This Working Life

When you’re under the pump, it can feel like taking a break at work is impossible. But that can be habit forming, and bad for your physical and mental health. 

Learn the benefits of building breaks into your workday, and how to do it in a way that feels manageable. 

Guests:

Kira Schabram, Assistant Professor of Management & Organisation at Smeal College of Business, The Pennsylvania State University 

Vanessa Miles, organisational psychologist, Transitioning Well

If you have trouble sleeping, work may be part of the equation. Here’s some expert tips on what works best to get a good night’s sleep, and advice some of you shared about your sleep hacks. 

Guest:

Alex Sweetman, Senior Program Manager, Australasian Sleep Association 

You can apply to access Bedtime Window here.

Four in ten Australians are not getting enough sleep, and work could be a part of the problem.  

Whether you work 9 – 5 or irregular hours, lack of sleep impacts performance, safety and can compound work stress. So how can you balance work responsibilities and sleep? 

Guests:

Dr Moira Junge, CEO Sleep Health Foundation, Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor, Monash University

Dr Charlotte Gupta, Senior Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Appleton Institute, CQ University 

AI tools are making it easier for employers to gather data on where, when and how you're working. 

But when it comes to workplace surveillance, how do you find the balance between an employer’s need to know and protect staff, and their privacy? 

 Guests: 

Associate Professor Penny Williams, Director of the Centre for Decent Work and Industry and Senior Research Fellow in School of Management, QUT 

 Dr Dale Tweedie, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Accounting & Corporate Governance, Macquarie University 

 Aaron McEwan, vice-president of research and advisory in HR at Gartner 

Being in charge means making decisions, and whether they’re right or wrong, managers often feel they need to make them in order to display leadership.  

But in an uncertain world, the most successful leaders are recognising their blind spots before they act. We'll teach you how. 

Guest: 

Dr Kirstin Ferguson AM, author, columnist and expert in leadership and culture 

Career regret is a common phenomenon, so what practical advice is there for people who are at a career crossroads? 

Guests:  

Leah Lambart, Career and Interview Coach, resident career expert for SEEK  

Annie Louey, celebrant, comedian and writer who has experienced and interviewed others about career breaks

More than 50 years ago, an American sociologist published a game-changing paper that illustrated just how important casual acquaintances are in our work lives.

Mark Granovetter's The Strength of Weak Ties was a groundbreaking paper that changed the way we looked at networking forever.

So, how vital are 'weak ties' in today's workforce?

If you think of productivity as hustle culture, endless multi-tasking, and constant busyness, you might be on the wrong track and you may be on the way to burnout.

New York Times bestselling author Cal Newport is a long-time advocate for making changes to the way we work. Now he has a new work philosophy: Slow Productivity.

He says doing fewer things, working at a natural pace, and obsessing over quality will deliver lasting success.

Guest:

Cal Newport, author of Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout.

From pets to pot plants, comfy clothing to noise-cancelling headphones. There have never been more ways to bring a personal touch to your office experience.   But what happens when different employees have conflicting approaches? 

Guests:

Christhina Candido, Professor of Environmental and Sustainable Design, University of Melbourne

Dr Amantha Imber, organisational psychologist, founder, Inventium, and host of the 'How I Work' podcast

Pick something you enjoy doing and you can 'leisure craft' it! We learn about the benefits of this technique as a way of improving your personal wellbeing, and your performance at work. 

Plus we'll give you some practical tips on how to 'leisure-craft' in Try This.

Guest: 

Alex Hamrick, Assistant Professor of Management, Robins School of Business, University of Richmond