In this episode, host Steve Randall sits down with occupational medicine specialist Jalees Razavi to tackle the widespread, critical issue of workplace burnout in 2026. Jalees debunks the common myth that burnout is merely an individual psychological flaw or a "mood issue," reframing it strictly as a structural, organizational failing.

The conversation explores how constant digital accessibility, understaffed environments, and superficial "wellness gimmicks" worsen chronic stress. Jalees breaks down the distinct types of burnout, explains the danger of misdiagnosing it as depression, and outlines the practical, upstream organizational changes needed to foster true recovery.

Key Takeaways

• The Myth of Multitasking & Accessibility: Modern technology has created a state of constant accessibility. The continuous urge to check social media or work emails prevents the brain from entering a natural state of rest, acting as a primary driver for burnout.
• Burnout is Structural, Not Personal: Burnout is a physical state of the body, not a mood issue. While individual factors exist, workplace burnout is primarily caused when the structural design of a job produces injury.
• The Pitfalls of "Wellness Gimmicks": Superficial solutions like yoga classes, breathing techniques, or gym memberships often act as short-term PR or "damage control" rather than solving the root issues. In fact, forcing wellness activities into an already overloaded schedule can add to an employee's stress.
• The Dangerous Misdiagnosis: Burnout often hits high performers first. Because it causes persistent fatigue and lower performance, patients are frequently misdiagnosed with depression and improperly prescribed antidepressants when the actual issue is severe occupational burnout.
• Upstream Solutions: To truly address burnout, organizations must focus on four main upstream levers: managing workload, increasing employee control, allowing for real recovery, and maintaining ethical alignment. Simple tweaks, like implementing three-month task rotations, can dramatically improve employee retention and health.

Resources

• Connect with Jalees Razavi on LinkedIn
• Jalees’s book: The Anatomy of Burnout

The SOM podcast is sponsored by Orchid Live - specialist occupational health software used by a number of SOM members to run every aspect of their occupational health operations. They hold healthcare records for over 1 million UK workers and work with both in-house OH teams and OH providers. You can find out more at OrchidLive.com.

Our monthly SOM News Update brings you the latest stories and insights from SOM and the wider OH world. Hosted by Steve Randall.

--

Links mentioned in the podcast:


Supporting workers with fertility treatment and pregnancy loss: https://www.som.org.uk/sites/som.org.uk/files/Fertility_Treatment_and_Pregnancy_Loss_June_2026.pdf

Keep Britain Working Update: https://www.som.org.uk/sites/som.org.uk/files/KBW_The_Story_So_Far_June_FINAL.pdf

The SOM podcast is sponsored by Orchid Live - specialist occupational health software used by a number of SOM members to run every aspect of their occupational health operations. They hold healthcare records for over 1 million UK workers and work with both in-house OH teams and OH providers. You can find out more at OrchidLive.com.

To mark SOM’s 90th anniversary Amy McKeown brings together a distinguished panel to explore what the future looks like for occupational health, the pressing need to modernize the specialty, and how to create deeper structural integration within UK workplaces.

The conversation focuses heavily on shifting away from a reactive "medicalized model" toward proactive, upstream organizational support. The panel dives into the challenges of a commercialized procurement market, the pitfalls of unregulated corporate wellness trends, the future role of AI, and the critical importance of a healthy workforce for economic sustainability.

Panellists: 

•    Dr. Charles Goss: Consultant Occupational Physician; Head of Service in the NHS; Chair of the NHS Health at Work Network
•    Dr. Alasdair Emslie: Consultant Occupational Physician; Head of Health at Health Partners Group
•    Rachel Suff: Public Policy Team at the CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development)
•    Prof. Neil Greenberg: Consultant Occupational Psychiatrist; President of the Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM)
•    Prof. Kevin Bampton: Chief Executive Officer of the British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS); Chair for the Council for Work and Health

Resources

• Visit the Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM)
• Explore the British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS)
• Learn more about the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)

The SOM podcast is sponsored by Orchid Live - specialist occupational health software used by a number of SOM members to run every aspect of their occupational health operations. They hold healthcare records for over 1 million UK workers and work with both in-house OH teams and OH providers. You can find out more at OrchidLive.com.

While safety in the workplace gets a massive amount of attention, long-term health risks (specifically exposure to loud noise) are frequently overlooked. In this episode, host Steve Randall is joined by Clare Forshaw, Professional Head of Health and Wellbeing at the RSSB and a Founder/Director of the UK Hearing Conservation Association.

Clare challenges the common misconception that hearing loss is simply an "inevitable part of ageing." The discussion touches on the broader, systemic impacts of noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus on mental health, the shared responsibilities between employers and employees, and how our modern, content-heavy lifestyles are pushing our ears to the absolute limit before we even clock into work.

