minute your dream workplace… -What would it look like? -What sort of culture would be present? -What would leadership look like? -What value would be placed on health? -What attitude would people have to Safety? -What level of engagement and productivity would exist? Hosting the Fit for Work Podcast has really […]

PART 2 -Have you ever lost a work mate to suicide? -Have you ever seen a mate struggling but not know if it were your place to ask or the right words to say? -Does your role require of you to look out for the safety of your workforce, but your not sure how best […]

PART 1 -Why is it that a construction worker is 71% more likely to die by suicide? -What trades and demographics have the highest mental health and suicide risk? -What ripple effect could we create by empowering the workforce to own their own mental health program? In this episode of the Fit for Work Podcast […]

DOWN TO EARTH SAFETY FOR SMEs  Are you from a SME who’s Safety manual is so thick and heavy it could take a life? Are you the type who wants to run and hide when your first aid & CPR training comes knocking? Or maybe you’re convinced that Safety is dry, boring and inefficient? Be challenged by […]

COLLABORATE: SILOS ARE FOR STORAGE NOT HUMANS  Do you sometimes feel frustrated at how long collaboration takes and feel that you could get the job done faster if you just did it yourself? Do you want to be a catalyst for change in your workplace, but feel like your changing strategy more you’re your changing […]

HOW TO TURN YOUR WORKERS COMP PREMIUMS INTO PROFITS Ever wondered how to measure Lead indicators rather than obsess over Lag indicators? Ever wondered how your response to an injured worker effects their recovery Ever wondered where to find budget to channel into prevention initiatives? Well keep listening as Mark Stipic of Mark Stipic Consulting […]

WHY THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY NEEDS WELLBEING This episode was birthed from a disappointment I experienced this past week. Its birthed out of a rejection of wellbeing on a construction project.  And its birthed from my strong conviction that the construction industry NEEDS wellbeing more than any other industry. So rather than licking my wounds or […]

Today we’re mixing things up on the Fit for Work Podcast. Enjoy this recording of my chat with Nicole van Hattem when I was a guest on her Hot and Healthy Podcast. On this episode of the podcast Nicole and I cover: – how your colleagues could be making you fat and sick – how you can […]

THE MODERN DAY APPROACH OF THE WHS REGULATOR Do you respond better to carrots or sticks? Do you bury your head in the sand and hope nothing breaks in your sandbox? Is your only encounter with the regulator when audits or disasters strike? Or are you proactive and keep the regulator close seeing them as […]

Keep calm and…become emotionally intelligent Keep Calm and… punch out that report Keep Calm and… say smart stuff in high-pressure meetings Keep Calm and… be a nice person to be around In this episode I chat with Claire Ebstein, head of Proactive Services with Bodycare Workplace Solutions who shares with us how we can Keep […]

Leading the legends and the laggards in your workplace Do you regard yourself as an early adopter or a laggard? How much time should we spend managing laggards or rebels in the workplace? What key ingredients build a positive, engaged and trusting culture? In this episode I chat with Garry Davis of the StyleWise Group […]

BREAKING OUT OF THE SAFETY COMFORT ZONE People are the solution not the problem Safety is the presence of positives rather than the absence of negatives AND Safety is an ethical responsibility not a bureaucratic activity These 3 principles shape the ideals of tier 1 construction company LORAC’s Safety approach called Next Gear. In this […]

WILL A ROBOT TAKE YOUR JOB? Should a good safety professional make themselves redundant? Could technology replace the role of the safety professional or worker in general? How can you maximise your ‘human’ to robot-proof your role? These questions and many more I mull over in my chat with Sarah-Jane Dunford owner of Riskology Consulting […]

RALLYING WORKPLACE WELLNESS AMBASSADORS Does wellbeing often feel like a tac on in your workplace? Does it get lost in the operational priorities of the business? How and why do we need to enlist Workplace Wellness Ambassadors? In this episode I interview Lisa Kelly president of Kelly Wellness Consulting. Lisa has been impacting workplaces for […]

eHEALTH TRENDS HELPING WORKPLACES ‘RUN’ Do I actually stand at my bedside marching on the spot until my steps tick over to 10,000? …sometimes yes. Do iWatch users really care whether they close those daily activity rings? …absolutely! Has Michelle Bridges 12WBT online fitness program really helped people lose 1,145,958kg? …apparently so. Technology today is quite […]

WELLNESS RITUALS = WORKPLACE RESULTS Are you an all or nothing person when it comes to your health? Do you snap back from your sedentary slumber to tackle a triathlon? Do you try and eat the elephant in one go believing that the will power and mental fortitude you exercise at work will win over […]

