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 stories from a few This Working Lifers about how they tackled friction in their jobs - thanks to Hamish Thompson, Kate McCallum, and Yashika Nayyar.

Finding it hard to get your brain into gear for the work year?You might feel your mind wandering a bit, daydreaming of being back on the beach.To help you get you back on track, one of the world’s top experts on attention, Dr Gloria Mark from the University of California Irvine, explains how our attention spans have declined and what we can do about it. And Sydney University Associate Professor Paul Ginns provides a simple hack to keep you focused through your work day. 

Feeling a little bit stuck right now? Like you want to progress on something but feel a bit glued up?Why does this happen to us? It turns out getting stuck is not a bug in our system — it's a feature in our success.So how can we get unstuck? Here are some tips and techniques to help you navigate a breakthrough. 

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!"Here's how you can say "no" more often at work, without feeling rude, and what it can do for you and your team in the long term.

Our image and expectation of a good leader is changing, and increasingly we're needing them to use both their head and their heart in making decisions.Leadership expert and author Dr Kirstin Ferguson argues that the art of this type of leadership is knowing what is needed when. So what does this balancing act really look like?

We've seen the Great Resignation, Lying Flat in China and Quiet Quitting. And now we're hearing murmurings of another movement that some are calling 'Anti-Striving'.So what exactly is it? And what will making peace with feeling less ambitious bring us in the long-term?

We've all had to work with 'that' difficult person that we just clash with. It's tense. It's stressful. And it's exhausting.So, do we have to get along to do our best work? Or is it in our best interests to make peace and move on? And how can we best do that? The solutions might surprise you.

When we make a mistake or fail at work we might want the earth to open up and swallow us whole. But what makes a fail ‘right’ and how can we talk about it at work?Amy Edmondson is a Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School. Renowned for her world-leading research into the concept of psychological safety, a crucible movement in the 1990s helped her understand our relationship with failure and how we can better embrace it at work.In her new book Right Kind of Wrong, Amy explains the three archetypes of failure and which ones help us fail in the right way.

We know curiosity is good for us and our work, but few of us actually feel it day to day. So what’s causing this gap?We find some answers and solutions so you can feel more curious in your work and career.

From loud chewing to breathing and keyboard tapping, many of you have your pet peeves when it comes to sounds at work that drive you to distraction.But for some of you, it’s a disorder that can cause extreme reactions like anger, panic, and fear. It’s called misophonia and in this episode you’ll understand exactly what it is, how it impacts people at work and what you can do about it.

“If I can just get to Christmas, fall over the finishing line, it’ll all be fixed.”Sounds about right, but unfortunately it’s not true.In this episode we’re diving into why we’re feeling so tired, how it’s impacting our work and what we can do about it while avoiding the ‘Great November’ disease.

“Fiction seems to do something in our brains that nonfiction doesn't.”What was the last book you read? And did you know it gave you something more than just some relaxing downtime?It turns out that books, especially fiction, can develop key skills needed for our careers.Book and short story recommendations mentioned:Poseidon, Franz KafkaThe Helpline, Katherine ColletteOut of Sheer Rage, Geoff Dyer

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.

“I remember I wrote 500 words of my thesis on Christmas Day. I was really proud of that at the time.” Dr Thomas Curran is bruised from the perfection trap but he slowly made his way out of it. But how did he do it? He shares insights from his own experience, unpacks why perfectionism is on the rise, what it can look like at work, and how you can move away from perfectionist tendencies yourself.

They’re not creatures of the night, but creatures in every workplace. Ever had a colleague that left you feeling drained of energy after a conversation? Or perhaps you’ve been feeling low in energy yourself and worried you might be the one sucking the fun out of the room? Either way, we’re here to help. Learn how to identify the workplace energy vampire and arm yourself not with a garlic necklace but with some useful tools to help restore energy levels without drawing blood.

Why do our ‘old’ concepts of “High Performance Team” and "Peak Performance” need a rethink? Recorded live at SXSW Sydney, we interrogate these concepts and why it can lead to burnout, brittleness and budget blowouts. Ben and Aubrey share stories about their own burnout and the powerful role that values can play when it comes to our performance.

Why do our ‘old’ concepts of “High Performance Team” and "Peak Performance” need a rethink? Recorded live at SXSW Sydney, we interrogate these concepts and why it can lead to burnout, brittleness and budget blowouts. Ben and Aubrey share stories about their own burnout and the powerful role that values can play when it comes to our performance.

Ever felt that overwhelming sense that there’s just not enough time to do your job? And that everything is suddenly urgent? How did we get here and how can we stop the urgent work loop? Tips from Dermot Crowley: Six dials you can tweak to manage urgency: Time, Quality, Scope, Resources, Budget, and Risk. How to plan ahead to avoid urgency:  Daily: 10 minutes each workday morning to get focused Weekly: 45 minutes once per week to get organised for the coming week Monthly: 1 hour at the start of each month to step back and get some perspective

“If we do this, it could profoundly change how we are together.” Is your day full of meetings leaving you tired and working late just to get everything done? Surely there must be a better way... In this episode, Lisa Leong finds out how we can do meetings better and looks at one technique called The Circle Way.

You’ve been asked a curveball question in a job interview, or your boss has asked what you think in a meeting. Suddenly your heart races and your palms get sweaty. So how can you think clearly and speak in a compelling way when you’re put on the spot? Matt Abrahams has some surprising tips and insights to help you get through these anxiety-inducing moments - from how to maximise mediocrity to harnessing the power of small talk.

“We are all artists, sometimes we forget that”. Even if you don’t think you have a creative job, or that you yourself are artistic, there’s a lot you can learn from the ‘artist’s way’. In this episode you’ll learn lessons to incorporate into your working life no matter what your profession is - from how to get inspired and innovate to getting into a flow state.

You want to talk with your boss about a pay rise but even just thinking about it causes your heart to race and your palms to get sweaty. So how can you navigate negotiation at work like a pro and, most importantly of all, properly prepare so it goes well?

Our habits, good and bad, influence how we live, and how we feel and perform at work. And if you’re human, chances are you want to shake off some bad habits that set in over winter. So here’s how you can do it (with zero willpower).

In her new book Storytellers, Leigh Sales shares hard-won lessons on how to craft a story, how to listen and how to be brave enough to ask hard questions at work. We also learn from her music practice, what helps her flow state, and how anxiety has been a pretty consistent part of her work life.

A colleague gets promoted. A friend lands their dream job. You feel happy for them, but also, a pang of pain... what is that? Is that envy?? It’s natural to feel envious, but many of us deny it or try to ignore it. But how we react to this feeling can be the key in unlocking its power. So how can we use it for good?

What can guiding a horse teach us about leadership?  In recent years, ‘Equine Assisted Learning’ has been used in leadership development. But what is it exactly, and what can it teach us about leadership for the workplace?

We spoke with original Matildas player Dr Shona Bass in our recent episode The Matildas Effect but we loved her insights so much we decided to bring you the whole interview.  She reflects on what makes ace teamwork, the DNA of the Matildas that persists to this day, and what we can learn from them for our own working lives. With thanks to intern Kate Lawrence.

Yesss, we’ve got World Cup fever! So what lessons can we learn for our work from the amazing gameplay the Matildas have shown, even without star player Sam Kerr playing in the first few games? We’re unpacking the 'Matildas Effect' and figuring out how we can pull together as a team and unlock the power of ‘us’ to do our best work.

How can we best protect (and repair) our relationships at work? When we start working with someone we tend to just dive into the work at hand. But what happens when we start by learning how we can best work together? Coaching expert and author Michael Bungay Stanier believes this can be the key to building the best possible relationship. And it starts with five questions. So what are they? And how can we best ask them? Guest: Michael Bungay Stanier - Coaching expert and author, How to Work with (Almost) Anyone: Five Questions for Building the Best Possible Relationships The Keystone Conversation Questions:  The Amplify Question: What’s Your Best? When do you shine and when do you flow? The Steady Question: What Are Your Practices and Preferences? The Good Date Question: What Can You Learn from Successful Past Relationships? The Bad Date Question: What Can You Learn from Frustrating Past Relationships? The Repair Question: How Will You Fix It When Things Go Wrong?

What does it mean if you declare your workplace to be anti-racist? Where does lip service end and actual systemic change occur? How does this differ from diversity and inclusion?   How do you begin to dismantle the structural racism in your workplace and rebuild an organisation where everyone feels safe, where everyone thrives?    This episode will cover the multifaceted approach of anti-racism education in the workplace and offer some solutions to address the psychological impacts of racism. 

There's the age old saying, do what you love, and you'll never work a day in your life. But how easy is it to find what you love? What energies you, what fulfils you?   Acclaimed author and researcher Marcus Buckingham helps us bring love into the workplace and helps us find love in what we do every day, no matter our job.  

Micro stressors - they’re just a normal part of the day, right? From when you wake up and check your messages, listen to the news, wrangle your kids, jostle your way to work, and then deal with that colleague…you’re stressed without anything major actually happening. Rob Cross says the people who maintain and prioritise their social connections, often through shared activities, are way less affected by these micro stressors.

This week we meet some of the next generation of Indigenous entrepreneurs who are influencing the way we think about business and community. Drawing on the strength and resilience of their elders, these business leaders show us what makes First Nations businesses stand out and what helps them thrive. 

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health conditions, but in the workplace, we don’t tend to talk openly about them.   Based on her own journey, entrepreneur, podcaster and author, Morra Aarons-Mele Morra learnt that through understanding her anxiety and others’ mental health, it made her a better leader. Through empathy, vulnerability and kindness she also challenges traditional understandings of what success and leadership looks like. 

In Seth’s latest book, The Song of Significance he gives us insight into what real leadership looks like and how it can transform the way we work.  

“It just seems some of the lessons about ethical behaviour don’t appear to have really sunk in” - Peter Ryan,  ABC's senior business correspondent, reflecting on the recent PwC scandal. Often when we think about ethics in business and work we focus on the wrongdoer - the bad apple. But it’s also those surrounding them that are at fault. Those who are complicit. Turns out we can all be complicit, sometimes without even realising. So how can we avoid it?

If you could work four days instead of five, for the same pay, would you?  Organisations and businesses around the world are tentatively saying 'yes' and trialling the four-day work week.  Recently, Bunnings announced it will trial a version of the four-day week for tens of thousands of its full-time employees. It’s a first for the retail industry and will be watched with interest. And just last month the results of the latest 4 Day Week Global pilot were published. Starting in August last year, 26 organisations across Australia and New Zealand trialled the four-day week for six months. So how did they go and what can we learn from it?

What happens when we feel stuck in our job or career, and how can we get unstuck? From overcoming fear to discovering what really makes us tick, we discover the best techniques to get unstuck and have a breakthrough. We hear personal stories, famous anecdotes and practical tips to help you navigate being stuck in your work.  

On average, workers are in the office half the time. But some leaders say that’s not enough. But why? Should leaders really be worried about office culture dying, and teams suffering? We explore what’s behind these calls, what time in the office is good for, and what experts have found is more important than time in the office that leaders should really pay attention to.

