This Working Life

You may love your work, but are you working too much? Despite awareness of burnout, many of us still see working long hours as a badge of honour.

We hear from reformed 'workaholics' and experts to uncover how to address our culture of overwork, and what recovery looks like.

Guests:

Malissa Clark, Associate Professor of industrial-organisational psychology, University of Georgia and author, Never Not Working:Why the Always-On Culture Is Bad for Business—and How to Fix It

Audrey McGibbon, Chartered Occupational & Coaching Psychologist, co-founder of the Global Leadership Wellness Survey.

Thanks also to Anne Maria and Hazel for sharing their stories.

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

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

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

How do we go from wanting to do something to actually doing it, and doing it well?

According to Organisational Psychologist and Professor Adam Grant, we need to tap into our hidden potential and hone our character skills.

Guests:

• Adam Grant - organisational psychologist, Professor of Psychology, Wharton school at Pennsylvania University. Author, Hidden Potential 
• Thanks to Siba Diqer, Ali Killaly and Megumi Miki for sharing their stories

This story was first broadcast on 10th November 2023

Saying "yes" too often can leave you feeling overwhelmed and perhaps a bit resentful. You might hear yourself saying "yes of course I can" when your inner voice is screaming "no!"

So here's how you can say "no" more often at work, without feeling rude.

Guests

• Natalie Lue — Author, The Joy of Saying No
• Benjamin Law — Writer and broadcaster
• Hema Kangeson — Founder, The Leaders Circle
• Bruce Tulgan — Author, The Art of Being Indispensable at Work
• Alisha Taylor-Jones — Diversity and inclusion professional

This story was first broadcast on 3rd February 2023

Experts say balance may not be the best thing to aim for. So is the concept of work life balance itself, flawed? 

Learn ways to put life first and make small changes that can help you get more satisfaction in life and work.   

Guests:

Tim Duggan, author, Work Backwards

Dr Stacey Parker, Centre for Business and Organisational Psychology, University of Queensland

Carly Hopgood, engineer and work life coach

You’re doing well in your career and are being steered towards the leadership track.  But it’s a common complaint within organisations that new managers don’t get the right kind of training or support. So how can you prepare?

We dig into the essential skills, and the best ways to learn them.

Guests:

Karina Calder, head of leadership and development, SW Accountants and Advisors 

Dr Stacey Ashley, leadership coach and author, The New Leader

Professor Greg Harper, Pro Vice Chancellor, Centre for Organisational Change and Agility, Torrens University Australia 

Melanie Perkins, Richard Branson, Mark Zuckerberg, and Elon Musk all have one thing in common. They’ve leveraged the entrepreneur mindset to achieve success in business. 

Whether you work for yourself or within a larger organisation, what can you borrow from high achievers that’s relevant to your career? 

Guests:

Rachael Neumann, co-founder, Flying Fox Ventures 

Alex Newman, Professor of Management and Associate Dean (Faculty), Melbourne Business School 

Eleni Dracakis, business psychologist 

You've likely been told to disrupt yourself and get better at dealing with change. But what if rapid change isn’t allowing you to do your best at work?

Leadership expert and co-author of Nine Lies About Work, Ashley Goodall, argues that change, for the sake of it, can be counter-productive. So how can we create more stability at work?

Guest:

Ashley Goodall, leadership expert and author, The Problem with Change

This is a companion story to our episode Uncertainty at work stressing you out? Here’s how to deal with it.