Welcome to The New Normal

Episode 20 - Would you like to be able to work seven days a week? Is time off at weekends non-negotiable, or should all jobs be flexible enough to get some of your hours done at weekends? One company is trying it out, and it seems to be working. But research shows that our free time is increasingly limited, and we’re a long way off economist John Meynard Keynes’ 1930s prediction that by now we’d all be working 15-hour weeks.

Episode 19 - The number of people quitting their jobs has hit record numbers in the US. The soc-called “Big Resignation”, or the “Big Quit”, is impacting all industries is going global. In this episode we discuss the causes, why it’s affecting jobs across the economy, and what it means for the future as wages climb competitively, and may well push inflation higher.

Episode 18 - Employers need to accept that young people don’t like phone calls. News that ringtone downloads are in terminal decline highlights just how much the way we use their phones is changing, and what might have been acceptable 10 years.

Episode 17 - Will TikTok resumés become the norm? Probably not, given warnings about diversity and inclusion, and the advantages of text based applications. But how do Gen-Zers feel about this new trend for applying for jobs, and what does it say about

Episode 16 - Some of Silicon Valley’s biggest players want employees back at their desks. But what does this say about the very companies that have made millions giving us the tools to work remotely? 

Episode 15 - How would you like to join a meeting in virtual reality, where your boss has chosen his looks and dress frem a 3D gallery, and where colleagues and clients make artificial gestures and smiles? Could this be any less stressful than back-to-back video conferences, with an added touch of nausea? 

Episode 14 - Research shows that companies wooing future talent are more likely to get the people they want if they offer the possibility to work from home, even if it’s partial, and it’s even more important than the salary level on offer. But succeeding in the new paradigm requires a whole new set of foundational skills that leaders must foster and develop to make it work.

Episode 13 - Burnout is a growing problem for companies, that’s being exacerbated by remote working. Just as serious is “Boreout”, a phenomenon where employees are climbing the walls for want of something interesting to do. Why are these two phenomena so damaging to companies, and what can be done to fight them? What’s needed is better leadership, communication and imagination from bosses.

Episode 12 - What is a “workcation”? And why is it a terrible idea? A workcation is a holiday where you take your work with you, and apparently it’s less rare than you’d imagine. Research shows, unsurprisingly, that real vacations, where the stresses of the office are left well behind you, are food for the soul and essential for wellbeing.

Episode 11 - Digital nomadism is increasingly popular, with workers, some earning very nicely, taking to the open road, or the high seas, in camper vans, sailing yachts, or simply cruising from city to city to get a taste of a different culture while making sure the pay cheques continue to get paid.