Do you feel frustrated at work? Maybe you feel like you're not playing to your strengths, or not being valued.  Well, before you chuck it all in: have you heard of Job Crafting? Since this foundational work started over 20 years ago, it’s come into its own with the rise of hyper-personalisation of work through the pandemic. So how can we craft our jobs? Surprisingly, it’s much easier than you think. And managers - there’s something in the research for you too. And it even shocked Amy… Guest: Dr Amy Wrzesniewski - Michael H. Jordan Professor of Management at Yale University’s School of Management  

We’ve got more generations in our workplaces than ever before. And as a shortcut we often box people according to their age - known as generational stereotyping. In this episode we look at how we box others, and even ourselves, and learn how it affects our workplaces and how we can change this behaviour.

You’ve finally landed your dream job. You’re filled with excitement and optimism but after only a couple of months something doesn’t feel right. And you realise that this job is not so dreamy after all, and even becoming a nightmare. Welcome to Glossy Work. So what’s going on here and what can we do about it?

Why is Dungeons & Dragons good for the workplace? Since it came out in the 1970s, D&D has gone from geek subculture to the pop-culture mainstream. And now, it’s being recognised as a great way to develop skills for work. Yes, now you can finally say that your time spent playing games is actually upskilling. But it’s not just D&D - card games, board games and other fantasy games give us skills for work: critical thinking, strong communication, empathy and teamwork to name a few.

A new study has revealed that we trust management decisions made with AI involvement more than those made by humans alone. But what does the future of this digital co-worker look like? And how many of us actually trust the technology, and how does where we live change that level of trust?

“It’s not reasonable to ask people to function without daylight, sleep and proper food for weeks and months at a time” - Ruby, lawyer. There’s been a lot of talk lately about reasonable and unreasonable work hours, thanks to a certain high profile legal case. Research has found Australians are working some of the longest hours in the world. It’s costing us tens of billions of dollars in unpaid wages, with experts calling it 'time theft'. So when is it ok for your boss to ask you to work overtime? And what is overwork doing to our brains and bodies?

The weekends are easy to fill with a long list of things you want to get done. Chores, errands and, yes, even work make their way onto that list. Then all of a sudden it’s Sunday night and you feel like you haven’t rested at all, and another work week is right around the corner. So how can we better harness the power of the weekend for an energised and productive week ahead? The good news is that it’s a simple solution you can implement immediately.

It’s being called “world’s best practice” and we’re being told to take it seriously. A new code of practice and regulation will be protecting your psychological health at work from April 1st. It explicitly addresses psychological harm and the psychosocial hazards at work that can cause things like burnout, depression and anxiety. So what are these hazards exactly, and how will the code work in practice?

Picture a capital T.  The vertical line is the Expertise line - your deep experience in your field. Then the horizontal bar is the Generalist line - your other interests and experiences that can combine with your expertise to strengthen it. This is called the T-shape - and it’s being recognised as a powerful tool for people and teams to innovate at work.  But what exactly we can put into the horizontal line that can add to our vertical expertise line might surprise you.

Meaning, purpose, identity – all of these are wrapped up in our work and career. So it's no surprise that when we step away from work we can feel a bit unmoored. In the second half of our two-part special on the 'unretirement' movement, we look at what's underpinning this return to work in retirement years. It can come down to rediscovering purpose and meaning in both life and work. But how can we do that?

While you might be dreaming about the day you can clock off work forever — why are we instead seeing so many people leaving the green and re-opening the laptop? It's all part of a trend being dubbed the 'great unretirement', in which 40% of the nearly half a million people who entered the labour force in the last three years were over the age of 55. Which has led to Australian workers now retiring at the oldest age since the early 1970s. So, what's driving it? And who are the people getting back into work when they're meant to have their feet up?

We’ve all had to work with ‘that’ difficult person that we just clash with. It’s tense. It’s stressful. And it’s exhausting. So, do we have to get along to do our best work? Or is it in our best interests to make peace and move on? And how can we best do that? The solutions might surprise you.

We’ve seen the Great Resignation, Lying Flat in China and Quiet Quitting. And now we’re hearing murmurings of another movement that some are calling ‘Anti-Striving’. So what exactly is it? And what will making peace with feeling less ambitious bring us in the long-term?

How inclusive are workplaces for the rainbow community? What is working and what needs improving? We hear how small things like conversation starters can help LGBTIQ+ people feel more welcome and safe at work, and how larger things like equitable design in physical and virtual spaces can improve belonging and job satisfaction.

Our image and expectation of a good leader is changing, and increasingly we’re needing them to use both their head and their heart in making decisions. Dr Kirstin Ferguson argues that the art of this type of leadership is knowing what is needed when. So what does this balancing act really look like? 

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. 

We've learned about intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and how they can influence each other. But if we go deeper into the heart of motivation, we find its kernel: engagement. So how can we be truly engaged in our work?

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.

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.

Mindfulness…being mindful,  meditating, you know it’s good for you, but it just never feels like there’s enough time.  Using meditation to create mindfulness is an ancient practice, and the science backing it has been piling in for years now. But how can we be motivated to make meditation part of our essential routine? How will it actually help our working lives? 

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.

Many of us are enjoying the flexibility of working from home - being able to organise our work time to suit our circadian rhythms, family responsibilities and health. But with this flexibility and freedom, has there been an erosion of the concept of a “work day”?  What boundaries should there be - in law or in your employment agreement?

Feeling a bit brain fried? Fatigued from the year… over stimulated from all that screen time?Maybe you need to head outside...We look at how getting out into the natural world can help you function better in your day to day work life. What’s going on here with our brains, what’s the science behind it?

Taking very small doses of magic mushrooms or LSD every few days in a bid to boost productivity, creativity, focus and mental health has become perhaps surprisingly popular in Australia and around the globe. People are experimenting with tiny doses of illegal psychedelic drugs to help them perform better at work. But why take this risk, and does it even work? Scientific studies on microdosing are in the early days but Vince Polito, cognitive psychologist and senior research fellow at Macquarie University, is at the forefront of research in Australia.  We also hear from workers microdosing around Australia. 

Premortems - How to practise hindsight in advance, by looking at what went wrong before it does. And on the flip side, imagining success and how you got there, with a previctorem.

When is an interaction an interruption? Why do we now feel the need to ask if it’s OK to interrupt a colleague, in the middle of a work day? And hybrid work has made managing communication even more nuanced, yet crucial. Our guests explore the benefits of talking, and what we lose when we stick to typing.

Office renos for the hybrid world....organisations with empty floors are figuring out how to make the office more useful and attractive. Guests: Evodia Alaterou - design strategist at Hassell, principal in the Melbourne studio  Ethan Bernstein - associate professor of business administration at  Harvard Business School. Peter Wheatley - PWC workplaces leader Presenter: Lisa Leong Producer: Sarah Allely

Tony Fadell was instrumental in creating the iPod and the IPhone.  He shares in his book Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making - that his greatest successes have come from his greatest failures. And he has some dooseys. 

Micro stressors - they’re just a normal part of the day, right? From when you wake up and check your messages, listen to the news, wrangle your kids, jostle your way to work, and then deal with that colleague…you’re stressed without anything major actually happening. Rob Cross says the people who maintain and prioritise their social connections, often through shared activities, are way less affected by these micro stressors. Guest: Rob Cross is a professor at Babson College, which teaches entrepreneurship. His latest book, The Microstress Effect: How Little Things Pile Up and Create Big Problems--and What to Do about It, comes out next year. Presenter: Lisa Leong Producer: Sarah Allely

This Working Life explores ideas that are shaping changes in workplaces.

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.

How’s your mental health? Is it affecting your work? Or maybe it’s the other way around and your work is affecting your headspace? Employee Assistance Programs….what are the pros and cons, and how could they work better? Is confidentiality actually a problem? And if so what can be done to make it safer?

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.

When’s the last time you had fun at work? Really had fun? FUN. What is it, and how can it  help us enjoy work more, which of course will help us work better! How can we bring more fun into our working lives?  Catherine Price is a science journalist and author of The Power of Fun. She also wrote How to break up with your phone. 

Are you seeking leadership nirvana? Is there even such a thing? Leadership development is such a lucrative, multi-million dollar industry but are we just throwing resources at the executive level managers with little benefit to the broader organisation? Are we going about leadership development all wrong?

Burning out has become a phrase thrown around almost as often as anxiety. But being stressed and overworked is not actually burnout. There is  more to it. Individuals can’t fight burnout alone - things have to change in our organisations. This is what the ‘pioneer’ of burnout theory and research has found. It’s Christina Maslach's measurement tool that’s been used by workplaces and the World Health Organisation to assess if someone’s burning out - the Maslach Burnout Inventory.

What's it actually like to be a teacher these days? There’s a worldwide shortage of teachers at the moment, so what’s going on in the classroom and school yards? In this episode we meet a bunch of teachers and former teachers and hear first hand about the new pressures, and what’s driving them out of the profession. What needs to change about the working lives of teachers?

Have you heard of the Dunbar number?  It’s the number of social connections one person can maintain at any one time.  It turns out that this also plays out at work.  How is Robin Dunbar’s  research relevant for your workplace? What are the optimum numbers for teams and factories?  How important are social connections and friendships at work, and how do these affect our productivity? Guest: Robin Dunbar is professor of evolutionary psychology at the University of Oxford. He wrote Friends: Understanding the Power of Our Most Important Relationships and his new book, The Social Brain: The Psychology of Successful Groups, comes out next year.

Mindfulness … being mindful,  meditating, you know it’s good for you, but it just never feels like there’s enough time. Using meditation to create mindfulness is an ancient practice, and the science backing it has been piling in for years now. But how can we be motivated to make meditation part of our essential routine? How will it actually help our working lives? 

What’s your relationship with feedback? Maybe you’ve thought you could learn how to be better at giving it…but how about switching it round and considering how you receive it? Turns out, if we hone our skills at receiving we also get better at giving feedback.

What happens when the career you chose at 18 just isn't you anymore?

Have you ever sat at work thinking “Houston we have a problem, common sense has left the room!”? Brand and culture transformation expert Martin Lindstrom, walks us through how to bring common sense back into our workplaces by establishing what he calls a “ministry of common sense”.  Martin has advised multinationals including Pepsi, Google, Burger King and Swiss Air but he started this movement in what traditionally has been a bastion of bureaucracy, banks.

Does your inbox make you miserable? Cal Newport walks us through why our relationship with email is dysfunctional and what a world without email looks like. Cal's book: A World Without Email: Reimagining Work in the Age of Overload Producer: Maria Tickle

What if ADHD wasn't seen as a deficit or a disorder? What if it's actually harnessed as a superpower? We show how, given the right support and understanding, workplaces have the ability to turn ADHD into an asset and create environments where everyone thrives.

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.   Guests: Deborah Ancona, Seley Distinguished Professor of Management at MIT’s Sloane School of Management Rebekah Donaldson, executive manager, people group at Qantas Anetta Pizag, workplace design consultant, strategist and author. HBR article Deborah co-wrote, 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, Western Sydney Women founder Author and journalist Rick Morton Lisa Annese, CEO of Diversity Council Australia 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.   Guest: Michelle Tuckey, Professor of Work & Organisational Psychology within UniSA Justice & Society and the Centre for Workplace Excellence. With thanks to Jessica, Neil and Therese for sharing their stories of experiencing workplace bullying.

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 turn a hobby into a career?

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

Are you feeling absolutely exhausted at work right now? What you are feeling may be uncertainty fatigue. For ideas on how to work through the overwhelming and heavy feelings that come with yet another lockdown, psychologist Dr Shanta Dey from the University of Sydney Business School and leadership expert and coach Julia Steel share what they’ve learned through the COVID chaos. Producer: Maria Tickle Researcher: Kara Jensen-McKinnon

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?” 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. Producer: Maria Tickle

What getting sacked taught former journalist Andrea Clarke about future proofing her career and the the pros and cons of a career break.

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.

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.

What is your personal brand at work? Not sure? And does it matter? Well replace "brand" with "reputation" as our guest entrepreneur and author Dorie Clark suggests, and it matters a lot. We hear how to optimise your personal brand and the steps to take to kick off a career as an entrepreneur. And researcher and executive coach Tom Loncar gives Lisa the hard truth about whether her power pose has any scientific validity or if it's just another stretch. Producer: Maria Tickle

Are Australian trade unions losing their teeth? Union membership has been in sharp decline for decades. In 1976 just over half of Australia workers were members of a union but by 2018 that figure had dropped to just over 14 per cent. With the rapid increase in the number of people in casual and gig work, unions should be more important than ever. We investigate what has led to this dramatic drop, in particular amongst younger workers. And hear what unions need to do to modernize and adapt to remain relevant in the future. GUESTS: Anthony Forsyth is a professor of workplace law at RMIT, and author of “The Future of Unions and Worker Representation: The Digital Picket Line” which will be published in 2022.  Sally McManus is the Secretary of the ACTU.  PRODUCERS: Kara Jensen-Mackinnon and Maria Tickle

Sex, religion and politics have long been hot button topics at work. But in 2021 we can now add another. Vaccinations. So how do we talk about the COVID-19 jab without coming to blows? GUESTS: Dr Norman Swan host of the Health Report and co-host of Coronacast. Professor Julie Leask, social scientist specialising in vaccination uptake, programs and policy. She is a visiting fellow, National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance, University of Sydney Distinguished Professor Richard Osborne, epidemiologist and director of the Centre for Global Health and Equity at Swinburne University of Technology Michael Byrnes, employment, workplace relations and safety specialist, Swaab Lawyers Thanks also our voices of the people: musician Emily, paramedic Phil, and tertiary educator, Francesca. Producer: Maria Tickle

Even today, the class you are born into can largely determine your career. Recent research by Diversity Council Australia found 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

Arguing can actually make teams more innovative and productive. Yes really. According to journalist and writer Ian Leslie, not rocking the boat may make for a nice work life it but may not actually be good for business.  For his book Conflicted, Ian interviewed conflict resolution experts from around the globe to understand how it can be harnessed as a superpower and he shares what he’s learned. (And spoiler alert turning conflict into a positive is all about how it is framed and managed in the company culture.) And when it comes time to kiss and make up why do we find it so hard to apologize? Media trainer Brett de Hoedt has had to wrangle many an apology for his clients and he shares his top tips for an effective “sorry”. For more on the artful apology hear Brett’s podcast The Hardest Word. Producer: Maria Tickle Producer: Maria Tickle

Coaching is not just for leaders but we should all become "coach like", according to Michael Bungay Stanier. Michael knows a thing or two about what it takes to be a great coach, he was recently named world's number one thought leader in coaching and his book The Coaching Habit has sold more than 700,000 copies. Michael unpacks his seven essential coaching questions: 1. What's on your mind? 2. And what else? 3. What's the really challenge here for you? 4. What do you want? 5. How can I help/so what do you want from me? 6. If you're saying yes to this, what are you saying no to? 7. What was most useful/valuable here for you? And one of the least favourite days of the working year for many employees and more than a few managers is that of the performance review. You may feel they are futile at best and damaging at worst if not done properly so we asked people management specialist Karen Gately how we can get the most of of our performance reviews. (This program was first broadcast on ABC Radio National on December 3, 2019) Producer: Maria Tickle

How old is "old" at work and why are some employers admitting they are reluctant to hire older workers in spite of Australia facing a skills shortage? We dig into ageism at work and what needs to change with Age Discrimination Commissioner Dr Kay Patterson and CEO of Australian HR Institute, Sarah McCann-Bartlett. And ad agency Thinkerbell co-founder Adam Ferrier runs us through his internship program for over 55s. Producer: Maria Tickle

Even though the majority of workers are concerned that they don't have the skills required for the future, a recent national survey has revealed that more than half of Australian workers spend less than an hour a week on any form of learning.  We weigh up the value of university degrees versus micro-credentials and hear how life-long learning can keep you in the game. We also crystal ball gaze to understand what work and learning might look like for our newest generation - Generation Alpha.  GUESTS: Dr Sean Gallagher - director of the Centre for the New Workforce at Swinburne University. Sean’s report is Peak Human Workplace. Professor Liz Johnson - Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education at Deakin University Mark McCrindle, social analyst and futurist.  Mark’s book is Understanding Generation Alpha. PRODUCER: Maria Tickle

As many of us head back into the office - at least some of the time - after a year at home, it’s a pretty big psychological shift. How are you coping? We delve into how best to manage this transition despite feeling like we have run headlong into the pandemic wall. And we hear what it takes for a team to be successful in hybrid work from the woman who coined the term - psychological safety. GUESTS: Michelle Morrison, organisational psychologist who is coaching and running programs for leaders facilitating their own and their employees return to work. Amy Edmondson, professor of leadership and management at Harvard Business School. Amy's book is The Fearless Organisation: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation and Growth. If you missed part one of The Return where we learn how to ace hybrid and creating a third space listen here. Producer: Maria Tickle

So your boss or HR has emailed you, and in no uncertain terms it’s time to head back into the office.  How do you feel? Elated at the prospect of being near your colleagues or deflated at the prospect of putting on pants with an actual waistband and an hour each way on the train.  Or both? According to Professor Tsedal Neeley from Harvard Business School employers may have a battle on their hands to turn the ship on remote work. And peak performance researcher Dr Adam Fraser explains how rituals around a “third space” can help us make the transition back to the office a little easier. Tsedal’s book, Remote Work Revolution. Adam’s book, The Third Space. Do you have the right to work from home? from our sister show Life Matters Producer: Maria Tickle

Have you ever sat at work thinking “Houston we have a problem, common sense has left the room!”? Brand and culture transformation expert Martin Lindstrom, certainly has. He walks us through how to bring common sense back into our workplaces by establishing what he calls a “ministry of common sense”.  And Martin has walked the talk -  he has advised multinationals including Pepsi, Google, Burger King and Swiss Air but he started this movement in what traditionally has been a bastion of bureaucracy, banks. Martin’s book: Ministry of Common Sense: How to Eliminate Bureaucratic Red Tape, Bad Excuses and Corporate Bullshit. Producer: Maria Tickle

As the saying goes “money can’t buy happiness”, but does getting paid more make us happier and more motivated at work? And if not, what does? And why is it still such a taboo topic? We also hear negotiation strategies to use with your boss and what you need to do to stay employable after 40. GUESTS: Professor Adrian Furnham, author of The New Psychology of Money (and about 100 other books) Adjunct professor at BI Norwegian Business School and professor at University College London. Emily Barnes, mediator Kate McCallum, financial advisor and co-author of The Joy of Money. (This show was first broadcast on Radio National on November 30, 2020.) Producer: Maria Tickle

Whether you are male or female, if you work with a woman over 40, menopause matters to you. And if you are a woman over 40 understanding what’s happening to your mind and body during “the change” is absolutely crucial. As you'll hear many women, including those at the top of the game, are leaving careers they love because of poor management around menopause. We dive deep into a topic that is steeped in silence, suffering and stigma to start this important conversation.

Some people seem to get all the breaks, new gigs, interesting and challenging projects, or support for their business idea. Why? What is so special about them? After being featured in a New York Times article about failure, Suneel Gupta decided things needed to change in his career and this is the question he set out to answer. Suneel interviewed Hollywood film producers, venture capitalists, military leaders and executives at iconic companies and he shares what he learned. We also hear from Australian backers what they look for when they are deciding who and what to fund. And spoiler alert, the key to being backable is not charisma. GUESTS:  Suneel Gupta, co-author of Backable: The Surprising Truth Behind What Makes People Take a Chance on You. Julie Demsey, startup advisor and investor Nick Peace,VP corporate and investments at Planet Innovation Matt Allen, CEO Tractor Ventures Producer: Maria Tickle

Dorie Clark, sought after New York-based executive coach and consultant, warns it’s crucial to build a portfolio career - where you have multiple revenue streams - even if you have a full-time job.  Recorded live at Pausefest 2021 Dorie explains how this model saved her in 2020 when hundreds of thousands of dollars income dried up almost overnight. She shares her blueprint for professional independence, including insights and advice on becoming a recognised expert, monetising your expertise, and extending your reach and impact online.  Dorie has been recognized as #1 Communication Coach in the world, one of the top 50 business thinkers in the world and she’s worked with clients such as Google, Microsoft, and the World Bank. She’s written numerous books including best sellers Standout and Entrepreneurial You and her next book The Long Game comes out in September this year. We also hear from Madeleine Grummet (tech entrepreneur and investor Future Amp, girledworld) and Darren Milo (D Milo Consulting, Beaton) on how they have built their own portfolio careers. And then we follow up our episode on Harnessing humour as a superpower at work with Naomi Bagdonas and Jennifer Aaker from Stanford Graduate School of Business with some Aussie research. Dr David Cheng from ANU joins us to explore how humour interacts with power, conflict and persistence at work.  Producer: Maria Tickle

“A group of behavioural scientists walk into a bar…”   Sounds like the start of a joke right - it’s not. Those ten people were gathering to perform sketch comedy and two of them ended up researching the hypothesis that humour is serious business and that it is vastly underleveraged in most workplaces today.    Dr Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas now teach the course Humor: Serious Business at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and have co-authored the book Humor, Seriously: why humor is a secret weapon in business and life. They explain what levity does to our brains and how anyone can harness it and use it skilfully at work. Can you spot the finger in the photo? Now that's funny. What is your humour type? Here is the quiz. (This program first aired on Radio National on Monday November 2, 2020.) Producer: Maria Tickle

Founder of Google's Empathy Lab, Danielle Krettek, believes that using empathy at work results in happier staff, and greater productivity. Minter Dial, author of Heartificial Empathy thinks it might even help you fall in love! Empathy has become the business world’s new secret sauce – but can it be taught to a chat bot?   Producer: Maria Tickle

