Are Psychosocial Hazards Present in Your Workplace?

When change keeps coming, your leaders plan harder and work longer to protect their teams, and nobody counts the cost. In this fourth episode of Season 8, The Change Diaries, hosts Katie Beresford, CEO of The Michelle McQuaid Group, and Dr Michelle McQuaid go behind the scenes of the training Michelle has spent the past month running with more than 500 leaders across hospitals, schools, government...

Are restructures causing distress and fatigue for your leaders and teams? We've found that whether people feel safe enough to be honest early about how a change is landing is the single biggest difference between changes that succeed and changes that don't. In this episode, Katie takes us behind the scenes of a large educational institution navigating a restructure, senior leadership changes and n...

How are you protecting your team's strengths, confidence and connection as AI tools become part of everyday work? Our research found that burnt out workers who regularly use AI are using their strengths at less than half the rate of those who rarely use it, are carrying noticeably more self-doubt, and are more likely to turn to a chatbot than a colleague when they're stuck. In this episode, Michel...

How are you defining and measuring success when it comes to minimizing psychosocial risks? We found that when people's hopes in new controls waver, their levels of energy and  commitment to the changes soon follow. In this episode, Katie takes us behind the scenes of a large regional council to share how they set a clear goal for success when it came to addressing a range of psychosocial challenge...

One in 3 workers are carrying grief about the changes happening at work — and our data suggests this runs deeper than just sadness: layers of feeling invisible, abandoned, and distrusted by the people making decisions. In this fourth episode of Season 7 — The Change Fatigue Remedy Series — Dr Michelle McQuaid sits down with Dr Margaret Wheatley, renowned teacher, advisor, and author of Restoring S...

What if  what's  defeating us  isn't  the speed of change but the complexity — multiple crises amplifying each other in ways that no forecasting tool was ever built to handle? In this third episode of Season 7 — The Change Fatigue Remedy Series — Dr Michelle McQuaid sits down with Dr Margaret Heffernan, professor of practice at the University of Bath and author of  Embracing Uncertainty , to explo...

Nearly 1  in 2 American workers are quietly fatiguing, cracking, or burning out right now — but the data reveals that these  aren't   just different  degrees of the same thing. In this episode of Season 7 — The Change Fatigue Remedy Series — Katie Beresford interviews Dr Michelle McQuaid about the findings of the most recent US Change Lab study, and what the data tells us about where people are on...

When change keeps coming, research suggests the way we talk to ourselves is making it harder. In this first episode of Season 7 — The Change Fatigue Remedy Series — Michelle explores with Dr Kristin Neff what it practically looks like to be a wiser, kinder friend to yourself when things get hard: why "I should be handling this better" is your threat system talking, not the truth, and what to do in...

Understand what makes it safe enough to admit mistakes, ask for help, and learn alongside each other — even when you're struggling. In this final episode of our special bonus season, hosts Dr Michelle McQuaid and Evie Wright share the powerful mantra "stay with me" — the opposite of abandoning ourselves when things get hard. With insights from self-compassion researcher Dr Kristin Neff and Interna...

Our bodies have to calm down before our thoughts can follow — and this is the step most of us skip. In this second episode of our special bonus season, hosts Dr Michelle McQuaid and Evie Wright share practical body-based tools you can use anywhere, anytime: in meetings, during difficult conversations, or mid-presentation (without anyone noticing). With guest insights from somatic expert Nahid de B...

Discover why the pace of change has left so many of us quietly cracking — and why this isn't a personal energy or resilience failing. In this first episode of our special bonus season, hosts Dr Michelle McQuaid and Evie Wright explore how to decode the signals your nervous system sends: why you say "I'm fine" when you're anything but, or "I'll take care of it" when you're already exhausted. With g...

While new data suggests 58% of changes fail, organizations using human-centered methods achieve 93% success rates. What's the difference? This final episode reveals how the HEART framework helps teams thrive through today's supercycle of change by helping people feel 'safe enough' to embrace not having all the answers, self-organize around actions they care enough to own, and measure success by gr...

