Truth, Lies, and Work is an award-winning psychology podcast from the HubSpot Podcast Network, hosted by Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott and business owner Al Elliott.

After our January unfiltered series, we’re back to our This Week in Work format, bringing you the latest workplace news, expert insights, and solutions to your burning workplace dilemmas.

🗓️ News Roundup

The TikTok Ban in the U.S.:

We explore the upcoming federal ban on TikTok, set to take effect on January 19, 2025, unless ByteDance divests its U.S. operations.

Source: TikTok ban explained – BBC News

Soft Quitting:

Dr. Diane Hamilton introduces the concept of soft quitting—subtler and potentially more harmful than quiet quitting.

Source: What is soft quitting? – Forbes

Wellness Trends for 2025:

Forbes highlights unconventional wellness trends that are set to transform the workplace, including financial wellness programs, menopause support, and biophilic office design.

Source: Wellness Trends for 2025 – Forbes

🔥 Paula Brockwell’s Hot Take: Why Vision and Values Won’t Fix Your Culture

This week’s hot take comes from the brilliant Paula Brockwell, a Chartered Occupational Psychologist and founder of The Employee Experience Project. With over 20 years of experience helping businesses untangle culture challenges, Paula is known for her no-nonsense, practical approach to sustainable change.

Paula’s perspective on vision and values? They’re often used as a crutch in culture transformation, but they rarely deliver real results.

💡 World-Famous Workplace Surgery

Unifying Management Across Locations:

A listener asks for help standardizing management practices across multiple stores. Leanne provides tips for creating consistency without undermining individuality.

Burnout in Engineering Teams:

Late nights and weekend work are taking their toll on an engineering team. Leanne shares advice on approaching leadership about sustainable workload expectations.

Adapting to AI Changes:

A research analyst worried about AI’s impact on job security gets actionable steps to future-proof their career in an AI-driven world.

General Support with Mental Health and Well-being

If you have been affected by any of the themes in this episode, or are currently struggling with your mental health, the following resources may be useful.

Mind website: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/

If you are feeling in distress or despair, including feelings of suicide, please do consider calling the Samaritans for free on 116 123 (UK) or email [email protected] (Rest of World)

Connect with Al and Leanne

Join the Conversation on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork/

Connect with Al on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott/

Connect with Leanne on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne

Email: [email protected]

Book a Call with Al & Leanne: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat