Shows / This Working Life
This Working Life
You spend so much time on work, why accept the status quo, when there are ways to do it better? Get expert advice, research and hacks that will crush your inertia. Join Lisa Leong and other This Working Lifers as we experiment and explore the latest in the world of work. We cover policy issues, like hybrid workplaces and remote work, employee wellbeing and organisational culture, the use of AI, employee surveillance, employee engagement, diversity and inclusion. We talk about progress on wider…
Episodes
- This Working Life
Try This: grief at work edition
It can be hard to know what to say when your colleague or employee is going through a difficult time. We explore how to support someone who is dealing with…
- This Working Life
How to handle grief at work
The death of a loved one, a divorce, an illness, a job loss or another challenging personal issue will be experienced by just about everyone in the workplace…
- This Working Life
Is an AI bot getting in the way of your job search?
Videos of job applicants being interviewed by artificial intelligence avatars are being posted on social media.How can job seekers and recruiters navigate the…
- This Working Life
Feeling meh (still)? How to get your work mojo back
It's mid way through the year and many of us are still asking ourselves, ‘ Why are we here’ ? What is it about the culture of work that’s leading to that…
- This Working Life
Can I give you some feedback?
It's an important part of monitoring and improving performance, but when feedback is given or received in the “wrong” way, it can damage relationships and…
- This Working Life
It's okay, you can take a break
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…
- This Working Life
Try This: sleep tips edition
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…
- This Working Life
The power of a good night’s sleep
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…
- This Working Life
Is your manager spying on you?
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…
- This Working Life
Leaders, what are your blind spots?
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…
- This Working Life
Stuck at a career crossroad? Here's how to move forward
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…
This Working LifeNetworking and the strength of weak ties
More than 50 years ago, an American sociologist published a game-changing paper that illustrated just how important casual acquaintances are in our work…
This Working LifeCal Newport on embracing slow productivity to prevent burnout
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…
This Working LifeHow do you personalise your work space?
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…
- This Working Life
Can "leisure-crafting" help you thrive?
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…
- This Working Life
How to get on top of AI at work
From our phones to social media, to search engines, artificial intelligence is becoming a part of our everyday lives.Learn how organisations are incorporating…
- This Working Life
Are you being micromanaged?
The junior person feels like they’re being micromanaged, but the manager feels like the job is not being done properly. When does good supervision tip into…
- This Working Life
Work origin stories and how they influence us
What are your memories about your parents and work, and how have they influenced the way you manage your own work-life? We explore these origin stories and the…
- This Working Life
Try This: performance review edition
Tips and advice on how to prepare for your performance review ahead of time. Plus, how to handle feedback during the meeting and go for that performance rating…
- This Working Life
Can performance reviews 'exceed' expectations?
Whether you’re having one or doing one, it can feel like the official performance review process is missing the mark.We explore the art and science of…
- This Working Life
Purpose as the antidote for disengagement at work
Studies show more of us are looking for purpose and meaning at work. But what if the work we do doesn't fill that need?From group giving activities to…
- This Working Life
Tired and overwhelmed? Boundaries can help
If you have a tendency to take on too much, you might want to look at the boundaries you have with your co-workers and your boss. It seems hard, but setting…
- This Working Life
Job Sharing 101
Job sharing could soon be back in vogue as some businesses and governments push for return to office policies. What are the pros and cons of job sharing and…
- This Working Life
Are we giving kids the wrong career advice?
In helping young people prepare for a life of work, asking them what they want to do for a job, or what they’re good at may limit their options. Learn a…
- This Working Life
Learn to adapt
Most of us are faced with managing multiple changes in our work lives, sometimes all at once. Learn how to anticipate, accept and grow with change, and be the…
- This Working Life
Succession planning: build it into your DNA
The CEO is retiring, your team leader is moving interstate, your key IT architect has been poached by a competitor. How do you keep an organisation running…
- This Working Life
How to nail a job interview
Dealing with sweaty palms, talking for too long, and fumbling your answers are all possible scenarios that can kill off your chances of getting the job. So how…
- This Working Life
Does DEI need a reset?
An anti-diversity, equity & inclusion rhetoric is gaining steam in politics. So why is there resistance to “DEI” in the workplace? Are there ways to improve…
- This Working Life
Tuning into signals at work
From AI to DEI, we’re looking at the year ahead, and what’s on the agenda for organisations and employees. What are you picking up at work that might be…
- This Working Life
Want to do things differently this year?
It’s time to plan for the changes you want to make at work this year. What are you trying to do differently, and how are you going to make that happen? Learn…
- This Working Life
Feeling meh? How to get your work mojo back
Are you feeling ready to tackle another year at work? Or are you a little detached and uninspired? Many of us are kicking off the new year by asking, ‘why are…
- This Working Life
How to be a friction fixer
Friction is everywhere - from our systems to our relationships at work.But there’s good news - not all friction is bad and if you know how, you can be a…
- This Working Life
How your childhood dreams can help your career
Our childhood phantasy careers (different to fantasy with an ‘f’) help uncover our unconscious motivations and can unlock job satisfaction in our careers…
- This Working Life
Making decisions like a pro
It’s estimated we make up to 35,000 decisions every day so how can you make better decisions at work? Before you start drawing up pros and cons lists, listen…
- This Working Life
How to develop 'executive presence'
Have you ever been in a room with a leader who has you hanging on every word, and leaves you feeling inspired? Some would say that person has ‘executive…
- This Working Life
Will jargon ever be 'phased out' altogether?