Key Takeaways:

• The "Poor Relation" of Health: Hearing health is often treated secondary to safety because it doesn't cause immediate, dramatic injuries. However, all noise-induced hearing loss is entirely preventable.
• The True Impact of Tinnitus: Far from a minor inconvenience, severe tinnitus can drastically erode a person's quality of life, leading to sleep deprivation, anxiety, and extreme psychological distress.
• The Dementia Connection: Recent studies highlight noise-induced hearing loss as one of the single biggest modifiable risk factors for early-onset dementia due to the social isolation and cognitive decline it triggers.
• Our "Daily Noise Dose": Between podcasts, music, public transit, and loud gyms, many of us consume our entire daily safe limit of noise exposure before our workday even begins.
• Continuous vs. Impact Noise: While continuous background noise is heavily monitored, short, sharp impact noises are often under-assessed, dealing harsh damage to already stressed hair cells in the ear.
• How to Spot a Noisy Workspace: A quick rule of thumb—if you have to raise your voice to speak to someone standing two meters away, the noise level is potentially harmful.

Connect with Clare on LinkedIn or visit the UKHCA Website.

  

The SOM podcast is sponsored by Orchid Live - specialist occupational health software used by a number of SOM members to run every aspect of their occupational health operations. They hold healthcare records for over 1 million UK workers and work with both in-house OH teams and OH providers. You can find out more at OrchidLive.com.

Our monthly SOM News Update brings you the latest stories and insights from SOM and the wider OH world. Hosted by Steve Randall.

--

Links mentioned in the podcast:


SOM guide, Repositioning OH within the Employee Value Proposition (EVP)

Employment support for disabled people: Disability at Work 

New WISE-QM: Quality Mark for Wellbeing Initiatives and Services for Employees

Work Right: What is health surveillance?

EVENTS:

Introduction to Occupational Health, Wednesday 1st July 2-4.30pm - register here

Wellbeing Professional Competency Framework, Monday 20th July 1-2pm - register here


The SOM podcast is sponsored by Orchid Live - specialist occupational health software used by a number of SOM members to run every aspect of their occupational health operations. They hold healthcare records for over 1 million UK workers and work with both in-house OH teams and OH providers. You can find out more at OrchidLive.com.

Explore how artificial intelligence is transforming workplaces and what occupational health professionals need to know to support organizations and employees through this evolving landscape. Dr. Lara Shemtob shares insights with Kat Barnard on the challenges, opportunities, and strategies for managing AI integration in the workplace.

In this episode:

• The broad impact of AI beyond office roles, touching healthcare, education, and manual trades
• The importance of a coherent narrative for AI adoption and addressing employee anxiety
• Historical parallels: Digital transformation, social media, cloud computing, and lessons learned
• How organizational culture influences AI adoption, including ground rules and experimentation
• The critical role of communication, research, and internal feedback in supporting a smooth transition
• The significance of understanding job roles and tasks to identify AI opportunities
• Managing uncertainty and change using cyclical, human-centered frameworks like the Prochaska model
• Practical advice for occupational health teams supporting psychological resilience and adaptability

Resources & Links:

• Prochaska, DiClemente, and Norcross’s Transtheoretical Model of Change
• Megan Wright and John Higgins' research on spaciousness
• Huberman Lab Podcast - Neuroscience of Change
• Working the Future - Advisory firm on Work Trends

Connect with Kat Barnard:

• LinkedIn

The SOM podcast is sponsored by Orchid Live - specialist occupational health software used by a number of SOM members to run every aspect of their occupational health operations. They hold healthcare records for over 1 million UK workers and work with both in-house OH teams and OH providers. You can find out more at OrchidLive.com.

In this episode, Werner Stipp - Consultant in Occupational Health and member of the SOM Special Interest Group in Sleep - joins host Steve Randall to discuss the critical intersection of sleep health and workplace performance.

Stipp outlines how OH professionals can utilize sleep assessments to improve worker wellbeing and mitigate safety risks, particularly in safety-critical roles like train driving. The conversation covers the physiology of REM sleep, and the unique challenges faced by shift workers.  

Key Takeaways

• The Sleep-Stress Cycle: There is an inverse relationship between stress and sleep health; stress leads to poor sleep, which in turn reduces a person's ability to manage daily pressures.
• Physiological Benefits of Deep Sleep: During sleep, support cells in the brain act as a "pump" to wash out stress hormones through five 90-minute "ultradian" cycles.
• The Myth of "Catching Up": Sleep debt is like a mortgage that cannot be easily paid off; sleeping in on weekends is often a sign of "decompensation" rather than a solution.   ·        Shift Work Strategies: Successful shift workers often wait to sleep until they are truly tired after a night shift rather than forcing immediate rest.
• Screening for "Red Flags": OH professionals should first exclude treatable conditions like narcolepsy or obstructive sleep apnoea, which affects an estimated 8 million people in the UK.  

Connect with Werner Stipp on LinkedIn.


The SOM podcast is sponsored by Orchid Live - specialist occupational health software used by a number of SOM members to run every aspect of their occupational health operations. They hold healthcare records for over 1 million UK workers and work with both in-house OH teams and OH providers. You can find out more at OrchidLive.com.

