Psych Health and Safety Podcast

In this episode, hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Jason Rawding, founder of MyBeast. Jason shares the different ways that humour can be used in workplaces to create or enhance psychological safety. He talks about different types of humour and the elements that contribute to humour, and emphasises that humour is a skill that can be developed and refined. https://www.mybeast.life/

In this episode, hosts Jason and Joelle chat with returning guest Sandra Lam, Organisational Psychologist and Managing Director at FIFO Focus. We chat about a recently published WHS Undertaking between Cobar Management and the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. Sandra shares her views on the remedial measures outlined in the published Enforcement, and suggests alternative measures that may have more impact.

In this episode, hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Dr Louise Deacon, psychological health and safety consultant at Thought:Process. Louise shares insights from her PhD research exploring how Officers conduct their due diligence duties in relation to psychosocial risk.

CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains references to suicide In this episode, UK hosts Peter and Kate chat with Kelly Nicoll, President and Chair of Council for the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH). She shares her observations on generational differences in perspectives on mental health and stigma, and discusses the importance of mental health within the safety profession.

In this episode, Australian hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Joana Faustino, Chartered Psychologist and Principle Health and Wellbeing Specialist at The Rail Safety and Standards Board. Joana takes us through the RSSB's 'Mental Wellbeing in Rail: Achieving Change' project and shares learnings and next steps.

This episode is the second episode in a two-part series. Host Kim MacDonald and guest Dr. Leah Ringwald discuss the Conference Board's study into social connection in Canadian workplaces, titled, Real Connections in a Virtual World: Designing Remote Workplaces for Social Connections. Dr. Leah Ringwald is the Conference Board of Canada's associate director of health and human capital and research lead on workplace mental health and well-being.

In this episode Australian hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Luka Campbell, Director National Regulatory Programs, and Kathy Naumczyk, Assistant Director Psychosocial Regulation at Comcare. Luka and Kathy take us through Comcare's recently published psychosocial Code of Practice and talk about their psychosocial inspection program. https://www.comcare.gov.au/scheme-legislation/whs-act/comcare-inspections/psychosocial-inspections

CONTENT WARNING: The conversation in this episode mentions suicide In this episode, UK host Peter Kelly chats with Sarah Ambrose, Business Psychologist. They talk about recent trends in how UK businesses have been perceiving and prioritising worker wellbeing, and Sarah shares her reflections as a member of the drafting panel establishing a standard for suicide prevention.

In this episode, Australian hosts Jason and Joelle chat with returning guest Dr Michelle Tuckey, Professor of Work & Organisational Psychology at the University of South Australia. Building on her bullying research, Michelle gives us the inside scoop into her latest research project focused on cultivating systemic safety to prevent workplace sexual harassment. She shares the three-year plan for the project, early hypotheses, and intended outputs.

In this episode Ian Lewis interviews Megan Hunter to explore the dynamics of being an internal or external consultant to an organization and modelling psychological safety while doing psychological health and safety. It seems intuitive but one needs to be reminded organizations need to have pre-requisite trust and psychological safety to do the work required to gather, disclose, and contextualize their data. They also go on a short rabbit trail about why Canadians often begin events and episodes with a land acknowledgment and honour indigenous people.

In this episode, Australian hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Dr Leanne Faulkner, entrepreneur and small business owner. We chat about Leanne's PhD research exploring the psychosocial safety of micro-business owners and sole-traders.

In this episode, Australian hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Dr Jacqueline Drew, Associate Professor with the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice and Griffith Criminology Institute, at Griffith University. Jacqui shares findings from her research into the interactions between job demands and health outcomes in policing. She explains the concept of embitterment, and discusses the role that this plays in the development of, and recovery from, PTSD. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/pijpsm-05-2024-0082/full/html

In this episode, Australian hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Dr William Fleming, Research Fellow at the Wellbeing Research Centre in the University of Oxford. William shares insights from his research that shone a light on the ineffectiveness of individual-level interventions for mental health outcomes in workplace settings.