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. And he argues in today's rapidly changing work environment questioning your beliefs, rethinking and even unlearning are key skills. Adam is an organisational psychologist and professor at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. His research focuses on generosity, motivation and meaningful work.  And I imagine that there are few senior managers who don’t have at least one of his New York Times best-selling books on their shelves. His new is book Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know in which he argues "if knowledge is power, knowing what we don't know is wisdom". Producer: Maria Tickle

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

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. And it turns out, the Machiavellian approach to power (force, deception, manipulation) is not what keeps you in power. Neither does red lipstick. Thanks to James Law, Chief People Officer, Estimate One, Cassandra Goodman author and executive coach plus our anonymous This Working Lifers, who shared their stories!  Due to the huge amount of interest in this topic next week we dig deeper into the interplay of gender and power at work. Producer: Maria Tickle

Working as a first responder can have a huge mental toll. Compared to the general public police and emergency services workers are more likely to have suicidal thoughts, anxiety, depression, PTSD and struggle with alcohol and substance abuse. They are the findings of Answering the Call, the first national survey into the mental health and wellbeing survey of more than 20,000 police and emergency services personnel. Dr David Lawrence from the University of Western Australia led the research and discusses these findings. It took a long time for former police officer James Maskey to even realise he had PTSD and he shares how the trauma he faced at work led to him leaving a job he loved. Now, as national engagement manager of the Beyond Blue Police and Emergency Services Program, James helps others going through the same issues. Producer: Maria Tickle

What will 2021 hold for you at work? We've wrangled the experts and polished the This Working Life crystal ball to bring you our best predictions for this year. Demographer, Bernard Salt thinks this is our chance to hit the reset button and rebuild our working lives to a much better place than ever before. Insecure work was a strong theme for 2020 and Alison Pennington, senior economist for the Centre for Future Work, says 2021 will be no different. She argues that it may however provide us with an opportunity to improve some of the worst quality jobs in the workforce. And if you're hoping to 'thrive, not survive' in 2021, Pip Dexter who leads Deloitte's Human Capital Practice has one top focus for this year - adaptability. She shares why she believes this characteristic will matter above all else and how you can cultivate it in yourself and your workplace. Last to place their predictions is Dr Ben Hamer, he's the lead for Future Work at PWC Australia. He works with their 8000 employees to look ahead at what could be coming for them and their clients. They recently put out an organisation wide survey to learn about the impact of 2020 on their work. The surprise? Most people thought workplace culture had actually improved thanks to the pandemic. Ben shares why that is and what we can learn from it. Producer: Edwina Stott Supervising Producer: Maria Tickle

How do you find your work mojo now that your holiday halo has started to dim? January is the most popular month to give your job the flick (and to file for divorce apparently - but this is outside the scope of our show!). We talk motivation with sports and organisational psychologist Dr Travis Kemp and Chris Low, head of vibe at Canva which has twice been named Australia's best place to work. We discuss why things come to a head in January - just what's going on in our brains? Plus why personal values trump free beer, why money isn't our primary motivator, and how eating breakfast and lunch together helped online graphic design business Canva become a unicorn company (a privately-owned start up worth more than a US one billion dollars). Chris also refers to the importance of psychological safety in the workplace. To hear more about this, listen to our previous show on this topic: After ramp up your motivation, you might want to tackle one of the toughest challenges in the workplace and have that difficult conversation. Karen Gately from Corporate Dojo gives us her very practical and imminently doable take. Producer: Maria Tickle (This program first aired on ABC Radio National on January 27, 2020.)

A trifecta of CEOs share why they introduced the four-day work week to their companies, how it has actually helped them navigate the economic downturn, and hard lessons learnt along the way. GUESTS: Andrew Barnes, CEO Perpetual Guardian, Kath Blackham CEO Versa, Nikki Beaumont CEO Beaumont People. Andrew's book: The Four Day Week: How the Flexible Work Revolution Can Increase Productivity, Profitability and Well-being, and Create a Sustainable Future. (This program first aired on ABC Radio National on August 24, 2020.)

What to eat, how to move for peak brain power. We dig into what science says about what to feed your brain and how to move your body in order to perform at your best at work in these stressful times. You'll hear: * The good oil on the good fats and how NOT to cook with them. * Are supplements useful additions to our diet or just expensive wee? * Coffee, yay or nay? * And the best way to exercise to increase focus and creativity at work. This one may surprise you, it surprised the researchers! (This program was first broadcast on July 13, 2020.) GUESTS: Dr Delia McCabe, is a nutritional neuroscientist her book is Feed Your Brain. Dr John Ratey, is a psychiatrist and clinical assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, who has studied the effect of exercise on the brain for more than 40 years. 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 program first aired on ABC Radio National on 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

When your boss mentions "brainstorming" what do you picture - rapid, creative, ideas generation or death by Post-it Note? Pick up your permanent markers and unroll that butcher’s paper because we’re diving into the art and science of brainstorming - what works, what doesn’t and why some people are doing it all wrong. (This program first aired September 14, 2020.) GUESTS Professor Gerard Puccio, organisational psychologist from Buffalo State Art Markman, Professor of Psychology and Marketing at the University of Texas, Austin. CASE STUDIES Sarah Crowley, transport and precinct planning specialist James Atkins, director and strategic planning facilitator

Crisis = life lessons. Who hasn't learnt some serious life lessons and made some painful personal growth this year? At home and at work. Oh that's right they became one. In our final new episode for 2020 we meet up with our guests from throughout the year to hear the most important thing they learn about work, and themselves, this year. GUESTS: Deirdre Dowling, professional classical musician Dr Kirstin Ferguson, company director and author Oscar Trimboli, author of Deep Listening Kayley Chu, founder author of 100 Lunches Nir Eyal, author of Indistractible Kath Blackham, founder and CEO Versa Agency Jennifer Petriglieri, associate professor of organisational behaviour at INSEAD and author of Couples That Work Producer: Maria Tickle

Office politics can be a minefield but we hear opting out is not be best option, you need to have skin in the game but with a special mindset. And it’s been an interesting year in national and international politics. The pandemic has brought out the best and the worst in leaders around the globe.  So when it comes to talking politics at work how can we talk politics at work without starting a workplace war? GUESTS: Dr Raina Brands, Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour, London Business School Dorie Clark, entrepreneur, branding expert and executive coach. Producer: Maria Tickle

As the saying goes “money can’t buy happiness”, but does getting paid more make us happier and more motivated at work? And if not, what does? And why is it still such a taboo topic? We also hear negotiation strategies to use with your boss and what you need to do to stay employable after 40. GUESTS: Professor Adrian Furnham, author of The New Psychology of Money (and about 100 other books) Adjunct professor at BI Norwegian Business School and professor at University College London. Emily Barnes, mediator Kate McCallum, financial advisor and co-author of The Joy of Money. Producer: Maria Tickle

In the last 20 years, the way we’re employed has evolved almost as quickly as our mobile phones. For a lot of us that means our work has become a lot less secure than it once was. We explore why that is, the impact on us and what we can do about it.

Many of us dream about making big changes in the world, but so few do. So what does it take to be a changemaker? Geoff Hucker’s 34-year career as a pilot took him around the globe multiple times. But he didn’t always feel the calling to make change. It was a trip to Ethiopia that led Geoff to start not one but two organisations aimed at making the world a better place: Beyond the Orphanage and Work For Impact. And the end of 2020 is in sight and frankly it’s been a hell of a year. It’s been particularly tough on our mental health so we get some tips on how to manage mental health with people management specialist Karen Gately including avoiding burnout and what to do if one of your colleagues is struggling. Producer: Maria Tickle

Never underestimate the power of habits, especially the teeny, tiny ones we repeat every day, the ones author James Clear calls “atomic habits”. We discuss Clear’s ideas of how we can harness habits to perform better at work especially in these stressful pandemic times with fangirl and neuroscientist Dr Sarah McKay. Then organisational psychologist and leadership coach Dr Travis Kemp explains why You Are Not So Smart by David McRaney is his go-to work book. Recommended read: Atomic Habits, How to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones by James Clear. Producer: Maria Tickle

“A group of behavioural scientists walk into a bar…”   Sounds like the start of a joke right - it’s not. Those ten people were gathering to perform sketch comedy and two of them ended up researching the hypothesis that humour is serious business and that it is vastly underleveraged in most workplaces today.    Dr Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas now teach the course Humor: Serious Business at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and have co-authored the book Humor, Seriously: why humor is a secret weapon in business and life. They explain what levity does to our brains and how anyone can harness it and use it skilfully at work. Can you spot the finger in the photo? Now that's funny. What is your humour type? Here is the quiz. Producer: Maria Tickle

Trust is hard to gain but easy to lose. And it's crucial at work particularly in times of crisis like the current pandemic. So how do you build trust with your colleagues and throughout the wider organisation? Can you re-build it after you lose it? And what does the neuro-chemical oxytocin have to do with trust? GUESTS: Dr Paul Zak, Professor of economic sciences, psychology and management, Claremont Graduate University and author of Trust Factor: The Science of Creating High Performance Companies  Dr Nicole Gillespie, Professor of management and KPMG chair in organisational trust, University of Queensland. Producers: Edwina Stott and Maria Tickle

What works and what doesn't in a virtual job interview? How should you prepare? And managers, how do you evaluate someone when they aren't in the same room? People management specialist Karen Gately has all the answers. Producer: Maria Tickle

Is it too much to ask to be happy at work? Do you subscribe to the view that work mainly involves pain and suffering, that is why we get paid to do it.  In this episode we explore the meaning of happiness, and why striving for society’s measures of career success: status, power, money - may not in fact lead you to happiness. Our guest: Penny Locaso, author of Hacking Happiness: How to Intentionally Adapt and Shape the Future You Want and Dr Tim Sharp, clinical psychologist and founder of The Happiness Institute. Tim’s new podcast Habits for Happiness at Work: 10 Steps for Living Your Happiest Work Life is available on Audible. Producer: Maria Tickle

Like it or not, your employer has the right to track and measure just about everything you do in your work day. But should they, is it helpful or does it simply kill motivation? In the second episode of our series on Big Brother at work, we examine how surveillance is changing the way we work and we ask what ever happened to trust? Assistant Professor of marketing from UC San Diego, Dr Liz Lyons says that tracking employees at work can have varying end results - not all of them good. She shares some of the best examples of boosting productivity in the workplace through tracking and emphasises the importance measuring the right things. On the other side of the fence is Professor Paul Zak, a 'neuroeconomist' who says that the secret to helping workers reach their potential, doesn't lie in tracking worker through tech, but can be found in our ability to build trust. If you're certain tracking employees is the way to go though, Dr Joeri Mol, who's an expert in organizational studies from Melbourne University has a warning about the change that can occur in organisations when people simply know they're being watched. This technology which allows bosses to track what workers are up to whenever and wherever they are has developed rapidly over the last few years and the market has only increased thanks to the pandemic causing a rise in those of us who work from home. So what does this mean for the future? Jathan Sadowski from the Emerging Technologies Research Lab has a warning and a few suggestions for how we could even the scales and get this tech working for the employees. Producer: Edwina Stott Supervising producer: Maria Tickle

