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

Micro stress: How small stuff piles up - and how to find the antidote

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They’re usually the last step in the process, but reference checks are an important part of a job hire. And if you get them wrong, you can have a real situation on your hands. What's best practice when it comes to reference checking: whether you’re hiring, trying to be hired, or giving a reference for someone else?

Reference check horror stories, and how to avoid them

The junior person feels like they’re being micromanaged, but the manager feels like the job is not being done properly. When does good supervision tip into micromanagement? Shona Ryan had such a difficult time being micromanaged as a millennial worker, that she decided to research the topic.  We hear what she learned, and get advice from an expert on how to break the pattern of micromanagement.

Are you being micromanaged? Here’s how to break free

You’ve probably got a focus music playlist but did you know being musically trained can help you in other jobs? And no, it’s not too late if you didn’t learn the piano when you were a child. Guest: Dr Diana Tolmie - Musician and Senior Lecturer in Professional Practice at the Queensland Conservatorium And thanks to Sophie, George, Mark and Deirdre for sharing their stories. And if you liked this episode you’d enjoy our episode on the power of being a generalist at work - find it in our podcast feed from March 2023.

How music’s secret skills can scale up your performance

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

What did you want to be when you grew up? Here's why it's still important.

"Don't we all hold many things? We all have to work jobs often we don't fully politically or ethically agree with because we have to pay our rent." When we have the privilege to choose what work we do, how do we ensure we're ethically aligned with that career choice? And once we’re working in a job, how can we ensure we’re behaving ethically day to day? Guests:Dr Tim Dean - Senior Philosopher, The Ethics CentreMaryam Kouchaki - Professor of Management & Organizations, the Kellogg School of ManagementJess Shane - radio and podcast producerIf you enjoyed this episode, you'd like our episodes about values at work (from April) and why good people do bad things (from June 2023). Find them in our podcast feed.

Micro stress: How small stuff piles up - and how to find the antidote

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