This Working Life

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.