Season 09 Episode 09: An Assault on Office Decorum

WARNING: This episode refers to sexual escapades that may offend some people – we advise listener discretion.

The crew, Alan, Trajce, and Sara, discuss a confronting case, Evan Ashley Solstace v Metley Toleda Ltd [2023] FCA 456, which made headlines: ‘Creepy office work is slammed by judge for filthy acts at work.’ The judge called the situation, “Shambolic!”

“Great word,” reflects Trajce.

Sara explains some of the findings resulting from Alan’s case research, “This worker was found to engage in purposeful lewd workplace behaviours. He would fart in the hallway, burp aloud, go to the loo with the hallway door open, and solicit sex talk among colleagues while openly sharing stories about his polyamorous and furry lifestyle.”

While admitting the inappropriateness of the workplace behaviours, Alan struggles with the connection of these behaviours to sexual harassment industrial law, which tethers Trajce and Sara to good debate on this topic. Sara sets her boundaries, “Hey,” she tells the guys, “We are great friends – but hear me now: I do not ever wish to know the explicit details of your bedroom gymnastics!”

Tune in for more on this case and other discussions on workplace taboos.

For more on psychosocial risk management, refer to PRAiSETM (Psychosocial Risk Assessment and Integrated Solutions for Employers) – Certified Assessor and Manager programs – and PRA, the new task-based Psychosocial Risk Analyser feature within the ErgoAnalyst software platform. These tools help teams visualise, quantify, qualify, and respond to both contextualised physical and psychosocial risks, merging technical rigour with empathy-driven co-design.

WARNING: This episode is explicit in nature - we advise listener discretion.

Encore replay from our inaugural WhyWork Podcast episode 01 launch - From S01 E01: Bubbles of Trouble - the perfect discussion for the holiday time.

Season 01 Episode 01 invites listeners to consider what happens when a celebration like a Christmas party or social gathering goes seriously wrong. There can be blurred lines, drinking, nudity, giggles, and the assumptions that everyone in the team wants to party in the same way when that just might not be the case! Listen to what happens when your work party devolves and what might be done to protect against such circumstances. “She poured it on…”, says Alan. “It all got a little sudsy…”, says Sara, and “Let’s get this party started!”. “Was she planking?” asked Trajce. There is little to be left to the imagination in this episode.

Season 09 Episode 08: Sankalpa - The Power of Intention and Gratitude

WARNING: This episode refers to victim impact statements after tragic circumstances – we advise listener discretion.

The podcast team are elated that the Magpie referenced in the S09 E07: Trading Up - Work in the Sex Trade recording was successfully freed to the wild. Sara admonished, “I don’t know what Trajce was doing – I think he was trying to negotiate with the Maggie to usher in its surrender.” However, the escapade allowed the team a break from the serious stuff and see the comical side of life.

“I set my intention daily,” Sara explained, “and today was about joyous laugher with you both.” Sara shared her yogic philosophy on Sankalpa, setting an intention at the beginning of the day and, later, reflecting on the day with gratitude. The boys, Alan and Trajce, struggle with the concept until the pause to reflect on their quality time with their respective partners. This episode explores personal reflections as Sara gears up to share her news in a future episode, and the team relate the ideas of simple pleasures to intentional leadership, design, and victim impact statements - something which Trajce has written about extensively.

Season 09 Episode 07: Trading Up – Work in the Sex Trade

WARNING: This episode refers to adult entertainment work domains – we advise listener discretion.

Alan explores workplace claims involving an adult entertainment specialist, debating work arrangements and business entitlements. In doing so, he reveals some of the traits of a business contracting ‘done right.’ Work is work and the sex trade represents a legitimate industry and workplace with regular entitlements, says Trajce. Sara commends Alan, “I’m so glad you thought to discuss successes,” as she reflects on studying success and the value of simplicity as much as, if not more than, studying potential workplace failures and complexity. The session is interrupted by the caw of a lost Magpie down the hall from the recording studio.

For more on the sex trade, listen to S02 E06: Mi Casa es su Casa. For more on High Reliability Organisations, listen to S05 E14: You are my HRO.

For more on human factors, safety events, and the multiple fatalities at the theme park, Dreamworld Gold Coast, listen to S03 E06: Cha-cha-cha Thrill Rides.

Season 09 Episode 06: Skylarking yet Held to a Higher Standard

WARNING: This episode refers to workplace bullying and harassment - we advise listener discretion.

This episode explores the job duties that prevail even after you’ve clocked off – at least, in view of public expectation. The crew debate: Does your job outlive its tenure and should you be judged by it in your personal life?

“Never have I ever!” exclaims Trajce, while Alan shares tales of some ‘nudie nut’ coppers and party time frivolity. He adds to these stories with a story about a member of the public gambling on the running speed proficiency of some police officers by testing whether they can catch him after smacking them on the derriere in a “Catch me if you can!” escapade. Sara adds to the stories with some of her own, like the entitled chef who smacked her butt during her waitressing days, and the workplace ‘crib room’ tests of her fortitude when she was the sole woman on site.

For more on spanking in the workplace, refer to S04 E08: The Archaic Adage of Deserving a Good Spanking

Season 09 Episode 05: It is All Too Human: Why Prosecute?

WARNING: This episode includes discussion on a serious workplace injury - we advise listener discretion.

Degloved and prosecuted - Why pursue an employee whose judgment lapsed, and they are already in a world of pain from a gruesome workplace injury? The team are flummoxed by the idea of governmental prosecutions of individuals versus organisations, given their beliefs that workplace incidents reflect systemic imbalances and erosion factors.