Put a pin in it, leverage that, circle back, LMK (let me know) - ugh! Some of us are drawn to use jargon and buzzwords, while others are annoyed by them.Learn…
- This Working Life
Managing friendship at work
Close relationships can contribute to personal happiness, and that can extend to work too. But can having besties at work sometimes get in the way of…
- This Working Life
Saving your leave for a rainy day? Here’s why that might be a problem.
Leave entitlements are building up on business balance sheets. At the same time, some employees feel they don't get enough flexibility around when they can…
- This Working Life
The simple things you take for granted at work
Stepped entry points, heavy doors, images and documents without screen reader access: these are just a few of the things that make work harder for those with a…
- This Working Life
How to build a global career, and still come home
Many returning ex-pats who have worked overseas find it hard to transition back to work in their home country, and feel their overseas experience is not always…
- This Working Life
Has work taken over your life? Here’s what to do about it.
You may love your work, but are you working too much? Despite awareness of burnout, many of us still see working long hours as a badge of honour.We hear from…
- This Working Life
Hybrid work is here to stay – but have managers caught up?
The preference for hybrid work is strong among employees and managers alike. So what's the winning formula for communication, workflow and team harmony?
- This Working Life
Why the push to get bums on seats in the office?
Amazon wants all staff back in the office, and other return to office mandates are being issued here and abroad. But what is the evidence for that being a good…
- This Working Life
Live at SXSW – 2050: A Work Odyssey
Recorded live at SXSW Sydney 2024, Lisa Leong is joined by a panel of industry leaders to explore the transformative shifts of managers in the not-so-distant…
- This Working Life
Adam Grant on how to unleash your hidden potential
How do we go from wanting to do something to actually doing it, and doing it well?According to Organisational Psychologist and Professor Adam Grant, we need to…
- This Working Life
The power of saying No at work
Saying "yes" too often can leave you feeling overwhelmed and perhaps a bit resentful. You might hear yourself saying "yes of course I can" when your inner…
- This Working Life
Work life balance is BS
Experts say balance may not be the best thing to aim for. So is the concept of work life balance itself, flawed? Learn ways to put life first and make small…
- This Working Life
Advice for first time managers
You’re doing well in your career and are being steered towards the leadership track. But it’s a common complaint within organisations that new managers don’t…
- This Working Life
Learn how to think like an entrepreneur, wherever you are.
Melanie Perkins, Richard Branson, Mark Zuckerberg, and Elon Musk all have one thing in common. They’ve leveraged the entrepreneur mindset to achieve success in…
- This Working Life
Maybe change isn't all it's cracked up to be
You've likely been told to disrupt yourself and get better at dealing with change. But what if rapid change isn’t allowing you to do your best at…
- This Working Life
How to avoid ‘death by powerpoint’
We know that putting up slides with lots of text, and talking about them at the same time, is not a very engaging way to get your point across in a…
- This Working Life
Debunking the bad apple myth: what prevents workplace bullying
Awareness of psychosocial safety is growing and we know how destructive bullying can be. Yet incidents continue to occur, with performance management and…
- This Working Life
To make work better, try subtraction.
What if instead of adding tasks to your long to do list, you considered what you could take away? Professor Leidy Klotz has a theory that can help and he’ll…
- This Working Life
How to manage neurodiversity at work
You have staff who are neurodivergent, and you want to help them do their best work. What do you need to understand, and what supports should you put in place…
- This Working Life
What’s the new ‘executive presence’?
Have you ever been in a room with a leader who has you hanging on every word, and leaves you feeling inspired? Some would say that person has ‘executive…
- This Working Life
Are you paying attention? This is why not.
Finding it hard to get your brain into gear? You might feel your mind wandering a bit, daydreaming of being somewhere else.To help you get you back on track…
- This Working Life
Work (and take care of yourself) like an athlete
The psychology of performance is not just for elite sports, it can also help you do better at work.As the Paris Olympics kicks off, we share some lessons about…
- This Working Life
Your role is being made redundant. Now what?
Like it or not, redundancies are a part of the career cycle for many of us. Whether it’s happening to you or someone you know, hear stories from people who…
- This Working Life
Back to the future: predictions on the future of work, then and now
In 2021 we asked experts to gaze into a crystal ball and give us their predictions for how work would change as a result of a global pandemic.Were the…
- This Working Life
How leaders can use humour at work, and keep everyone happy
Laughter is good for us, but sometimes jokes and funny quips just don't land, especially when they're delivered by your boss.If you're a leader or you report…