This Working Life looks at how we work and why we work. Lisa Leong explores ideas that are shaping changes in workplaces from practices to culture and leadership, and introduces you to people who have interesting and remarkable stories to tell.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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
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. Guest: Deborah Ancona, Seley Distinguished Professor of Management at MIT's Sloane School of Management HBR article Deborah co-wrote on Family Ghosts in the Executive Suite Producer: Maria Tickle
Would you call yourself an introvert, or an extrovert? Or are you a bit of both? When it comes to personality traits and states, it's not black and white. It's a spectrum. But sometimes we still desire a label or a name for what we are. Many of us have done personality tests for fun, or have been asked to do a psychometric test when applying for a job. Here in Australia, around 40 per cent of recruiters and employers ask candidates or employees to do one of these tests. But how helpful are they, really, when it comes to our work? Guests: Luke Smillie - Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Melbourne Nick Haslam - Professor of Psychology at the University of Melbourne Dr Martin Boult - Psychologist and Senior Director Professional Services at The Myers-Briggs Company, Asia Pacific
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
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
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 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 This episode was first broadcast on 31 May 2021
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
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
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
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 one of our special series we dive into cultural diversity and inclusion at work - what's behind the lack of diversity in leadership roles, and what can be done about it. Guests: Jieh-Yung Lo – Director, Centre for Asian-Australian Leadership at the Australian National University Tim Soutphommasane – Director, Culture Strategy & Acting Director, Sydney Policy Lab, and Professor of Practice (Sociology and Political Theory) at the University of Sydney. Former Race Discrimination Commissioner (2013-2018) Octavia Goredema – Career Coach & Author of PREP, PUSH, PIVOT Jean Jing Yin Sum – Life Transformations Coach & Host, Asian Women Rising
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
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
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
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
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. Guests: Michelle Tuckey, Professor of Work & Organisational Psychology within UniSA Justice & Society and the Centre for Workplace Excellence. Jessica Hickman Founder, Bullyology Neil Gardiner Therese Linton
Do you feel exhausted after being on Zoom? You're not alone. Thanks to COVID-19, we've been on Zoom more than ever. From our day-to-day work to meetings and after-work social catch ups, our time spent video conferencing seems endless and it's tiring us out. Studies have shown that our brains are in overload during these video meetings, and that's leading us to feel emotionally and motivationally exhausted. We've asked the experts what exactly is going on in our heads when we're in an online meeting and how we can reduce and prevent fatigue so we can feel energised and work better. Guests: Professor Julie Bernhardt, Florey Institute of Neuroscience & Mental Health Professor Jeff Hancock, Stanford University
Do you feel exhausted after being on Zoom? You're not alone. Thanks to COVID-19, we've been on Zoom more than ever. From our day-to-day work to meetings and after-work social catch ups, our time spent video conferencing seems endless and it's tiring us out. Studies have shown that our brains are in overload during these video meetings, and that's leading us to feel emotionally and motivationally exhausted. We've asked the experts what exactly is going on in our heads when we're in an online meeting and how we can reduce and prevent fatigue so we can feel energised and work better. Guests: Professor Julie Bernhardt, Florey Institute of Neuroscience & Mental Health Professor Jeff Hancock, Stanford University
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
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.
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.
Let's kickstart this 2022 working life with a few transformative ideas.
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.)
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.
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
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
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
How do you avoid the stress and burnout from too much collaboration?
How reliable is that research data you are collecting and analysing?
How might we individualise our work environment to optimise our performance
Board members play a pivotal role in influencing the culture of their organisations.
What role do your organs and the inner workings of your body play when you're making decisions?
Are you willing to recognise that a different way of thinking is required when you're stuck in a rut?
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?
Not everyone wants to stop working when they reach retirement age.
How do we tap into our inner captain to better lead ourselves and others in times of crisis?
From finding love to making the incredibly weighty call to lockdown a city, when you put yourself out there and accept a secondment, you never know where it might lead. And if you have a hunger to learn on the job, there is no faster way. GUESTS: Professor Allen Cheng, former Victorian Deputy Chief Health Officer, director of infection prevention at Alfred Health Dr Amanda Lizier, workplace and professional learning lecturer and researcher, University of Technology, Sydney Kearyn Klue, operational performance consultant on secondment in gas industry James Law, chief people officer at Estimate One
Women at the top of their game share their stories about the good, the bad and the ugly of power in the workplace. And to you blokes out there, this isn't a "stacks on men", it's really worth a listen. (Hear part one from last week about why power makes you more likely to cheat, steal, talk over people and swear at work here.) GUESTS Laura, former analyst turned entrepreneur Juliet Bourke, adjunct professor at UNSW Business School Kate Jenkins, Sex Discrimination Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission. Zoe Routh, leadership expert and trainer and author of People Stuff Producer: Maria Tickle (This program was first broadcast on February 15, 2021.)
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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