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
“Had I done this in my last job, I don’t know that I would have left it.” Say hello to the magic of Job Crafting
Do you feel frustrated at work? Maybe you feel like you're not playing to your strengths, or not being valued. Well, before you chuck it all in: have you heard…
- This Working Life
Help! Get me out of this box! How generational stereotypes are boxing us in and harming us at work
We’ve got more generations in our workplaces than ever before. And as a shortcut we often box people according to their age - known as generational…
- This Working Life
‘Glossy’ work: When your dream job is not so dreamy
You’ve finally landed your dream job. You’re filled with excitement and optimism but after only a couple of months something doesn’t feel right. And you…
- This Working Life
Slaying dragons is good for your work. Yes, really.
Why is Dungeons & Dragons good for the workplace?Since it came out in the 1970s, D&D has gone from geek subculture to the pop-culture mainstream. And now, it’s…
- This Working Life
How AI is leading teams and why you’re loving it
A new study has revealed that we trust management decisions made with AI involvement more than those made by humans alone. But what does the future of this…
- This Working Life
The personal costs of unreasonable work hours
“It’s not reasonable to ask people to function without daylight, sleep and proper food for weeks and months at a time” - Ruby, lawyer.There’s been a lot of…
- This Working Life
How to harness the power of the weekend for a better workweek
The weekends are easy to fill with a long list of things you want to get done. Chores, errands and, yes, even work make their way onto that list.Then all of a…
- This Working Life
Who’s looking after our minds at work?
It’s being called “world’s best practice” and we’re being told to take it seriously.A new code of practice and regulation will be protecting your psychological…
- This Working Life
Forget expertise. Here's why being a generalist is great for your work
Picture a capital T. The vertical line is the Expertise line - your deep experience in your field.Then the horizontal bar is the Generalist line - your other…
- This Working Life
How people are rediscovering meaning in their unretirement years
Meaning, purpose, identity – all of these are wrapped up in our work and career. So it's no surprise that when we step away from work we can feel a bit…
- This Working Life
Why the 'Great Unretirement' movement has been on the rise
While you might be dreaming about the day you can clock off work forever — why are we instead seeing so many people leaving the green and re-opening the…
- This Working Life
How to get along with anyone at work - even ‘that’ difficult person
We’ve all had to work with ‘that’ difficult person that we just clash with. It’s tense. It’s stressful. And it’s exhausting.So, do we have to get along to do…
- This Working Life
When less really is more: The power of Anti-Striving
We’ve seen the Great Resignation, Lying Flat in China and Quiet Quitting. And now we’re hearing murmurings of another movement that some are calling…
- This Working Life
What real inclusion looks like so LGBTIQ+ people can bring their true selves to work
How inclusive are workplaces for the rainbow community? What is working and what needs improving?We hear how small things like conversation starters can help…
- This Working Life
How balancing these two things makes a true modern leader
Our image and expectation of a good leader is changing, and increasingly we’re needing them to use both their head and their heart in making decisions. Dr…
- 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
Motivation Hacks Part Two: How To Be Truly Engaged In Your Work
We've learned about intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and how they can influence each other. But if we go deeper into the heart of motivation, we find its…
- This Working Life
How to kick your motivation into gear
Forget what you think you know about motivation. We’ve done the work for you and found some science-based motivation hacks, so you can get the job done and…
- This Working Life
How to begin: Set yourself a worthy goal
Resolutions don't work. Set goals the right way. For us to really commit to a goal and achieve it, we should ensure we’re making a ‘worthy’ goal. That’s…
- This Working Life
Harnessing the power of stress to improve your work and well-being
We all know the impact of stress on our minds and bodies. But it turns out that it’s not the stress itself that’s impacting our health - it’s how we think…
- This Working Life
Creating mindfulness in your work through meditation
Mindfulness…being mindful, meditating, you know it’s good for you, but it just never feels like there’s enough time. Using meditation to create mindfulness is…
- This Working Life
Don’t regret your regrets. Use them to work smarter
If we confront our regrets and use them as signals, they're a powerful force for working smarter and living better. That’s according to New York Times…
- This Working Life
Right to disconnect versus trust and flexibility
Many of us are enjoying the flexibility of working from home - being able to organise our work time to suit our circadian rhythms, family responsibilities and…
- This Working Life
Nature at work
Feeling a bit brain fried? Fatigued from the year… over stimulated from all that screen time?Maybe you need to head outside...We look at how getting out into…
- This Working Life
Microdosing at work
Taking very small doses of magic mushrooms or LSD every few days in a bid to boost productivity, creativity, focus and mental health has become perhaps…
- This Working Life
Premortems - roaring success or unmitigated disaster: meet your future self with a premortem
Premortems - How to practise hindsight in advance, by looking at what went wrong before it does. And on the flip side, imagining success and how you got there…
- This Working Life
How to talk to people — using our voice, not our fingers and thumbs
When is an interaction an interruption? Why do we now feel the need to ask if it’s OK to interrupt a colleague, in the middle of a work day? And hybrid work…
- This Working Life
Welcome to the Clubhouse! Hybrid Office Design to get you back
Office renos for the hybrid world....organisations with empty floors are figuring out how to make the office more useful and attractive.Guests:Evodia Alaterou…
- This Working Life
Lessons from building the iPod, the iPhone and other useful stuff
Tony Fadell was instrumental in creating the iPod and the IPhone. He shares in his book Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making - that his…
- This Working Life
Micro stress: How small stuff piles up - and how to find the antidote
Micro stressors - they’re just a normal part of the day, right? From when you wake up and check your messages, listen to the news, wrangle your kids, jostle…
- This Working Life
Autism at work
This Working Life explores ideas that are shaping changes in workplaces.