Change initiatives often start with such confidence - neat timelines, clear milestones, everyone aligned - yet within weeks things feel messy and unpredictable. What makes the reality so different from the plan? This episode explores why "tiny is mighty" when it comes to navigating complex change. We share the T in our HEART framework with practical tools for embracing polarities rather than false...

Why do some teams emerge from uncertainty stronger and more connected, while others splinter into silos where everyone's fending for themselves? The difference lies in whether people feel safe enough to admit they're struggling and ask for help. This episode reveals why reaching out is often the one simple act standing between you and success during change. We share the R in our HEART framework wi...

Have you ever been in a meeting where someone shares a "big announcement" and you can practically hear everyone's minds turning off? Compare that to times when you're figuring out a problem together with people you trust - same amount of work, totally different feeling. What makes some complex changes feel safe enough to lean into while others feel dead on arrival? This episode explores how to tur...

Ever notice how some changes leave people feeling energized and capable while others leave them exhausted and overwhelmed? What creates this difference? Why do some uncertainties feel like exciting challenges while others trigger that familiar "Oh FUD!" spiral of fear, uncertainty and doubt? This episode explores how to fuel people's confidence, make the most of their capabilities, and help them s...

Why do some people thrive during change while others get completely overwhelmed? It comes down to whether their nervous system feels "safe enough" to stay curious and collaborative. This episode explores how your emotions impact your brain's internal navigation system and energy for change. We share the H in our HEART framework with concrete tools for reading these signals at individual, team, and...

Ever wonder why change feels so much harder than it did in the past? We're in an unprecedented supercycle where disruptions collide and create ongoing "Oh FUD!" responses - Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt that are flooding our nervous systems. Based on our work with organizations around the world, we share why traditional approaches miss what matters most and introduce our HEART framework for support...

Addressing psychosocial safety requirements often creates additional change and potential stress in organizations. This episode explores how to implement safety initiatives without creating the very risks you're trying to prevent. We share practical approaches that reduce overwhelm, build genuine psychological safety, and transform defensive reactions into productive conversations. Discover simple...

Do your people need more tangible skills to manage their own emotional and social responses at work? This episode explores evidence-based tools to help people understand their nervous system responses—whether they're in the "red zone" (urgency), "blue zone" (withdrawal), or "green zone" (connection)—and offers simple techniques like oxytocin shots and bridge-building that restore safety even durin...

Studies consistently find that psychological safety reduces workplace hazards. In this episode, we explore concrete ways to strengthen safety at the "We" level (leaders and teams). We break down our Psychosocial Safety Lego Challenge that transforms abstract concepts into tangible team experiences, discover dynamic techniques to improve role clarity, and help team members find meaning during diffi...

Need to meet organizational psychosocial safety requirements without just ticking boxes? Join us as we explore how OH&S, HR, and wellbeing teams can collaborate on creating risk registers that drive real change. We share practical examples from organizations that have turned compliance into opportunity, engaging leaders and teams in meaningful safety conversations. Discover strategies that not onl...

Boards and CEOs are still learning how to meet psychosocial safety requirements in a way that is both practical and effective. Uncertainty around roles and responsibilities can lead to fragmented efforts and increased risk. This episode explores how HR, OH&S, and wellbeing teams can align their efforts to create workplaces that are both legally compliant and genuinely supportive of employee wellbe...

  At our core, we all have the same basic psychological needs for respect, value, and appreciation. Yet, the diversity in how, when, and where we would like these needs to be met can make the task of ensuring adequate rewards and recognition challenging. But regular informal feedback and formal development reviews can make all the difference. Find out how. [00:38] Michelle and Paige discuss the re...

We all have certain tasks we dread at work. Unfortunately, doing well in our jobs often hinges on our ability to handle these mundane tasks as proficiently as the more interesting ones.   Despite our best efforts to make work more engaging, low job control can make tasks more tedious than they need to be, but five simple job crafting questions give us more freedom?  [00:39] Michelle and Paige disc...