Work Better

Seven in 10 employees have experienced disruptive change in the past year. Gallup’s Ben Wigert joins the Work Better podcast to identify three challenging trends happening at work and why ‘people-first’ change is urgently needed.

Wigert is the Lead Researcher for Gallup’s workplace management practice, specializing in human capital management and performance optimization. He holds a Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology and an MBA from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Dr. Wigert has authored numerous publications on performance management and employee engagement. He also leads a cross-functional team focused on evolving workplace strategies for the future.

The Work Better podcast is hosted by Chris Congdon. Contributing producers are Katie Pace, Rebecca Charbauski, Stav Kontis, Chiara Licari, and Brandon Lacic. Creative art direction by Erin Ellison. Editing and sound mixing is by Sound Post studios. Technical support by Mark Caswell and Jose Jimenez. Digital publishing by Areli Arellano and Jordan Marks.

It’s no longer a question – AI is changing how we work, and it’s happening rapidly. A technical renaissance of sorts, AI is mainly driven by employees. But as Humanova founder Sean Gallagher tells us, leaders should act now – even if all the kinks haven’t been worked out – before their organizations are left behind.

Gallagher is the founder of Humanova and a leading expert on the future of work in Australia. He focuses on how technology, especially AI, transforms work and accelerates human capability. Dr. Gallagher led the Centre for the New Workforce at Swinburne University for six years and has conducted pioneering research on generative AI. He holds a PhD in chemistry and has been recognized for his contributions to academia and industry.

The Work Better podcast is hosted by Chris Congdon. Contributing producers are Katie Pace, Rebecca Charbauski, Stav Kontis, Chiara Licari, and Brandon Lacic. Creative art direction by Erin Ellison. Editing and sound mixing is by Sound Post studios. Technical support by Mark Caswell and Jose Jimenez. Digital publishing by Areli Arellano and Jordan Marks.

Mental and neurological disorders are costing world economies trillions of dollars every year – something physician and neuroscientist Dr. Harris Eyre calls a “decline in global brain capital.” In this edition of the Work Better podcast, Eyre talks about healthy brain practices and the steps we can take to address this global challenge.

Eyre is an Australian neuroscientist and entrepreneur known for his pioneering work in the brain economy, which focuses on enhancing brain health and skills to drive innovation. He is a Senior Fellow in Brain Health at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, where he leads the Neuro-Policy Program. Eyre’s career spans medicine, neuroscience, and economic strategy, with a commitment to promoting brain health on a global scale.

The Work Better podcast is hosted by Chris Congdon. Contributing producers are Katie Pace, Rebecca Charbauski, Stav Kontis, Chiara Licari, and Brandon Lacic. Creative art direction by Erin Ellison. Editing and sound mixing is by Sound Post studios. Technical support by Mark Caswell and Jose Jimenez. Digital publishing by Areli Arellano and Jordan Marks.

What would make you feel less stressed at your office? Researcher Libby Sander joins the Work Better podcast to discuss her groundbreaking research on how work environments can impact your stress levels in the office. She’ll share the three most important things you need in the office now for better physical and mental wellbeing, and how adopting more beautiful spaces can encourage better collaboration, creativity and growth.

Dr. Libby Sander is an internationally renowned expert on the future of work and workplace design. She is an Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior at Bond University and the founder of the Future of Work Project. Dr. Sander holds a PhD in Organizational Behavior, a Master’s in Human Resource Management, and degrees in Arts and Business. She has spoken at TEDx and contributes to the World Economic Forum. Her research has been featured in prominent publications like the Harvard Business Review and The Guardian.

The Work Better podcast is hosted by Chris Congdon. Contributing producers are Katie Pace, Rebecca Charbauski, Stav Kontis, Chiara Licari, and Brandon Lacic. Creative art direction by Erin Ellison. Editing and sound mixing is by Sound Post studios. Technical support by Mark Caswell and Jose Jimenez. Digital publishing by Areli Arellano and Jordan Marks.

New research suggests you’ll barely have the attention span to finish reading this paragraph. We shift our attention faster and more often than ever before, impacting our work and health. So, what can we do to increase our attention? Slow down, set the audio speed to 1X, and listen to author Gloria Mark explain why this is happening and how small changes to our behavior and work environments can help -- on the latest edition of the Work Better podcast.

Gloria Mark is an American psychologist and Chancellor’s Professor of Informatics at the University of California, Irvine. She earned her PhD in psychology from Columbia University and has published over 200 scientific research articles. Her work primarily focuses on human-computer interaction, social computing, and the social impacts of digital media. Mark is the author of the 2023 book “Attention Span,” which explores how digital media affects our attention spans and offers strategies for improving focus and productivity.

The Work Better podcast is hosted by Chris Congdon. Contributing producers are Katie Pace, Rebecca Charbauski, Stav Kontis, Chiara Licari, and Brandon Lacic. Creative art direction by Erin Ellison. Editing and sound mixing is by Sound Post studios. Technical support by Mark Caswell and Jose Jimenez. Digital publishing by Areli Arellano and Jordan Marks.

You may think that if you don’t hear much from your employees, everything’s going pretty well. But that may not be the case. In fact, organizational psychologist Connie Noonan Hadley believes when employees don’t feel like they can speak up, that can spell trouble for businesses. In this edition of the Work Better podcast, Dr. Hadley identifies the root causes of this silence and offers actionable ideas on how leaders can help employees feel safe to speak up. Drawing on her extensive research and experience, she provides insights into fostering a culture of psychological safety and well-being in the workplace.