- This Working Life
How to recognise and transform a destructive leader
What we want in our leaders has evolved; we’ve seen a growing desire for more ethical and empathetic leaders.But destructive leaders are still in charge in…
- This Working Life
Mind your head: The Pros and Cons of EAPs
How’s your mental health? Is it affecting your work? Or maybe it’s the other way around and your work is affecting your headspace? Employee Assistance…
- This Working Life
"I lost sleep; I'd vomit before going to work." The human cost of bullying in the workplace.
Workplace bullying is a complex and insidious problem that one in 10 of us in Australia experience at some stage in our careers.We look at the organisational…
- This Working Life
The power of fun at work
When’s the last time you had fun at work? Really had fun? FUN. What is it, and how can it help us enjoy work more, which of course will help us work better!…
- This Working Life
Leadership nirvana: How can we make leadership development more useful for all?
Are you seeking leadership nirvana? Is there even such a thing? Leadership development is such a lucrative, multi-million dollar industry but are we just…
- This Working Life
The burnout shop
Burning out has become a phrase thrown around almost as often as anxiety. But being stressed and overworked is not actually burnout. There is more to…
- This Working Life
The (new) working lives of teachers
What's it actually like to be a teacher these days? There’s a worldwide shortage of teachers at the moment, so what’s going on in the classroom and school…
- This Working Life
When size matters at work: Dunbar's number
Have you heard of the Dunbar number? It’s the number of social connections one person can maintain at any one time. It turns out that this also plays out at…
- This Working Life
Creating mindfulness in your work through meditation
Mindfulness … being mindful, meditating, you know it’s good for you, but it just never feels like there’s enough time.Using meditation to create mindfulness is…
- This Working Life
The art and science of receiving feedback
What’s your relationship with feedback? Maybe you’ve thought you could learn how to be better at giving it…but how about switching it round and considering how…
This Working LifeChanging Your Career When You've Only Just Begun
What happens when the career you chose at 18 just isn't you anymore?
This Working LifeMinistry of Common Sense
Have you ever sat at work thinking “Houston we have a problem, common sense has left the room!”? Brand and culture transformation expert Martin Lindstrom…
This Working LifeCal Newport on why we need to break up with email
Does your inbox make you miserable? Cal Newport walks us through why our relationship with email is dysfunctional and what a world without email looks like…
This Working LifeManaging yours and others' ADHD to thrive at work
What if ADHD wasn't seen as a deficit or a disorder? What if it's actually harnessed as a superpower? We show how, given the right support and understanding…
This Working LifeA Seat at the Table: embracing the power of First Nations representation on your board
We speak with proud Torres Strait Islander woman (Kubin; Moa Island descendant) Carla McGrath and proud Yorta Yorta man Ian Hamm about what First Nations…
This Working LifeSusan David on Why You Need Emotional Agility at Work
Emotions at work - do you repress or ruminate? Both could be dangerous for your career. Harvard Medical School psychologist Dr Susan David is one of the…
- This Working Life
'Mass disabling event': Long COVID is hitting Australian workplaces
We take a deep dive into this medical mystery and look at how workplaces and individuals can navigate the world of work as they recover from long COVID.
This Working LifeFrom the field to the boardroom: what business can learn from sport
Teamwork, resilience and grit – just some of the skills from sport that we can all learn from when it comes to our work. So how can the corporate world harness…
This Working LifeFeeling lonely when working from home? You’re not alone. Here’s how to reconnect.
It’s not just about getting the job done when we’re working hybridly, it’s about the connections we make. And this has been lost when we’re working from home…
This Working LifeFinding your flow in hybrid work
Hybrid is here to stay. So, what is pandemic-driven hybrid work doing to our ability to focus and what do we need to do to find that elusive flow state in this…
This Working LifeAre family ghosts of the past messing with your career?
What is your role in your family of origin? Jester, responsible one, black sheep or peacemaker, we all have one. But did you know the role you have inherited…
This Working LifeAre you an introvert or an extrovert? Why knowing your personality traits can help improve your work performance and job satisfaction
Would you call yourself an introvert, or an extrovert? Or are you a bit of both?When it comes to personality traits and states, it’s not black and white. It’s…
This Working LifeThe power of the first job: Why it’s more important than you think it is
What was your first job, and what did it teach you?We’re turning back the clocks and heading back into the supermarket and greasy fast-food joints to find out…
This Working LifeBiohacking your way to your best work
Cryotherapy, sleep apps and binaural beats, are just some or the more than 20 biohacks Lisa Leong uses to perform her best at work. Are they useful or a…
This Working LifeSmashing the class ceiling: The invisible barrier to inclusion at work
Even today, the class you are born into can largely determine your career. Research by Diversity Council Australia shows that more than any other diversity…
This Working Life“The CV is dead” - How AI is transforming recruitment
Imagine you’re applying for a job. You’re asked a few questions and have a conversation online. But it’s not with a human. It’s with a chatbot. How would you…
This Working LifeOpportunity knocks in The Great Resignation
Call it what you like, The Great Resignation, The Great Reshuffle, or even The Great Reimagination, the employment landscape in Australia has changed radically…
This Working LifeBelonging, inclusion, and connection: The first steps in getting diversity at work right
Australia’s renowned for its multiculturalism. But when it comes to the workplace and leadership positions, that diversity isn’t represented. So, what’s going…
This Working Life'Tick a box' and 'tokenism': We are still getting diversity wrong and it's hurting everyone.
Australia’s renowned for its multiculturalism. But when it comes to the workplace and leadership positions, that diversity isn’t represented. So, what’s going…