Our team has self-experimented with the productivity tips we've covered in 2020 and we reveal the hits and misses. Warning: there IS a mention of "sex" so if taking about procreation bothers you, may we gently suggest an episode of Conversations. Producer: Maria Tickle PERFORMING IN A PANDEMIC EPISODES

How does your boss keep tabs on your work? Before the pandemic, they probably popped their head over the partition or reviewed your KPIs over a coffee. But now, with more of us working from home, many companies are increasingly using time tracking software or surveillance technologies that allow employers to check what you’re up to whenever and wherever you are, even if you don't work at a desk. So how are you being tracked, how is it changing your work and is there anything you can do about it? GUESTS Jathan Sadowski, Research Fellow at the Emerging Technologies Lab at Monash University Assistant Professor Liz Lyons, from UC San Diego School of Global Policy Tyler Sellhorn, Head of Customer Experience for Hubstaff Lauren Kate Kelly, Senior Policy Researcher at the United Workers Union Patrick Turner, Senior Associate at Maurice Blackburn lawyers. CASE STUDIES Ben Worthington, IELTs Podcast Producer: Edwina Stott Supervising Producer: Maria Tickle

Uber's story is a cautionary tale in what NOT to do when creating corporate culture in a startup, according Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber. It's the book Lisa's fellow work book nerd Catherine Robson chose as best bedtime page turner. Written by award-winning New York Times technology reporter Mike Isaac, the book chronicles the rise and the catastrophic fall of the corporate giant based on hundreds of interviews with current and former Uber employees. Producer Maria Tickle

Finding yourself the right mentor is more critical than ever before to get through these tough and uncertain times at work. But how do you find the right mentoring relationship? And do men and women need different things out of it? In this episode:  * Bobbi Mahlab from Mentor Walks explains and how walking and talking helps develop a safe and trusting environment for sharing for women. * Miles Protter of pro bono mentoring program Men’s Business tells why having a mentor is so critical for men. * Writer and broadcaster Benjamin Law and entrepreneurs Naomi Simson (Red Balloon and TV series The Shark Tank), Kietah Martens-Shaw and Julie Demsey tell how mentoring has helped them in their careers. (This episode was first broadcast on Radio National on 15 July, 2020.) Producer: Maria Tickle

Are you a giver or a taker at work?

How well do you listen to people at work? No, stop and think - how well do you really listen, not just wait for your turn to talk or be distracted by the chatter in your head: "Wish he would hurry the hell up!" or "Here she goes pushing that agenda again, now I will be late for the gym." Executive coach Oscar Trimboli and author calls it deep listening and he says it involves not just listening to the content but also the meaning, context and most importantly, the unsaid. And it can change your life and your career. And if you are struggling a little in finding your mojo after being suddenly thrust into WFH, organisational psychologist, podcaster and founder of Inventium, Amantha Imber, shares her science-based tips on how to better structure your day to get stuff done. Oscar's book: Deep Listening - Impact Beyond Words. Deep listening quiz Producer: Maria Tickle (This program was first broadcast on Radio National on April 13, 2020.)

To get through this second COVID lockdown, Lisa has gone deep with her night-time reading. In this episode she discusses Henry David Thoreau's Walden: or, Life in the Woods with Steph Clarke facilitator and host of Steph's Business Bookshelf. Lisa explains how this book has helped her re-frame her approach to work and get a grip on her finances in these challenging times. Last week on The Bonus: Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl (And if you enjoy the show help us out by sharing and rating us with those little stars. Five thanks!)

When your boss mentions "brainstorming" what do you picture - rapid, creative, ideas generation or death by Post-it Note? Pick up your permanent markers and unroll that butcher’s paper because we’re diving into the art and science of brainstorming - what works, what doesn’t and why some people are doing it all wrong. GUESTS Professor Gerard Puccio, organisational psychologist from Buffalo State Art Markman, Professor of Psychology and Marketing at the University of Texas, Austin. CASE STUDIES Sarah Crowley, transport and precinct planning specialist James Atkins, director and strategic planning facilitator

We nerd out on non-fiction books that can make us better at work with Steph Clarke, facilitator and host of the podcast Steph’s Business Bookshelf. Steph's pick is Man’s Search for Meaning: The classic tribute to hope from the Holocaust by Austrian psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl.

How deliberate are you about the way you make decisions at work? Bad decisions can result in wasted time, money and jobs. For example, when a company restructure goes badly, or when there is investment in a “sexy app” that ultimately no one uses. Dan Markovitz says that the number 1 reason that bad decisions are made are because people leap to a solution - what he labels the “conclusion trap”.  Dan explains how we can all make better decisions by slowing down and paying more attention to the problem itself before we leap to the conclusion. He shares his four-step method to avoid the conclusion trap. And author Carolyn Tate has used daily journaling for the past ten years, she explains how this free association style of writing has supercharged her output as a writer.

Virtual meetings are tough enough, but imagine starting a new job where you can’t meet your new team members face-to-face. We hear some disaster stories but also how to best help workers start a new job or finish up including: * the benefits of “coffee roulette” in "onboarding" new staff; * how many "touchpoints" (human engagements) you need for someone to feel truly connected at work and * how to properly acknowledge retirement virtually. Guests: Ethan Bernstein, associate professor of leadership and organisational behaviour at Harvard Business School. Gabrielle Harris, CEO at management consultancy Interchange Case studies: Larissa Dubecki, ABC communications team Sandy Webster, former logistics manager  Sara Summerbell employment lawyer who fled Houston

A trifecta of CEOs share why they introduced the four-day work week to their companies, how it has actually helped them navigate the economic downturn, and hard lessons learnt along the way. GUESTS: Andrew Barnes, CEO Perpetual Guardian, Kath Blackham CEO Versa, Nikki Beaumont CEO Beaumont People. Andrew's book: The Four Day Week: How the Flexible Work Revolution Can Increase Productivity, Profitability and Well-being, and Create a Sustainable Future.

WFH. We're about five months into the biggest global social experiment and for many of us one thing has become clear, we are in this for the long haul. So, what have we learnt about what’s working, and what’s not for those who never or rarely go into the traditional office? And with so many of us no longer commuting daily how will this shape our cities and the future of work? (And what the hell do petrol stations have to do with all of this?) GUESTS: Nick Bloom, professor of economics at Stanford Graduate School of Business Mark Mortensen, associate professor of organisational behavior at Insead Business School Jenny Brice, HR specialist and consultant on the future of work. Ethan Bernstein, associate professor of organizational behaviour at Harvard Business School.

What are the crucial conversations every couple must have for their marriage AND their career to survive? Dual-career couples are now the rule rather than the exception - in Australia 65 per cent of couples with children both work.  Jennifer Petriglieri is a professor of organisational behaviour at INSEAD Business School and she shares her research on the crucial transitions couples must navigate to make sure they not just survive but thrive in love AND work. She covers the contract she and her now-husband signed at the start of their relationship, how to have the difficult conversations around career (often is more about a power struggle), Jennifer's book is Couples That Work. Thanks to our couple Scott and Laura, our anonymous doctor and Kate Bennett Ericksson for their time and honest insights. (This program was first broadcast on 16 March, 2020.) PRODUCER: Maria Tickle

Are you good at resting? Hint: effective rest does not involve blobbing in front of the tv and eating a block of chocolate. Sorry! Dr Alex Soojung-Kim Pang was so intrigued about how to bring his best self to work, that he started doing some deep research into the area of productivity where he discovered that one of the secrets to productivity is actually “deliberate rest” . So, in this final episode in our series on Performing in a Pandemic, we explore the concept of rest. And we share how we can all be better at it! And, if you are looking for a book to get stuck into whilst you are taking a break from your emails - Steph Clarke, facilitator and podcaster and Lisa share their favourite books helping them navigate work right now.  GUESTS: Dr Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, technology forecaster and futurist Steph Clarke, presenter of podcast Steph’s Business Bookshelf PRODUCER: Maria Tickle

Oncologist and writer Dr Ranjana Srivastava shares what she wish she had known earlier about her career choice and the challenges it presented along the way. Books by Ranjana: A Better Death: Conversations About the Art of Living and Dying Well and What it Takes to Be a Doctor

Do you have trouble focussing on a work task because of distraction, especially by the endless pings and dings of your phone and computer? You are not alone. We find out how to turn the secrets behind habit-forming products like your mobile phone, and social media apps to your advantage to make you “indistractable” at work.  The man who actually wrote the book on what is happening psychologically with those “pings and dings”, former Stanford lecturer and behavioural design expert Nir Eyal shares his antidotes.  Nir’s insights include: *The real reason you get distracted (hint: it isn’t about the tech). *Why you should step away from your To Do list. *How to time box your calendar *How the company Slack ensures that their workers aren’t distracted by...Slack! Nir Ayal, author of Indistractable and Hooked: how to build habit forming products. And hear Nir's "hack backs" for email, group chat and meeting on The Bonus. Producer: Maria Tickle

The Bonus is our little offering of hump-day help to get you through these trying times at work.

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. 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

Melbourne is again in lockdown - many businesses who just weeks ago opened their doors have been forced to close, again. First time around, this was tough, but what challenges will this second round bring - and what can they do to cope? Clinical psychologist Professor Kim Felmingham specialises in traumatic grief and she suggests a lot of what we feel as we go through this crisis, is actually grief.

What to eat, how to move for peak brain power. We dig into what science says about what to feed your brain and how to move your body in order to perform at your best at work in these stressful times. You'll hear: * The good oil on the good fats and how NOT to cook with them. * Are supplements useful additions to our diet or just expensive wee? * Coffee, yay or nay? * And the best way to exercise to increase focus and creativity at work. This one may surprise you, it surprised the researchers! GUESTS: Dr Delia McCabe, is a nutritional neuroscientist [and luckily she shares my obsession] - Delia has researched how what we eat affects our brains and her book is Feed Your Brain. Dr John Ratey, is a psychiatrist and Clinical Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School, who has studied the effect of exercise on the brain for more than 40 years. Never miss a show! Subscribe to our weekly podcast on the ABC Listen app, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or your favourite podcast app. (And if you enjoy the show help us out by rating us with those little stars it helps others find us.) Producer: Maria Tickle Sporty's 60-day fitness challenge.

Many of us are doing it tough at work at the moment so let's take a minute to learn from those who have gone before. This week's show was all about burnout at work and we wanted you to hear a little more of Marie-Cecile Godwin's story because there is a lot we can all learn from her experience of coming back after burnout. GUEST: UX designer Marie-Cecile Godwin. Producer: Maria Tickle If this episode has raised any issues for you the number for Lifeline is 13114

Is COVID-19 making you push yourself too far at work? Could you be at risk of burnout? We explore what causes burnout, how to recognise and deal with it and how burnout can even become deadly. GUESTS Professor Michael Leiter has extensively researched the experience of burnout at work, most recently through Deakin University in Victoria. Dr Nadine Hamilton is a psychologist who works with veterinarians and her PhD research looked at vets' lived experience of animal euthanasia. And sharing their stories of burnout: Marie Cecile Godwin, UX designer and editor of Burnout: let’s reignite the flame; Alice Cooney, the Law Institute of Victoria's Young Lawyers president; and vet Dr Claire Stevens. This episode kicks off our four-part series: Performing in a Pandemic. We know that things won’t “snap back” exactly to the way they were - so how do you prepare yourself to adjust to this new way of working? In our next episode: what to eat to optimise mental performance. FURTHER INFORMATION: Nadine's book is Coping with Stress and Burnout as a Veterinarian and her charity is Love Your Pet Love Your Vet. Claire's book is Love Your Dog. If this episode has raised any issues for you the number for Lifeline is 13114 Producer: Maria Tickle

Hump day help for these stressful times in our new bonus episodes. In business you need to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away and know when to run. Especially in the world of fashion. Something investor Roanne McGinley Knox learnt the hard way.