The podcasters, Alan, Trajce, and Sara review a case of a workers who was degloved by a meat grinding auger, a recreational indoor climbing pursuit that ended in disaster, and a school prank that could have caused more pain that the chargrilled science room wall it created. Sara refers to four types of human factors, debunking a common misconception that humans are simply error-prone mishaps waiting to upset productive work.

Season 09 Episode 04: The Moral Compass of the Law

“The idea of a moral compass of the law assumes that we care about caring,” Sara provokes. “We cannot escape the moral compass of the law,” Trajce warns. Alan agrees, “Good laws reflect good moral judgment.”

The podcasters explore contemporary, newsworthy topics related to moral injury. Sara describes moral injury, an occupational psychosocial hazard, as a cross-cutting hazard – one that crosscuts acute and cumulative exposure pathways. Listen to more on this to understand ethical challenges to one’s sense of integrity. The WhyWork Podcast crew, Alan, Trajce, and Sara explore hot topics: The Epstein files, P. Diddy and his workforce, and Covid healthcare reflections.

“This is about you, not with you,” Alan remarks while laughing about Trajce’s wild band party days, He continues to jibe Trajce until Trajce admits that there may be a few stories of yesteryear to unpack.

For more on psychosocial risk management, refer to PRAiSETM (Psychosocial Risk Assessment and Integrated Solutions for Employers) – Certified Assessor and Manager programs – and PRA, the new task-based Psychosocial Risk Analyser feature within the ErgoAnalyst software platform. These tools are helping teams visualise, quantify, qualify, and respond to both contextualised physical and psychosocial risks, merging technical rigour with empathy-driven co-design.

Season 09 Episode 03: "Top o' the morning to ya!"

The WhyWork Podcast team marvel at a case when a seemingly simple salutation triggers a workplace dismissal. “Was it fair?’ Trajce begs the question. Alan asks about material misconduct and whether a belief related to the cause of an offence is reasonable justification for dismissal.

This is a provocative episode, prompting deep thought on when play becomes concerning, and justifiable misconduct. Alan and Sara revel in the debate on sentiment, intention, and the impacts at work when you but your foot in your mouth. “Yes, like what about when you describe less-than-cute babies and you realise that was your workmate’s infant?” asks Sara, determining that some babies must ‘grow into’ their cuteness.

Trajce is concerned about offenses escalating to termination too quickly. Sara rebuffs these ideas by suggesting that if you ringfence the frivolity around interpersonal relations in an extreme manner, you lose humour and bonding opportunities, yet agrees that personal offences are in the eye of the beholder.

For more on this topic, refer to S08 E10: Darth Vader and the Handshake of Death

Season 09 Episode 02: Spyware - Yah, baby! It’s all the rage

The team debate a question in workplace dismissals: “Was the sacking harsh, unjust, or unreasonable?”

Alan presents the new way of working as an inspector – using body-worn cameras in investigations. He argues, “If you are capturing someone’s personal information, a video of them, a voice recording, and their interactions, the person should receive a copy of what has been captured.” Trajce and Sara weigh in on the debate, with workplace trends rampant in the use of spyware software, tracking keystrokes, and meeting attendance. Sara reminds the team of provisions to constrain ‘unnecessary surveillance’ in psychosocial risk management mandates. Alan explains, “it’s so much easier if you have stated the scope of surveillance in a policy.”

In another story, Trajce is humoured by the idea that spending up to an hour a day to online shop for personal items at work is permissible in some jurisdictions, yet workers yearn for a right to disconnect from work on their home time.

For more on Psychosocial Risk Management, check out: PRAiSE (Psychosocial Risk Assessment and Integrated Solutions for Employers) – Certified Assessor and Manager programs - and PRA, the new task-based Psychosocial Risk Analyser feature within the ErgoAnalyst software platform. These tools are helping teams visualise, quantify, qualify, and respond to both contextualised physical and psychosocial workplace risks, merging technical rigour with empathy-driven co-design.

Season 09 Episode 01 of the WhyWork Podcast begins with sensational media gossip that leads the team, Alan, Sara, and Trajce (aka “Ziggy,” the pop music master), down a pathway of discussion on the bounds of workplace dismissal. Yes, the Coldplay incident. Trajce asks about reasonable workplace treatment when the scope of query encroaches upon one’s personal life. They discuss what happens when a worker is caught “pashing off” with someone unexpected and the taboos around workplace relationships. Trajce uses another example - when an employee refuses to take an alcohol breath test to demonstrate fitness for work.

The podcasters embrace discussion on psychosocial risk management and codes of practice, standards, and guidance material which is just dripping into feeling states. Trajce is concerned about work relations that confuse judgments. Alan defends against Trajce’s contest and debate on attitudinal versus behavioural breaches, while Sara explores ideas on leveraging company policy to institute ego assertions from people in power. “I do what I wanna do,” she raps, an excerpt of a song she has in mind during these times.

For more on Psychosocial Risk Management, check out: PRAiSE (Psychosocial Risk Assessment and Integrated Solutions for Employers) – Certified Assessor and Manager programs - and PRA, the new task-based Psychosocial Risk Analyser feature within the ErgoAnalyst software platform. These tools are helping teams visualise, quantify, qualify, and respond to both contextualised physical and psychosocial workplace risks, merging technical rigour with empathy-driven co-design.