In this episode, Australian hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Catherine Dunlop, Partner and Board Member at Maddocks. Catherine explains the recent Australian High Court case involving Vision Australia. The Court awarded the plaintiff $1.5 million in damages following a "sham" disciplinary process resulting in psychological injury. Join us as Catherine breaks down the facts of the case and shares her views on what employers should learn from this case.

In this episode, Canadian host Kim MacDonald sits down with Steven Mah, a seasoned keynote speaker, instructor, counselling therapist, and safety professional, to explore the critical role of workplace culture as a psychosocial factor. Steven shares his insights on how workplace culture influences employee well-being, engagement, and overall mental health. From leadership behaviors to team dynamics and organizational norms, he unpacks the hidden forces that shape the daily experiences of workers.

In this special live recording episode of the Psych Health and Safety podcast from PHSCON 2024, Australian co-hosts Jason van Schie and Joelle Mitchell chat with Professor Christina Maslach about her foundational research on burnout. They talk about the initial inspiration for why Christina chose to focus her research on the topic and how the understanding of burnout has evolved since she first coined the term. They discuss burnout misconceptions, and the best ways to prevent burnout at work from the evidence-base.

In this episode, UK hosts Peter and Kate chat with Nancy Hey, Director of Evidence & Insight at Lloyd's Register Foundation. Nancy shares her broad strategic perspective on workplace wellbeing and psychosocial safety within the wider context of social determinants of health. She speaks to the significant role of leaders and in particular middle managers, and emphasises the importance of upskilling these roles appropriately to set them up for success.

In this special live recording episode of the Psych Health and Safety podcast from PHSCON 2024, Australian co-hosts Jason van Schie and Joelle Mitchell chat with Dr Michael Leiter about his book ‘The Burnout Challenge'. In the fun and revealing conversation, they discuss the importance of the design of work as the fundamental way to prevent burnout. Michael also provides suggestions for how to address burnout symptoms personally, and for leaders, he gives examples of what can be done at a team level to support the mental wellbeing of staff.

THIS IS A REPLAY OF EPISODE #207 The Psych Health and Safety Podcast will be returning 14th January 2025! In this episode Australian hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Dr John Fitzgerald, Mentally Healthy Work Lead at WorkSafe New Zealand. We explore a research report recently published by WorkSafe examining the role of work factors in suicide. John details the research purpose, methodology, and findings, and shares his key takeaway messages arising from the research. https://www.worksafe.govt.nz/research/work-related-suicide-examining-the-role-of-work-factors-in-suicide/

THIS IS A REPLAY OF EPISODE 213 The Psych Health and Safety Podcast will be returning 14th January 2025! In this episode, Australian hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Dr Benjamin Ostrowski, Senior Behavioural Researcher at Atlassian. Ben shares insights and findings from his ongoing internal research with Atlassian's Team Anywhere, exploring a range of outcomes in distributed work teams including productivity, innovation, and mental health. https://www.atlassian.com/blog/distributed-work/distributed-work-report

THIS IS A REPLAY OF EPISODE #85 FROM THE PSYCH HEALTH AND SAFETY PODCAST CANADA The Psych Health and Safety Podcast will be returning 14th January 2025! In this episode Ian speaks with Dr. Sandra Moll and they discuss why and how the peer support apps PeerOnCall (https://www.oncallapp.ca/) and Beyond Silence (https://www.beyondsilence.ca/) can provide game-changing early intervention for public safety personnel and healthcare workers. Early intervention can prevent a significant degree of harm and suffering. Sandra describes the design, implementation, and function of the apps. Currently the apps are in a research phase where they are researching "what works for whom in what context" to optimize efforts. In the podcast we review how peer support fits in the continuum of workplace mental health recommended by the WHO and why apps and the real people they connect can have a great impact. Peer support is one of many tools and having the right service at the right time can be critical to obtaining early support. PeerOnCall evaluation research was funded by Movember, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). Beyond Silence research was funded by CIHR and PHAC. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of the Government of Canada.