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts,” according to Winston Churchill. So when is a mistake a failure? How do we avoid failure becoming fatal and could failing actually be good for our careers? Psychologist Dr Rachael Sharman from Sunshine Coast University has studied failure and she has the answers. And Dr Paige Williams from the University of Melbourne explains why we need to become “anti-fragile” to help us fail better and get ahead at work, especially if you are a leader. BOOK: Becoming Anti-fragile by Dr Paige Williams

Which of the following is legal: Your boss can ask you to work more hours than usual to "earn" jobkeeper, your boss can force you to take annual leave, or your boss can make you take leave without pay? Jobkeeper legislation has temporarily rewritten the rules around employment here in Australia. So to clear things up we're diving into the murky waters of what your boss can and can’t ask you to do and what YOU can ask of THEM in return. Helping us is Zana Bytheway, executive director with the not-for-profit legal service Jobwatch. Then then we learn the art of negotiation so that you can get what you want, and deserve, at work. But if you are a woman beware, because according to research by Dr Ruchi Sinha from The University of South Australia, you have to choose a different approach to men or it could have a "social cost". I(f you are listening on Apple Podcasts and enjoy the show please take a moment to rate and review.) Producers: Maria Tickle and Zoe Ferguson

Finding yourself the right mentor is more critical than ever before to get through these tough and uncertain times at work. But how do you find the right mentoring relationship? And do men and women need different things out of it? In this episode:  * Bobbi Mahlab from Mentor Walks explains and how walking and talking helps develop a safe and trusting environment for sharing for women. * Miles Protter of pro bono mentoring program Men’s Business tells why having a mentor is so critical for men. * Writer and broadcaster Benjamin Law and entrepreneurs Naomi Simson (Red Balloon and TV series The Shark Tank), Kietah Martens-Shaw and Julie Demsey tell how mentoring has helped them in their careers. Producer: Maria Tickle

Is it safe to go back? How should it be managed? Will your skirt/pants still fit or is an emergency shopping trip on the cards? As restrictions begin to ease around the country, businesses are grappling with how to transition employees back to the office space. And employees are struggling with the idea too. We speak with Clare Harding who heads up the return to the workplace transition at consulting firm Deloitte, where 10,000 employees were transitioned to remote working in one week. Their approach will be a staggered hybrid model, with a “pilot” mindset. According to a recent survey by the Australian HR Institute the thing employees are most anxious about are their health and wellbeing. AHRI CEO Sarah McCann-Bartlett describes how employers might provide such support in the return to work. And finally, Jim Stanford, the director of the Centre for Future Work, draws attention to the flip side of remote working - what are employee’s rights to demand a safe office working environment?

Stood down or sacked and needing to pivot to find a job? Which way? How? Do you need to upskill, reskill, into which industry? It's all a bit hard and even hard in a global crisis so we've pulled together some expert advice. We've mined the collective wisdom of an entrepreneur, psychologist and a career coach to share their insights and tips on how to bag your next role or career move if you have been stood down or lost your job due to Covid-19. GUESTS: Adam Jacobs, co-founder of Hatch Exchange a B-B online marketplace for workers who have been stood down due to the pandemic and THE ICONIC, online fashion store. Rhonda Andrews, senior psychologist at Barrington Centre Kate Richardson, career mentor and executive coach (And if you enjoy the show help us out by rating and reviewing us, it helps others find us.) Producer: Maria Tickle

Never underestimate the power of habits, especially the teeny, tiny ones we repeat every day, the ones author James Clear calls “atomic habits”. We discuss Clear’s ideas of how we can harness habits to perform better at work especially in these stressful pandemic times with fangirl and neuroscientist Dr Sarah McKay. And we delve into the origin and uses of corporate jargon and buzzwords with Charbel el Khaissi, he’s a consultant in AI and language technology who is studying a PhD in linguistics at ANU.  Recommended read: Atomic Habits, How to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones by James Clear. Producer: Maria Tickle

Emotions at work - do you repress or ruminate? One thing that is being truly tested at the moment at work and in our personal lives is our ability to deal with the uncertainty and emotional turmoil brought about by this pandemic.  So this week we’re revisiting a conversation with Dr Susan David, one of the world’s leading management thinkers and a Harvard medical school psychologist.  Susan's Ted Talk has been viewed more than seven 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 sort fact from wishful thinking when it comes to some of the biohacks Lisa feels is helping her do her best work while working from home in these uncertain times.  And as usual we’ve enlisted a posse of experts to run them through the hard science research filter. Butter coffee, chaga (dried fungus “coffee”), "earthing" and mindfulness meditation all go under the microscope. Will any of them survive to be utilized another day? Guests:  Accredited nutritionist and dietician Catherine Saxelby from FoodWatch  Belinda Smith, freelance science journalist on sabbatical from ABC Science Dr Nicholas Van Dam, clinical neuroscientist Deputy Director of the Brain and Mental Health Hub within the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences. Nicholas is currently recruiting volunteers for a research project into mindfulness meditation. Never miss a show! Subscribe to our weekly podcast on the ABC Listen app, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or your favourite podcast app. (And if you enjoy the show help us out by rating us with those little stars it helps others find us.) Producer: Maria Tickle

900,000 people read Alex Reiff's searingly honest account of how he felt when he lost his job. Much to his amazement the searingly honest LinkedIn post in which he shared his fear and uncertanties quickly went viral. This Indianapolis sales executive’s experience of loss is being repeated globally. Around 700, 000 Australians, across a multitude of industries, have lost their jobs due to the fallout from the pandemic.  Now the word “unprecedented” has been bandied around a lot, but this kind of mass layoff hasn’t happened in this country since the “recession we had to have” in the early 90s. For many, losing their job will be not only an economic crisis but a psychological one. Alex Reiff, full-time dad  Aliya Rao, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Singapore Management University author of forthcoming book Crunch Time: how married couples confront unemployment. Janna Koretz , clinical psychologist specialising in mental health challenges associated with high pressure careers, founder of Azimuth Psychological in Boston. Deirdre Dowling, freelance classical musician, based in Paris, now back in Australia due to the pandemic. Silvia Regos, business growth advisor and coach who made a major transition in her career two years ago. Producer: Maria Tickle

Identify the gifts in your struggles to help you lead through chaos: That's the message of Bobby Herrera, co-founder and CEO of Populus Group, one of the fastest growing HR Services companies in the US. No stranger to struggle, Bobby is one of 13 children and his family immigrated from Mexico to the US in the 60s with little to their name. He shares his powerful stories of struggle and how what he has learn has helped him lead his company through four recessions. And he also talks about the current struggle - including how he leads through VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity). Then self-professed introvert and author of Quietly Powerful, Megumi Miki, turns the microphone on extreme extrovert, Lisa Leong to hear how she is coping with working in ISO. And it's not been pretty.

PPT (paid pajama time), WFH -  whatever you want to call it - for many of us, it’s the first time we’ve been forced to work outside the office environment.  So, how might we best navigate remote work - and keep our jobs and minds intact? Mark Mortensen is Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour at INSEAD Business school. He’s been researching virtual working for 20 years and he walks us through what he’s learnt about remote collaboration and team dynamics. And to raise the bar even higher, if you have school-aged children in Victoria, you may be experiencing a rising tide of tension in your home as your kids log in to remote learn. And other states, listen up 'cause you may be next! As executive general manager of marketing and sales for MYOB and mother to three kids, Natalie Feehan has navigated an integrated work life for a long time. She shares what’s worked and hasn’t in this brave new world where school, home and work collide. Just don’t mention the cake.

How well do you listen to people at work? No, stop and think - how well do you really listen, not just wait for your turn to talk or be distracted by the chatter in your head: "Wish he would hurry the hell up!" or "Here she goes pushing that agenda again, now I will be late for the gym." Executive coach Oscar Trimboli and author calls it deep listening and he says it involves not just listening to the content but also the meaning, context and most importantly, the unsaid. And it can change your life and your career. And if you are struggling a little in finding your mojo after being suddenly thrust into WFH, organisational psychologist, podcaster and founder of Inventium, Amantha Imber, shares her science-based tips on how to better structure your day to get stuff done. Oscar's book: Deep Listening - Impact Beyond Words. Deep listening quiz Producer: Maria Tickle

This is make or break time for leaders. So how should our bosses be communicating with us and what should they be saying, and NOT saying in this, the biggest global crisis of our time? A few leaders have stood out from the pack: leadership expert Dr Kirstin Ferguson breaks down what has made their leadership exceptional and what we can learn from it; and communications specialist Jayne Dullard steers leaders in what to say, how to say it and when. And that time, she says, is now. GUESTS Dr Kirstin Ferguson,  leadership expert, member of multiple boards and deputy chair of the ABC, co-author of Women Kind. Jayne Dullard, communications specialist who has worked extensively in crisis communications. FURTHER INFORMATION: Jacinda Adern’s Facebook post: https://bit.ly/2UXfV4H Arne Sorenson’s LinkedIn post: https://bit.ly/2UEmA51 PRODUCER: Maria Tickle

By consciously naming and understanding our grief around the myriad losses the COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it, we can move through it. Professor Kim Felmingham, clinical psychologist from the University of Melbourne shares how to deal with the collective grief that is accompanying mass layoffs, change and job uncertainty. And then Colin James, business coach, facilitator and remote meeting guru gives us some guidance on taking the pain out of video conference meetings.

Both divorces and births are predicted to rise this year thanks to coronavirus-induced isolation. Many people have been thrust into remote working alongside their partners for the first time. So how can you immunise your relationship? Jennifer Petriglieri, is a professor of organisational behaviour at INSEAD Business School and author of Couples That Work. She guides us through best practice for co-working couples. We also hear how to handle rising anxiety in your staff and work colleagues from organisational psychologist Dr Laura Kirby and CEO and founder of digital agency Versa, Kath Blackham. Hear a longer interview with Jennifer Petriglieri on the career contracts all couples should have and if you are feeling a bit stir crazy pop on the lycra and leg warmers to exercise at home with Sporty's Amanda Smith.

What are the crucial conversations every couple must have for their marriage AND their career to survive? Dual-career couples are now the rule rather than the exception - in Australia 65 per cent of couples with children both work.  Jennifer Petriglieri is a professor of organisational behaviour at INSEAD Business School and she shares her research on the crucial transitions couples must navigate to make sure they not just survive but thrive in love AND work. She covers the contract she and her now-husband signed at the start of their relationship, how to have the difficult conversations around career (often is more about a power struggle), Jennifer's book is Couples That Work. Thanks to our couple Scott and Laura, our anonymous doctor and Kate Bennett Ericksson for their time and honest insights.