Dr. Hadley is the Founder and Chief Scientist of the Institute for Life at Work. Dr. Hadley is also a Research Associate Professor at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business, where she conducts research and serves as Co-Director of the Human Resources Policy Institute (HRPI). In addition, Dr. Hadley serves as a regular consulting researcher at Microsoft on future-of-work projects and the Microsoft Work Trend Index. Dr. Hadley holds a PhD in organizational behavior as well as an MA in social psychology from Harvard University, an MBA in strategic and human resource management from The Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania), and a BA in psychology from Princeton University.

The Work Better podcast is hosted by Chris Congdon. Contributing producers are Katie Pace, Rebecca Charbauski, Stav Kontis, Chiara Licari, and Brandon Lacic. Creative art direction by Erin Ellison. Editing and sound mixing is by Sound Post studios. Technical support by Mark Caswell and Jose Jimenez. Digital publishing by Areli Arellano and Jordan Marks.

Microsoft research shows 3 out of 4 global knowledge workers use AI in their jobs. But how are we preparing students for an AI-future at work? Educator, scholar and author José Antonio Bowen joins the Work Better podcast to talk about why becoming an ‘expert’ is so important to maximize the benefits of AI – and avoid being replaced by it.

Bowen has held significant academic and administrative roles, including serving as the 11th President of Goucher College. Bowen began his teaching career at Stanford University in 1982 and has also been a dean at Southern Methodist University and Miami University. He is known for his innovative approaches to education, particularly in active learning and the use of technology in the classroom. Additionally, Bowen is a prolific jazz performer and composer.

The Work Better podcast is hosted by Chris Congdon. Contributing producers are Katie Pace, Rebecca Charbauski, Stav Kontis, Chiara Licari, and Brandon Lacic. Creative art direction by Erin Ellison. Editing and sound mixing is by Sound Post studios. Technical support by Mark Caswell and Jose Jimenez. Digital publishing by Areli Arellano and Jordan Marks.

What’s so funny? Turns out humor at work is for more than just a good laugh. It can help us influence people and be more creative. Authors Naomi Bagdonas and Dr. Jennifer Aaker join the Work Better podcast to share how our brains change when we laugh, why humor isn’t just for extroverts and how more laughter can make a big impact on business.

Naomi Bagdonas is a Lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and an Executive Coach. She helps leaders be more creative, flexible and resilient in the face of change by facilitating interactive sessions for Fortune 100 companies and coaching executives and celebrities for appearances ranging from Saturday Night Live to the Today Show. Formally trained at the Upright Citizens Brigade theatre, Bagdonas performs at comedy venues and teaches improv in San Francisco’s county jail.

Dr. Jennifer Aaker is the General Atlantic Professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a leading expert on how purpose and meaning shape individual choices and how technology can positively impact both human well-being and company growth. Her work has been widely published in leading scientific journals and featured in The Economist, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and Science.

Together Naomi and Jennifer teach the wildly popular class “Humor: Serious Business,” the inspiration for the bestselling book “Humor, Seriously.”

Work Better podcast is hosted by Chris Congdon. Produced by Rebecca Charbauski. Creative art direction by Erin Ellison and Emily Cowdrey. Technical support by Mark Caswell and Jose Jimenez. Digital publishing by Areli Arellano and Jordan Marks. Editing and sound mixing by SoundPost Studios.

Have you ever held back on something because it just wasn’t “age appropriate?” Or evaluated someone based on if they’re a Millennial or Gen Z? Are generational differences preventing people from reaching their full potential in life and at work? And could we be thinking differently about generations in the workplace?

Mauro Guillen is a sociologist and is currently the William H. Wurster Professor and a Vice Dean at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is a former Dean of Cambridge Judge Business School and was also a Guggenheim and Fulbright Fellow. He is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of 2030: How Today’s Biggest Trends Will Collide and Reshape the Future of Everything. His latest book is The Perennials: The Megatrends Creating a Postgenerational Society.

Guillén argues that outmoded terms like Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z have long been used to pigeonhole us into rigid categories and life stages, artificially preventing people from reaching their full potential. A new post generational workforce known as “perennials” – individuals who are not pitted against each other either by their age or experience – makes it possible to liberate scores of people from the constraints of the sequential model of life and level the playing field so that everyone has a chance at living a rewarding life.

Work Better podcast is hosted by Chris Congdon. Produced by Rebecca Charbauski. Creative art direction by Erin Ellison and Emily Cowdrey. Technical support by Mark Caswell and Jose Jimenez. Digital publishing by Areli Arellano and Jordan Marks. Editing and sound mixing by SoundPost Studios.

We all know the workplace has to support a lot of diverse needs and it could probably do a much better job than it does today. But that can be really hard because there’s a gravitational pull toward sameness. It’s just easier to establish a pattern and stick to it. So how can we embrace how different our brains are when we are designing the workplace?

Elena Sabinson (she/they) is a neurodivergent researcher passionate about the role design can play to help all people flourish. She is an assistant professor of environmental design at the University of Colorado Boulder and received her PhD in human behavior and design from Cornell University. Elena was diagnosed later in life with autism and ADHD.

Elena’s personal experience and research on neurodiversity along with their expertise in architecture and design gives us ideas for how the workplace can do more to support all of our different brains.

Additional resources:

Learn more about Elena Sabinson’s work and research https://elenasabinson.com/

Read insights about how to design moments of joy at work www.steelcase.com/WBnew

Get the latest workplace design, insights and research: www.steelcase.com/subscribe

Work Better podcast is hosted by Chris Congdon. Produced by Rebecca Charbauski. Creative art direction by Erin Ellison and Emily Cowdrey. Technical support by Mark Caswell and Jose Jimenez. Digital publishing by Areli Arellano and Jordan Marks. Editing and sound mixing by SoundPost Studios.