THIS IS A REPLAY OF EPISODE #192 The Psych Health and Safety Podcast will be returning 14th January 2025! In this episode Australian hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Dr. Cynthia Mathieu, Author and Professor of Organizational Behavior at Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières. We chat about her book, Dark Personalities in the Workplace, and her ongoing research into dark personalities in the workplace. https://cynthiamathieu.com/en/

In this episode of the Psych Health and Safety podcast, Australian co-hosts Jason van Schie and Joelle Mitchell discuss highlights from 2024 in a ‘Spotify Wrapped' inspired episode. Top 5 highlights from the year include the inaugural PHSCON conference (and a lookahead to the 2025 edition), new colleagues at FlourishDx, turning customer problems into new software features, delivering 3 professional practice cohort-programs for about 100 HSE and P&C professionals, and recognising the contributions of the amazing Psych Health and Safety podcast team.

In this episode, UK hosts Peter and Kate chat with Elizabeth Bachrad, Population Health Strategist. Elizabeth discusses the application of nudge theory to mental health, and reflects on the quality of data about the conditions that enable good health and how to leverage them.

https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/usd/research-handbook-of-academic-mental-health-9781803925073.html?srsltid=AfmBOoqSsmnxPvFc57GLIkcxDbGOAqHDGA7uaYt8xjxu9O0eAxPV8QSE

In this conversation, co-host Erin O'Byrne and guest Ryan Hopkins, Chief Impact Officer of jaaq.org discuss the critical importance of data-driven approaches to help psychological health & safety. They explore the paradox of well-being and how a Turkish phrase can help transform a workplace culture through small, actionable changes to create a positive impact. Ryan shares his personal journey with mental health challenges and outlines the cumulative business impact of 1% better each day. This discussion also highlights the importance of creating space in our workloads and the challenges faced by employers. You will learn some key resources available to you and your workplaces, and be inspired by a future vision beyond bikes and bananas and into a fully integrated way of working where everyone can thrive.

In this episode, Australian hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Dr Karina Jorritsma, Professor of Practice at Curtin University's Future of Work Institute. Karina shares insights from a recent project developing toolkits to assist first responder organisations in preventing psychological harm.

In this episode, UK hosts Peter and Kate chat with Treena Reilkoff, Trauma Informed Conflict Management Specialist at TLR Solutions 4 Conflict. They discuss the importance of psychological health and safety within mediation, the impact of trauma, and how psychosocial controls can be applied to protect the health and safety of all parties involved in mediation.

In this episode, Australian hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Anna Dawson, Organisational Psychologist and Board Director. Anna shares her views on the role of the Board in relation to psychosocial safety, and offers guidance on what good governance looks like, with tips for WHS professionals who want to make psychosocial safety simple for the Board.

In this episode, Ian Lewis interviews Catherine Wilcox of Translink, one of Canada's largest integrated transit systems comprised of boats, buses, trains, and trams and a large workforce of operators, support technicians, public safety personnel, and corporate support. Translink has extensive experience in critical incident response and now are leaning into prevention and increasing workplace support in their wellbeing strategy. Please join us as Catherine describes how they leveraged existing listening and feedback channels to develop, not impose. a well-being strategy.

In this Expert Series episode, Australian hosts Jason and Joelle discuss key considerations to ensure your psychosocial safety activities move beyond ad-hoc to embedded. In this practical and broad-ranging conversation they consider board/exec reporting, risk ownership, process ownership, incident response and competence building.

In this episode, UK host Peter Kelly chats with Emma Meenan, Head of Health and Safety at London Luton Airport. Emma shares about the process involved in achieving certification against ISO 45003.