HOW TO IDENTIFY THE MENTAL HEALTH PULSE OF YOUR WORKPLACE 1 in 4 Aussies experience anxiety each year (Beyond blue). 1 in 7 Aussies experience depression each year (Black Dog Institute). 45% of us suffer from a mental illness in our lifetime (Beyond Blue). So if mental illness effects almost half of us, it impacts EVERY […]

COMMUNICATION THAT CONNECTS: For the few who move the many How do we embed health and safety? How do we create ambassadors for health and safety? How do we get people to care? How do we make health and safety sexy? How do we make health and safety simple? In this episode I interview Jen […]

BECOME A CORPORATE ATHLETE What do elite cricketers have in common with elite corporates? How does focusing on what’s RIGHT with you and your organisation boost performance? What tools can you add to your toolkit to become a corporate athlete? Welcome to episode 13 of the Fit for Work Podcast. Today I’m speaking with Rory […]

LINKING WELLBEING TO PRODUCTIVITY, ROI AND ROV What evidence is there for linking wellbeing to productivity? Why do we want to consider ROV as well as ROI in workplaces? How can we mitigate people risk and what ways do government and insurance bodies actually incentivise businesses to take a proactive approach to health and safety? […]

HOW TO CREATE BRAIN-FRIENDLY WORKPLACES THAT OUTPERFORM Have you ever had moments where your brain hurts? Not like a headache but in a way that makes you feel you’re working against rather than with your brain? Maybe you’re a chronic multi-tasker, get constant interruptions or pull all nighters – fuelled by caffeine – to knock over […]

NEW YEAR NEW VIEW Paul and I team up to share our secrets for setting up the new year well. 10 STEP RECIPE FOR LIVING YOUR YEAR BY DESIGN RATHER THAN DEFAULT 1. Create a Vision STATEMENT ‘My Dream Life’ Write this in the present tense and ask yourself the question “It’s 31st December 2017, you’re […]

BEING HOT AND HEALTHY IN BUSINESS Whats your definition of success? Did you even make it up or did society, company culture or even your parents dictate it to you? As one year draws to a close and we knock on the door of a new year, I thought this powerful message from Nicole van […]

DESK DWELLERS SAVE YOUR SPINE Do you have a job that requires you to conquer the world via keyboard or stoop over for long periods? Does your back, neck and shoulders complain about it? Have you got grand intentions to keep good posture, but naturally you forget after 2mins of conscientious effort. Don’t worry that’s […]

FIGHTING FATIGUE AND ENGAGING MEN How do we best engage men in health behaviour change? What are some simple habits we can practice to fight fatigue? Why is mental health such an issue in FIFO and what can we do about it? Welcome to Episode 7 of the Fit for Work Podcast. In this episode […]

DIVERSITY IS YOUR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE What’s the business case for engineering diversity into our teams? What can HR do to promote diversity – gender, race, ethnicity, age or otherwise – into the workplace? Do safety professionals need to learn ‘business speak’ to future-proof their role? Welcome to episode 6 of the the Fit for Work […]

In this episode we dissect the hot topic of cultural change in the workplace. As a leader do you often find you’re at the mercy of a skinny budget and threatening deadline that limits your ability to proactively change culture because you’re always chasing your tail or keeping a closed grip on those purse strings? Or maybe […]

Do you want to learn how to be the calmest guy in the room? Are you curious to learn how thinking about thinking – or Metacognition – can actually help to make you healthier, safer, more engaged and more productive? What is social genomics and does it actually make a difference to your health and […]

Are you really leading, or just taking a walk? Without followers, leaders are just out for a walk. Are you an aspiring leader, influencer or change-agent in your workplace and want ‘followers’, so you’re not just ‘going for a walk’ all by yourself? In this episode of the Fit for Work Podcast, gain insights from […]

Do you want to create a Workplace Wellbeing Program that “Works Well for Beings”? Are you a WHS or HSE professional who’s lost or been robbed of your ‘H’? Merv Neal challenges us to have REAL and relevant ‘H’ conversations. He also shares 7 areas of Workplace Health for individuals as well as organisations and […]

Do you sometimes struggle to connect the dots between making business and life meaningful? Or do you lead people who lack passion, ‘oomph’ and motivation? Today I’m talking to Phill Nosworthy who offers 6 keys to unlocking meaning and motivation in your workplace. Plus oh so much more… Phill is a dynamite guest who is […]

Welcome to the very first episode of the Fit for Work Podcast. If you’re a health, safety or HR professional or business leader that wants to take your workplace from good to great, then you’re in the right place. Through the Fit for Work Podcast, we’ll endeavour to serve you up a weekly FEAST of […]