This Working Life

It’s time to plan for the changes you want to make at work this year. What are you trying to do differently, and how are you going to make that happen?  Learn how to understand your behaviours and form new habits to improve your work life.  Guests: Dr Kelvin Wong , clinical psychologist and senior lecturer, Swinburne University  Dr BJ Fogg , behaviour scientist and creator of the Tiny Habits metho...

Are you feeling ready to tackle another year at work? Or are you a little detached and uninspired?   Many of us are kicking off the new year by asking, ‘why are we here’ ?! So what is it about the culture of work that’s leading to that feeling ? And what can we do about it?  Guest: Jennifer Moss , workplace culture strategist, author, Why Are We Here: Creating a Work Culture Everyone Wants

Friction is everywhere - from our systems to our relationships at work. But there’s good news - not all friction is bad and if you know how, you can be a friction fixer. Robert (Bob) Sutton is Professor of Organizational Behaviour at Stanford Business School and co-author of The Friction Project. He takes us through the different types of friction and how we can fix it. Meanwhile, we hear personal...

Our childhood phantasy careers (different to fantasy with an ‘f’) help uncover our unconscious motivations and can unlock job satisfaction in our careers. Here’s how to figure out yours. Guest: Paul Harvey - Lecturer and Executive Coach at the INSEAD Business School And thanks to Afrouz, Karen and Ryan for sharing their stories. This story was first broadcast on 19 May 2024

It’s estimated we make up to 35,000 decisions every day so how can you make better decisions at work?  Before you start drawing up pros and cons lists, listen to this episode to hear how you can make decisions with less stress and a lot more satisfaction - from small everyday ones, to big ones like changing career. Guests: Dr Ellen Langer - Professor of Psychology, Harvard University. Author, The...

Have you ever been in a room with a leader who has you hanging on every word, and leaves you feeling inspired?  Some would say that person has  ‘executive presence’.  But what do they have really?  And are the qualities that make employees willing to really listen to and follow a leader, changing? Guests: Colin James , speaker, lead facilitator, executive coach, author, How to Influence Anyone, An...

Put a pin in it, leverage that, circle back, LMK (let me know) - ugh! Some of us are drawn to use jargon and buzzwords, while others are annoyed by them. Learn when and how to use jargon so that you can avoid miscommunication at work. Guests: Dr Howie Manns, senior lecturer in linguistics, Monash University A/Professor  Zachariah Brown , Hong Kong University of Science and Technology This story wa...

Close relationships can contribute to personal happiness, and that can extend to work too. But can having besties at work sometimes get in the way of organisational goals, or cause other problems?  Get some tips on how to manage the roles of friend and co-worker at the same time.  Guests:  Shelley Rogers , founder, From Mates to Manager  Dr Amanda Ferguson, organisational psychologist  Steph Clark...

Leave entitlements are building up on business balance sheets. At the same time, some employees feel they don't get enough flexibility around when they can take holidays. We explore the reasons why workers are accumulating leave, and what it says about workplace culture in Australia. Guests: Sarah McCann-Bartlett , CEO, Australian Human Resources Institute Dr Libby Sander , Assistant Professor of...

Stepped entry points, heavy doors, images and documents without screen reader access: these are just a few of the things that make work harder for those with a disability.  Hear from two workers about the adjustments and supports they use to help them thrive at work, and an expert explains how to design a workplace that’s accessible, for the benefit of everyone. Guests: Teresa, support worker Jame...

Many returning ex-pats who have worked overseas find it hard to transition back to work in their home country, and feel their overseas experience is not always welcomed. We get advice on how to plan the career move and learn how to support a fellow Australian who is trying to break back into the job market here.   Guests: Margot Andersen, founder Insync Network Group Kate McQuestin, CEO  Advance G...

You may love your work, but are you working too much? Despite awareness of burnout, many of us still see working long hours as a badge of honour. We hear from reformed 'workaholics' and experts to uncover how to address our culture of overwork, and what recovery looks like. Guests: Malissa Clark , Associate Professor of industrial-organisational psychology, University of Georgia and author, Never...

The preference for hybrid work is strong among employees and managers alike. So what's the winning formula for communication, workflow and team harmony?

Amazon wants all staff back in the office, and other return to office mandates are being issued here and abroad. But what is the evidence for that being a good idea?

Recorded live at SXSW Sydney 2024, Lisa Leong is joined by a panel of industry leaders to explore the transformative shifts of managers in the not-so-distant future.

How do we go from wanting to do something to actually doing it, and doing it well? According to Organisational Psychologist and Professor Adam Grant, we need to tap into our hidden potential and hone our character skills. Guests: Adam Grant - organisational psychologist, Professor of Psychology, Wharton school at Pennsylvania University. Author, Hidden Potential  Thanks to Siba Diqer, Ali Killaly...

Saying "yes" too often can leave you feeling overwhelmed and perhaps a bit resentful. You might hear yourself saying "yes of course I can" when your inner voice is screaming "no!" So here's how you can say "no" more often at work, without feeling rude. Guests Natalie Lue — Author, The Joy of Saying No Benjamin Law — Writer and broadcaster Hema Kangeson — Founder, The Leaders Circle Bruce Tulgan —...

Experts say balance may not be the best thing to aim for. So is the concept of work life balance itself, flawed?  Learn ways to put life first and make small changes that can help you get more satisfaction in life and work.    Guests: Tim Duggan , author, Work Backwards Dr Stacey Parker , Centre for Business and Organisational Psychology, University of Queensland Carly Hopgood , engineer and work...

You’re doing well in your career and are being steered towards the leadership track.  But it’s a common complaint within organisations that new managers don’t get the right kind of training or support. So how can you prepare? We dig into the essential skills, and the best ways to learn them. Guests: Karina Calder , head of leadership and development, SW Accountants and Advisors  Dr Stacey Ashley,...

Melanie Perkins, Richard Branson, Mark Zuckerberg, and Elon Musk all have one thing in common. They’ve leveraged the entrepreneur mindset to achieve success in business.  Whether you work for yourself or within a larger organisation, what can you borrow from high achievers that’s relevant to your career?  Guests: Rachael Neumann, co-founder, Flying Fox Ventures  Alex Newman,  Professor of Manageme...

You've likely been told to disrupt yourself and get better at dealing with change. But what if rapid change isn’t allowing you to do your best at work? Leadership expert and co-author of Nine Lies About Work, Ashley Goodall, argues that change, for the sake of it, can be counter-productive. So how can we create more stability at work? Guest: Ashley Goodall , leadership expert and author, The Probl...

We know that putting up slides with lots of text, and talking about them at the same time, is not a very engaging way to get your point across in a presentation or training session.  So why is it still happening? And how can we all tell better stories at work?

Awareness of psychosocial safety is growing and we know how destructive bullying can be. Yet incidents continue to occur, with performance management and generational differences creating flashpoints. Despite decades of research and tighter regulations, many organisations struggle to prevent workplace bullying. We find out why, and learn about a prevention program that is making a difference. 

What if instead of adding tasks to your long to do list, you considered what you could take away?  Professor Leidy Klotz has a theory that can help and he’ll teach you how to start subtracting at work. And Dom Price gives a coaching session that will help you stop, reflect and figure out what to let go of. 

You have staff who are neurodivergent, and you want to help them do their best work. What do you need to understand, and what supports should you put in place, to make that happen?  We visit a neurodiverse workplace to find out, and hear from a specialist recruiter who supports neurodivergent employees in large corporate firms.