We separate fact from fiction when it comes to prepping for the coronavirus at work. 

Norway, Iceland and Germany have cracked the code in terms some of the world's biggest work problems, so what can we learn from them? Policy adviser Andrew Wear travelled the globe meeting local experts to try to understand what has worked - from reducing gender inequality and raising living standards to keeping manufacturing alive, each country had a tale to tell. And we hear how we can apply those lessons here in Australia. Andrew's book is called Solved! And people management expert Karen Gately, confronts the dos and don’ts when dealing with the thorny issue of conflict at work. Never miss a show! Subscribe to our weekly podcast on the ABC Listen App or Apple podcasts. (And if you enjoy the show help us out by rating us with those little stars it helps others find us.) Producer: Maria Tickle

Lunching with 100 strangers helped Kaley Chu find her voice. Kaley works in finance and as a business development manager, dealing with people was a big part of her job. But Kaley was afraid of talking to new people and it was hampering her career. So she decided to attack it head on. She launched a personal experiment, to ring strangers and invite them out to lunch. 100 lunches with 100 strangers in one year. Over lunch, we explore what drove her to embark on the 100 lunches, how it transformed all aspects of her life and work - and what she learnt along the way. (Her book is 100 Lunches With Strangers.) We then dive deeper into the power of networking and chat with careers coach Leah Lambart (founder of Relaunch me) and executive recruitment specialist Sinead Hourigan (Queensland director Robert Walters) to find out what are the big changes to networking - does it still involve boozy cocktail parties and business cards?

Can you measure and then fix workplace culture? This episode we speak with two experts who emphatically believe the answer is “yes!” Didier Elzinga is CEO of Culture Amp, Australia’s newest unicorn start-up. What Didier offers is the tools to measure culture, based on the theory that if you can measure it you can then improve it. Didier shares why he became obsessed about culture, how you can capture meaningful data about culture and what he learnt from working in one of the toughest cultures in the world - Hollywood! Colin D. Ellis is a culture change facilitator and author of Culture Fix. He shares his hard-earnt experience of turning cultures around including: what are the uncomfortable truths around culture, what are the biggest mistakes and what are the greatest levers when it comes to successful turning cultures around.

Before we kill it off work-life balance, what are the benefits and risks for employees and companies in this move to integration? Recorded live at Pause Fest 2020, this panel brought hard-core honesty to this conversation. These leaders shared their personal stories, fast fails and tips for those trying to make their way in a modern work world of mixed messages. Guests: Ed McManus, CEO of Deliveroo Australia, Natalie Feehan GM sales and marketing at MYOB and chief people officer with Estimate One, James Law. They debated (at times hotly) whether job flexibility is good for companies and how it needs to be managed, and whether working part-time limits your career. Never miss a show! Subscribe to our weekly podcast on the ABC Listen App or Apple podcasts. (And if you enjoy the show help us out by rating us with those little stars it helps others find us.) Producer: Maria Tickle

What do Barack Obama, Elon Musk and Hillary Clinton all have in common? They are all famous American leaders but they are also self-professed introverts. While it may feel like it's the loudest voice in the room is the one that gets heard, the quiet person sitting down the back may have as much (if not more) to contribute because they have thought long and hard before they speak. This is according to our guests today writer Megumi Miki, partner at Ernst and Young Ruth Picker and former Rear Admiral Simon Harrington. Each are introverts, each are powerful leaders in their field. Our quietly powerful guests share how managers can lead their introverted employees, what those quiet by nature can do to have their voice heard, why quiet people make powerful leaders and what extroverts should do in meetings to help understand their introverted colleagues.

How do you find your work mojo now that your holiday halo has started to dim? January is the most popular month to give your job the flick (and to file for divorce apparently - but this is outside the scope of our show!). We talk motivation with sports and organisational psychologist Dr Travis Kemp and Chris Low, head of vibe at Canva which has twice been named Australia's best place to work. We discuss why things come to a head in January - just what's going on in our brains? Plus why personal values trump free beer, why money isn't our primary motivator, and how eating breakfast and lunch together helped online graphic design business Canva become a unicorn company (a privately-owned start up worth more than a US one billion dollars). Chris also refers to the importance of psychological safety in the workplace. To hear more about this, listen to our previous show on this topic: After ramp up your motivation, you might want to tackle one of the toughest challenges in the workplace and have that difficult conversation. Karen Gately from Corporate Dojo gives us her very practical and imminently doable take. Producer: Maria Tickle

Data showed a 70 per cent reduction in face-to face-interactions when two Fortune 500 companies move from private offices to open plan. Harvard Business School's Ethan Bernstein conducted the research and he explains how he tracked interactions using advanced wearable devices, the phenomena of "the fourth wall" and advises how businesses can actually increase collaboration. Spoiler alert, it doesn't involve office design.

Japanese philosopher holds the keys to a happy work life. Or does he? In the inaugural This Working Life Book Club we dissect a book that's a blockbusting best-seller in Asia, The Courage To Be Disliked by Japanese philosopher Ichiro Kishimi and writer Fumitake Koga. Billed as a self-help book, it is a Socratic dialogue between a philosopher and a lost, rather angry young man. In it they explore the ideas of the 19th and 20th century Austrian psychologist Alfred Adler in attempt to help the young man find direction in life. Philosopher Patrick Stokes and entrepreneur Catherine Robson help Lisa Leong sort the guff from the gems and hear how Adler's principles can help us perform better at work.

Can you bio hack your way to performing better at work? Lisa Leong is giving it a red hot go. Since a health scare two years ago This Working Life Lisa has been using science and technology to try help her body and brain function better. But in order to sort which are useful from those which are a waste of time and money we brought in a couple of scientists. ABC Science editor and neuroscientist Jonathan Webb sorts and ABC science journalist Jo Khan who puts her body on the line to trial a couple of these bio hacks. * Blue light blockers * Long cold showers * Light emitting ear buds Then executive coach Karen Gately unpacks whether you can be both a boss and a friend.

Negotiation is something we all do every day, often without even realising it. But there is a skill to it, and on this book club episode of This Working Life we explore what works, and doesn't work, when it comes to successfully navigating these relationships. Kyle Wilson is a former diplomat, Russian expert and visiting fellow at the Centre for European Studies at ANU and Allan Parker is a consultant and negotiator whose books include "The Negotiator's Toolkit". They discuss our book club title "The Kremlin School of Negotiation" by Russian business coach Igor Ryzov.

The right mentor could make or break your career. So what makes a good one and how can you find them? We speak to Madeleine Grummet who started an organisation dedicated to mentoring the future workforce; and meet Maria Antwan who opened a business in the most male dominated industry in Australia, the construction industry, and find out how a mentor helped her deal with criticism, build her resilience and realise her true potential. GUESTS: Madeleine Grummet, CEO and Co-Founder of Girledworld; Maria Antwan, Director of NWD Design and Build; Isabel, student.

While many of us might fear public speaking even just at a work morning tea, stepping up to the job can make or break your career, especially for those at the top. Dr Lucinda Holdforth knows a thing or two about speeches. She has been writing them for corporate leaders and politicians for more than 25 years. Lucinda dissects some well-known addresses to highlight what we can learn. And executive coach Amanda Blesing shares the biggest mistake she has made early in her career and the crucial lesson she learnt from it (spoiler alert: don't leave careers for love).

The year is 2050- the world's population is nearing the 10 billion mark, artificial intelligence is integral to many of the jobs we do, and robots and technological "personal assistants" are the new norm in the workforce. So will there be enough paid work to go around? Martin Ford is a US based futurist who has written a number of books including "The Rise of the Robots-technology and the threat of a jobless future". He says one answer to an impending jobs shortage is a universal basic income for all. And Juliana Bidadanure is faculty director of Stanford University's Basic Income Lab where these ideas are being researched and explored.

Coaching is not just for leaders but we should all become "coach like", according to Michael Bungay Stanier. Michael knows a thing or two about what it takes to be a great coach, he was recently named world's number one thought leader in coaching and his book The Coaching Habit has sold more than 700,000 copies. Michael unpacks his seven essential coaching questions: 1. What's on your mind? 2. And what else? 3. What's the really challenge here for you? 4. What do you want? 5. How can I help/so what do you want from me? 6. If you're saying yes to this, what are you saying no to? 7. What was most useful/valuable here for you? And one of the least favourite days of the working year for many employees and more than a few managers is that of the performance review. You may feel they are futile at best and damaging at worst if not done properly so we asked people management specialist Karen Gately how we can get the most of of our performance reviews.

What kind of leader are you? Or what kind of leader do you aspire to be? Are you democratic, trusting or empathetic? Or a bit laissez faire? On this episode of This Working Life we are communing with the animals with zoo keepers at Sydney's Taronga Zoo and emeritus senior curator, Erna Walraven, whose new book is called "Wild Leadership-what wild animals teach us about leadership". Find out if you are more meerkat than lion, more elephant than chimp in your leadership style.

Do you find meaning in your work? How much is it linked to your identity? According to the ABC's Australia Talks survey, fulfilment at work is very important to us, so on this episode we go on a search for meaning with Peggy Kern, associate professor in positive psychology at the University of Melbourne and Nina Mapson Bone, managing director of recruitment company Beaumont People. And we also ask- is it time to jettison the CV? Kate Glazebrook, CEO and co-founder of Applied, provides some answers. [Australia Talks Promo]

Cryotherapy, sleep apps and binaural beats, are just some or the more than 20 hacks 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. DR SHONA HALSON is a leading exercise recovery scientist who has been part of three Olympic campaigns, she sorts the fact from fiction when it comes to cryotherapy. DR SIOBHAN BANKS, neuroscientist and sleep researcher from the University of South Australia, reviews wearable sleep apps and developmental neuroscientist from Monash University DR HANNAH KIRK debunks binaural beats for increasing focus. Lisa's fellow biohackers for high performance at work include DIANNE MCGRATH (Mars One astronaut candidate) and entrepreneur and non-executive director CATHERINE ROBSON.

"Innovate! Think creatively!" you're told. But how? Especially when you are in a large organisation with fairly rigid ways of doing thing. Organisational psychologist Dr Amantha Imber uses science to help companies learn to innovate, but she has also applied innovative practices at her own company, Inventium, including unlimited paid leave, flexibility around when and where her staff work and embraces an organisational framework called a holacracy. What's that? Listen to find out! And picking up on the theme of flexibility about where and when you work, and even what you wear, Bond Uni's Dr Libby Sander gives us her tips on how to work from home without going mad or living in your PJs.

What is your working style, and how much do you think your age has influenced it? The leadership style you were exposed to in the formative years of your working life will influence the leader you later become, so with five generations under the one working roof, how can we all learn to get along? Demographer Mark McCrindle, Alicia Stephenson, director of generational dynamics at Incorp, and James Pearson, the CEO of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry discuss what the generations can teach each other, while millennial leader Holly Ransom shares her insights into what good leadership looks like.