You can read the full paper here: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0306065

In this episode, guest host Erin O'Byrne sits down with Megan Wilson and Mike Armson from Sklar, Wilton & Associates, marketing and strategy consultancy, to delve into the company's unique internal culture and the impact of their Headway program on external clients. They explore how their Helping Quotient and culture of feedback were developed, detailing the evolution of their mental health initiatives both within the organization and beyond. The discussion also highlights the challenges faced by employees and organizations, emphasizing the importance of proactive measures.

https://www.hpma.org.uk/download/when-we-do-harm/When work harms: how better understanding of avoidable employee harm can improve employee safety, patient safety and healthcare quality | BMJ LeaderFrontiers | The last resort: reducing avoidable employee harm by improving the application of the disciplinary policy and process (frontiersin.org)The organisational harm, economic cost and workforce waste of unnecessary disciplinary investigations | British Journal of Healthcare Management (magonlinelibrary.com)The impact of poorly applied human resources policies on individuals and organisations | British Journal of Healthcare Management (magonlinelibrary.com)

In this episode, Ian Lewis speaks with Leora Hornstein of Cenovus Energy, a leading international energy with a substantial presence in Western Canada. She has been with Cenovus for 8 years and is currently the Well-being Specialist, leading well-being at the company. She is also a Registered Nurse, Certified Occupational Health Nurse, and a trained fitness and Yoga instructor. Cenovus was recently awarded the 2023 Workplace Well-being Award through the Canadian Positive Psychology Association. You can connect with Leora on LinkedIn > https://www.linkedin.com/in/leorahornsteinwellbeingleader/ and read more about recent efforts at Cenovus here > https://calgarychamber.com/prioritizing-mental-health-with-cenovus

In this episode of the Psych Health and Safety podcast, Australian hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Dr Kate Harris of North Adelaide Local Health Network regarding the application of risk matrices to psychosocial risk. During the discussion, they talk about her experience leading a project with various stakeholders to build a contextually relevant risk matrix for psychosocial risk in healthcare. This included how to effectively consult with stakeholders, as well as the modifications required to standard 5x5 matrices to incorporate the complexities of how psychosocial hazards cause harm.

In this Expert Series expert, UK hosts Peter and Kate chat about the importance of considering exposure when understanding the risk associated with psychosocial hazards. They explore the concept of sources of exposure and whether this should have implications to organisational risk management activities.

In this episode, Australian hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Millie Thompson, Manager of Workplace Wellbeing at the Ministry of Social Development in New Zealand. Millie draws from her extensive experience in the public sector to share her views on the psychosocial challenges that are either unique to or exacerbated by the nature of public service.

This episode is the first in a two-part series. Host Kim MacDonald and guest Dr. Leah Ringwald discuss the Conference Board's study into social connection in Canadian workplaces, titled, Real Connections in a Virtual World: Designing Remote Workplaces for Social Connections. Dr. Leah Ringwald is the Conference Board of Canada's associate director of health and human capital and research lead on workplace mental health and well-being. In this episode, Kim and Dr. Ringwald discuss phase 1 of the study, the topic of social connection and its relationship to psychological health and safety, workplace mental health, and well-being. Dr. Ringwald will return as a guest following the completion of phase 2, a Canadian national survey and in-depth qualitative research to be released in the fall of this year. Useful resources from the episode: - The study's phase 1 report (discussed during the podcast): https://www.conferenceboard.ca/product/real-connections-in-a-virtual-world_2024/ - To reach out to Dr. Ringwald: https://www.conferenceboard.ca/team-members/leah-ringwald/ - The Conference Board's Human Resources research: https://www.conferenceboard.ca/focus-areas/human-resources/ - The Conference Board's Workplace Mental Health Research Centre: https://www.conferenceboard.ca/research-centre/wmhc/

In this episode, Australian hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Emma Peterson, Partner at Russell McVeagh. Emma provides legal insights into a recent case in the New Zealand Employment Court involving Associate Professor Siouxie Wiles and the University of Auckland. The Court found in favour of Dr Wiles in relation to ongoing harassment she had received from members of the public. Emma takes us through the key elements of the claim, the steps taken by the University, the Court findings, and lessons for employers arising from this case.