In this episode, Steve Randall speaks with with Dr. Emma Wallace, a recipient of the SOM Golden Jubilee Award. Emma shares her journey from anaesthetics to occupational medicine and her recent research expedition to Ny-Ålesund, the world’s northernmost permanent settlement.

She discusses the physiological challenges of extreme cold, the hidden risks of UV exposure in icy climates, and how the unique social structure of Arctic research stations could offer valuable lessons for workplace wellbeing back home.  

Key Takeaways

• The Transition to OH: Dr. Wallace highlights how the blend of toxicology, physiology, and a holistic approach to patient interaction drew her away from anaesthetics and into occupational medicine.
• Research in Extremes: Driven by a passion for physiology in extreme environments (diving, altitude, and thermal stress), Emma conducted a site risk assessment for the British Antarctic Survey in the Arctic. 
• The Journey North: Reaching Ny-Ålesund involved multiple flights, culminating in a 13-seat cargo plane flight over glaciers and fjords—a journey strictly monitored due to carbon footprint concerns.
• Environmental Risk Mapping: Using a handheld monitor, Dr. Wallace cataloged ambient temperature, humidity, noise (decibels), UV levels, and PM2.5 (particulate matter) while shadowing bio-ecologists in the field.
• Cold Stress in the UK: A major takeaway is that "Extreme Cold" (defined by ISO standards as <0°C) occurs frequently in the UK—notably 15 days in January in Belfast—yet is often underestimated compared to Arctic environments. 
• The "Midnight Sun" Effect: Despite no formal physiological monitoring on this trip, Emma observed how 24-hour daylight quickly disrupts sleep routines and mealtime consistency. 
• The Power of Community: The research station featured a unique social environment: no phones at tables, no TVs, and shared mealtimes among 15 different nations, fostering deep communication and connection. 

Future Research

Dr. Wallace is currently working toward a PhD focusing on Cold Exposure in the UK, specifically looking at how OH services can better protect vulnerable workers with pre-existing conditions like COPD, asthma, or hypertension.  

Connect with Dr Wallace on LinkedIn.

The SOM podcast is sponsored by Orchid Live - specialist occupational health software used by a number of SOM members to run every aspect of their occupational health operations. They hold healthcare records for over 1 million UK workers and work with both in-house OH teams and OH providers. You can find out more at OrchidLive.com.

Our monthly SOM News Update brings you the latest stories and insights from SOM and the wider OH world. Hosted by Steve Randall.

--

Links mentioned in the podcast:

Prof Neil Greenberg Letter to the Editor in The Observer.

Occupational Health Awareness Week 2026, 21st-27th Sept, brief here.

Annual General Meeting of SOM 2026, 16th June 5.15-6.15pm - A draft agenda is here. 

SOM/FOM Conference: Occupational Health 2026, Tuesday 16th-Wednesday 17th June - register here


World Day of Safety and Health at Work 2026 - Launch of ILO Psychosocial Risks in the Workplace here.

AI document from EUOSHA here.

The At Work Partnership: OH Report Writing Workshop, Tuesday 9th June

The At Work Partnership: Certificate in Managing Mental Health at Work, Wednesday 10th-Friday 12th June

The At Work Partnership: Foundation Course in Occupational Health, Wednesday 24th-Thursday 25th June



The SOM podcast is sponsored by Orchid Live - specialist occupational health software used by a number of SOM members to run every aspect of their occupational health operations. They hold healthcare records for over 1 million UK workers and work with both in-house OH teams and OH providers. You can find out more at OrchidLive.com.

In this episode of the SOM Podcast, we welcome back Lanre Ogunyemi, independent occupational health physician and former president of the Society of Occupational Medicine, to explore what it really takes to build a successful independent career in occupational health.

Lanre shares his personal journey from the NHS into independent practice, including how he managed the transition, the importance of financial stability early on, and why taking gradual steps can make all the difference.

The conversation covers the realities of working independently – from setting up a business and managing contracts, to building networks, maintaining clinical governance, and knowing when to bring in additional support. Lanre also discusses:

• Why keeping “one foot” in a secure role can ease the transition
• The importance of building long-term client relationships
• How to scale your work through networks and subcontracting
• Balancing clinical work with business responsibilities
• The flexibility and autonomy that come with independence
• How to avoid burnout and maintain a healthy work-life balance

We also explore the current market opportunities for independent OH professionals, including working with larger providers, securing local contracts, and offering specialist or ad hoc services. Finally, Lanre shares practical advice for anyone considering this path – including the value of speaking to others who have already made the move.

Key takeaway:
Going independent is a big step, but it offers unmatched flexibility and the chance to shape a career that truly fits your goals – as long as you plan carefully and stay self-aware along the way.

Host: Steve Randall https://www.linkedin.com/in/steverandalluk/

Lanre's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lanreogunyemi/

The SOM podcast is sponsored by Orchid Live - specialist occupational health software used by a number of SOM members to run every aspect of their occupational health operations. They hold healthcare records for over 1 million UK workers and work with both in-house OH teams and OH providers. You can find out more at OrchidLive.com.