We drop in on a improv session run by the master Dan Klein from Stanford University, to hear how 'applied improvisation' has changed the dynamics in Netflix's multicultural global team. Bill Holmes chief business development officer at Netflix said once his team realised it wasn't about being funny on the spot, the group exercises about being open and vulnerable became tools to establish trust and bonds very quickly.

Have you ever had to move and find a new job? What if that move was thousands of kilometres away from your home-town and friends, or even the country of your birth? That’s the experience of the many people who migrate to Australia each year, and the ABC's Australia Talks survey has uncovered some sobering statistics on how migrants rate their working lives. When asked if they feared they could lose their job in the next 12 months, or if their career opportunities were limited, it was those from culturally diverse backgrounds, and in particular new migrants, who were feeling the strain of job insecurity and frustration the most. In fact, 68 per cent of new migrants said they would be happier in a different job and a whopping 86 per cent think companies will always try to exploit their workers if they can- the highest by far of any demographic in the survey. Mohammad Al-Khafaji is the CEO of the Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia, Joanna Howe is an associate professor of law at the University of Adelaide and Carmen Garcia is the CEO of community corporate. We also hear from new migrants Sina, Manal Aqrawe, Candida Rego and Chirag Khunt about the challenges they face. [Australia Talks Promo]

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.

When you run your own business the buck stops with you. At times it can be a stressful, and isolating world- so what happens when things just get too much? October is Mental Health Month so it's good time to put the spotlight on these issues. Beyond Blue has just released a guide for family, friends and colleagues of small business owners to give some practical advice on how to look out for the mental wellbeing of the many Australians who run their own small businesses. Dr Grant Blashki, is lead clinical advisor at Beyond Blue and he is joined by two people who are going to share their own stories towards recovery- Amanda Linton, CEO of the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers and Tim Hoopmann, founder of Spinn Business Solutions.

A side hustle can be a creative and satisfying outlet for many people who are looking for an escape from their nine to five job, and the gig economy can certainly provide flexibility and freedom for those who want it. But what if there is a more sinister side to these worlds? What happens when a job on the side becomes less of a love affair, and more a necessity? US journalist and author Alissa Quart wrote an opinion piece titled "The con of the side hustle" and is the author of "Squeezed - why our families can't afford America". Simon Kuestenmacher is director of research at The Demographics Group and he has been tracking trends in our working lives here in Australia.

Can profit and purpose mix successfully? Certified B Corporations are businesses that meet high standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to attempt to balance profit and purpose. But can business, including big business, really be used a force for good? Guests include: Andrew Davies, CEO of B Lab, the organisation that is trying to grow the B Corp movement here in Australia; corporations law expert from University of Melbourne Professor Ian Ramsay; and Audrey Khaing-Jones, founder of online designer fashion rental company GlamCorner, which last year became a certified B Corporation. Then executive coach Amanda Blesing shares her tips on how to self-promote at work without coming across as a used car salesperson.

"I used to think that anxiety and stress was actually good... to drive you to better performance," Morgan Ranieri says. He is the CEO and one of the co-founders of Your Grocer, a food grocery delivery service. But the management style that helped get the business started was not what was needed to keep it going. So what changed and how did it impact on the business? And meet Cheryl Lawrie, whose side hustle is being a funeral celebrant. She works with people on the margins of society - prisoners, refugees and members of the LGBTQI community who have lost loved ones. Cheryl says she finds good company with people on the edge.

You can waste a lot of time and money recruiting the wrong person for the job. In fact, one in five external hires don't work out, at an estimated cost of TWO years' salary. So how can psychometric testing and AI help - does science trump intuition when it comes to hiring the right person for the job? Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic is an organisational psychologist, his book is "The Talent Delusion: Why Data, Not Intuition, is Key to Unlocking Human Potential", you can guess what he thinks! Peter Wilson is the president and chair of the Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI) and together we explore the benefits and limitations of using data to choose the best candidate.

How do you define your own moral compass? What considerations do you ponder when faced with issues of right and wrong in your working life? David Burfoot, a senior advisor at the Ethics Centre, and Vanessa Pigrum, the CEO of the Cranlana Centre for Ethical Leadership put us through our ethical paces and discuss how both employers and employees can create more principled places to work.

Workplace loneliness is reaching epidemic proportions. It's as bad for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. So what can be done? Flexible work arrangements, technology, office design, even age differences are all contributing to it, affecting our mental and physical health and our productivity. Dave Anthony, principal psychologist at Communicorp and Derya Guzel, senior psychologist and clinical lead at Assure Programs, look at why workplace loneliness is bad for workers, bosses and the company bottom line, and offer suggestions on how to identify and deal with it.

Negotiation is something we all do every day, often without even realising it. But there is a skill to it, and on this book club episode of This Working Life we explore what works, and doesn't work, when it comes to successfully navigating these relationships. Kyle Wilson is a former diplomat, Russian expert and visiting fellow at the Centre for European Studies at ANU and Allan Parker is a consultant and negotiator whose books include "The Negotiator's Toolkit". They discuss our book club title "The Kremlin School of Negotiation" by Russian business coach Igor Ryzov.

If we want men and women to have equal footing both at work and at home, we need to embrace flexible work. Dr Inga Lass is a research fellow at the Melbourne Institute at the University of Melbourne, and co-author of the HILDA report. She discusses the issues with Troy Roderick, an independent consultant on diversity, and director of strategic initiatives and insights with Male Champions of Change. And fathers Andrew Hislop and Patrick Gardner share their stories on the changes they have made in their own lives to achieve a better balance. We also hear from "Catherine" from ManelWatchAU about calling out 'manels'- all male panels or events- and giving women an equal stage.

How the "power of different" can supercharge your work life - from decisions at board level, to individual careers. Inventor, rock muso and board director Finbar O'Hanlon has made an art, and a career, out of thinking differently to the mainstream and is now called in as a consultant to share his ideas with some of Australia's largest and most conservative organisations. Then author of The People Manager's Toolkit Karen Gately tells how to use social media to your advantage in building your career plus mistakes to avoid at all costs.

Find out how to build a happy workplace and how to deal with toxicity. Brand Collective owns some of Australia's best known footwear and clothing brands. After it separated from Pacific Brands and became an independent company, its CEO, Martin Matthews, decided to completely overhaul the company's management style. Cumbersome bureaucracy was thrown out, dogs and a quick weekly feedback system were brought in. The result has been a huge transformation where workplace happiness is now a given. At the other extreme, HR Consultant Anna Pannuzzo talks us through toxic workplaces - what they look like, how they impact on people and what can be done to address the causes and consequences of workplace toxicity.

Former pharmaceutical global brand manager and government advisor on energy, Australian Dianne McGrath, has been shortlisted to the final 100 astronaut candidates for the Mars One mission which is slated for 2031. The candidates call each other Martians and have been through the most stringent selection processes imaginable. Dianne shares what she has learnt about team building and reveals the surprising characteristics the selection panel looked for.

Artificial intelligence is spreading in workplaces, from the legal industry to truck driving. To find out just what that might mean for you, we revisit our chat with Chrissie Lightfoot, the inventor of the world’s first robot lawyer, Robot Lawyer Lisa, we explore how AI is saving truck drivers’ lives, and question the ethics of AI when the “intelligence” it uses is actually quite dumb. And is it good to have a bestie at work? HR consultant Anna Pannuzzo says not necessarily.

Andrea Clarke thought she was doing the right thing when she warned a large US aid agency against misappropriating government funds. For her diligence, she was sacked. Andrea Clarke is a former journalist who was working as Head of Communications for one of the world's largest and most influential aid agencies in the US. She had been in Iraq during a very dangerous post-war rebuilding period when she witnessed fraud and misappropriation of government funds. Her letter to the CEO, warning him of the huge reputational damage to the organisation if the practice continued and became public, got her fired. What followed was immense stress, a frantic search for a new job and the realisation that we all have to future-proof ourselves for an era of unknowns. She's written a book called Future Fit with tips on how to make sure we stay employable, relevant and stand out from others when looking for a job. And Chris Kent from Hays talks about the pros and cons of taking a career break, and how to keep upskilling even when you are not working.

Squads, tribes and guilds: Is agile management the future of the workplace? Nigel Dalton, Chief Inventor of REA Group - which operate the realestate.com website - takes us around their office in Richmond Victoria, set up for their agile work force. He explains some of the current jargon including "tribes, squads and guilds" - and shows us the "portal to China".

"Too rude. Your stuff's no good. It's too rude". That's what actor and director Pauly Fenech's dad told him years after the former boxer and Army Reserves man entered the film and television world. But then came the Logie.

Hear lessons from a master of both.

Goodbye open plan design, hot desking and boring office layouts. It's time for bars, basketball courts, hundreds of plants, natural light, moveable carpet, recyclable buildings, and agile working spaces to rock-on in.

Since a health scare two years ago This Working Life presenter Lisa Leong has been using science and technology to try help her body and brain function better. ABC science journalist Jo Khan puts her body on the line to trial a couple of these biohacks and, together with neuroscientist Jonathan Webb, runs the research filter them to sort which are useful from those which are a waste of time and money. * Blue light blockers * Long cold showers * Light emitting ear buds Then executive coach Karen Gately unpacks whether you can be both a boss and a friend.

What does it take to build and maintain a workplace that understands the needs of people with disabilities?

Harnessing outrage to act and change the world for the better.

Hiring more women, dealing with disasters and accidents and upskilling the workforce - just another day in the life of Athalie Williams

Japanese philosopher holds the keys to a happy work life. Or does he? In the inaugural This Working Life Book Club we dissect a book that's a blockbusting best-seller in Asia, The Courage To Be Disliked by Japanese philosopher Ichiro Kishimi and writer Fumitake Koga. Billed as a self-help book, it is a Socratic dialogue between a philosopher and a lost, rather angry young man. In it they explore the ideas of the 19th and 20th century Austrian psychologist Alfred Adler in attempt to help the young man find direction in life. Philosopher Patrick Stokes and entrepreneur Catherine Robson help Lisa Leong sort the guff from the gems and hear how Adler's principles can help us perform better at work.

If you want to communicate effectively with your work colleagues, try taking off your socks or throwing a dice and playing a board game.

Finding the silver lining in redundancy.

There are four important people behind Yotam Ottolenghi's success. Together, they helped turn a risk-averse man into one of the world's most successful and best-known chefs.

A teenage Sarah Harden wanted to be just like Jana Wendt. But a business brain and a move to the US changed that plan, and now she runs Reese Witherspoon's media company.

Making sure workers feel safe to speak up is paramount to business success. The trouble is, too many leaders are still stuck on old-style dictatorial leadership that capitalises on fear.

The Fairness in Franchising report is out but will the recommendations help the many struggling franchisees who are in over their heads?

While many of us might fear public speaking even just at a work morning tea, stepping up to the job can make or break your career, especially for those at the top.

A good mentor can make the difference between realising your full potential at work or remaining stuck in an unfulfilling job. A Sliding Doors moment.