In this episode, UK hosts Peter and Kate chat with Sarah Gashier. Sarah shares from her time in leading the London Healthy Workplace Awards, and provides some insights into the micro award category for organisations with fewer than 10 employees. Sarah then shares her experiences of workplace harassment and discrimination associated with invisible disabilities.

In this Expert Series episode, Australian hosts Jason and Joelle discuss key topics they have seen first-hand influence key stakeholders to speed up the adoption of a psychosocial safety strategy. The discussion revolved around 1) The role of legislation and enforcement of new WHS regulations, 2) elevating the profile of psychosocial risks by adding it to WHS critical risks, and 3) Leveraging common goals regarding sexual harassment prevention and psychosocial investigations to align HR and HSE functions.

In this episode, Australian hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Dr Roxane Gervais, Principal Psychologist at Practical Psychology Consultancy Ltd, and Dr Prue Millear, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of the Sunshine Coast. We chat about their current research into serious leisure and its role in work recovery. They are currently recruiting participants to help with their research - listeners who are interested can learn more via this link: https://uniofsunshinecoast.syd1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eE9nUJBeY8dZ0Dc

In this episode, Australian hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Dr Rachael Potter, Research Fellow for Justice and Society at the University of South Australia. We discuss her recently published paper developing a National Policy Index for worker mental health, involving input from 45 diverse countries. Rachael speaks to her methodology and findings, and shares insights she has collected through taking a global perspective on workplace mental health. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925753524000183

In this episode, Australian hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Liz Payne, Head of Organisational Development & Learning at the Southern Eastern Sydney Local Health District and most recently, the chair of the inaugural Psych Health and Safety Conference (PHS Con 2024). During this lively conversation, Liz, Joelle and Jason recap highlights from the PHS Con 2024. This included the live podcast recordings with Michael Leiter and Christina Maslach of burnout fame, the fantastic interview of USA podcast I. David Daniels on inclusivity in crafting psychologically healthy work, the emotional and inspiring interview of Zagi Kozarov on her High Court battle, the insights delivered by regulators, and the 10-year anniversary panel of the integrated approach to workplace mental health. Missed the conference? Post-event access is now available at www.phscon.com

In this episode, Australian hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Megan Alderson, Founding Director The Strand Veterinarian and Creator of the Vet Thrive Wellness Programme. Megan speaks about the mental health challenges facing the veterinary industry, and shares details of a program she developed and implemented to improve wellbeing in veterinary practice - and won the HRNZ Supreme Award.

In this episode, Australian hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Dr Benjamin Ostrowski, Senior Behavioural Researcher at Atlassian. Ben shares insights and findings from his ongoing internal research with Atlassian's Team Anywhere, exploring a range of outcomes in distributed work teams including productivity, innovation, and mental health. https://www.atlassian.com/blog/distributed-work/distributed-work-report

In this episode, UK hosts Peter and Kate chat with Stavroula Leka, Professor of Organisations Work and Health at Lancaster University. Stavroula shares her recollections from her time as the convenor of the working group for ISO 45003, and offers insights into global policy and legislative changes in relation to psychological health and safety.

In this episode, Australian hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Mike Hagan, HR and WHS Consultant at Mike Hagan Consulting Services. Mike shares insights from his experiences working across Safety and Human Resources to implement psychological health and safety in a large multinational. Key issues and challenges include implementing psychosocial surveys, accessing organisational data, managing resources and capacity, and navigating internal territorial or political issues.

In this episode, UK hosts Peter and Kate chat with Sara Flanagan, Global Wellbeing Director at Boston Consulting Group. Sara shares from her experiences in implementing psychological health and safety internally within professional services firms, both at a national and at a global level.