This Working Life

Job reference horror stories, and how to avoid them

07 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

They’re usually the last step in the process, but reference checks are an important part of a job hire. And if you get them wrong, you can have a r...

Are you being micromanaged? Here’s how to break free

31 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

How music’s secret skills can scale up your performance

24 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

You’ve probably got a focus music playlist but did you know being musically trained can help you in other jobs? And no, it’s not too late if you ...

What did you want to be when you grew up? Here's why it's still important.

17 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Our childhood phantasy careers (different to fantasy with an ‘f’) help uncover our unconscious motivations and can unlock job satisfaction in our...

What does it mean to have an ethical career? And why should you care?

10 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

"Don't we all hold many things? We all have to work jobs often we don't fully politically or ethically agree with because we have to pay our rent."Wh...

How can you be a supercommunicator at work? Charles Duhigg explains...

03 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

“I can honestly say this is a question that I’ve never encountered before.”New Yorker magazine reporter and author of Supercommunicators - How ...

Workplace romances - Why do we flirt and fall in love at work?

26 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A new person joins the team and immediately sparks fly... or perhaps you start seeing a colleague in a different light and the friendship turns into ...

"Ideas are getting harder to come by" - How to strengthen your imagination muscle

19 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Feel like you're cycling through the same old ideas? Or just tired and out of inspiration? Albert Read has some tips on how to use and strengthen yo...

How values can be your secret weapon at work

12 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

From creativity to collaboration, to growth and generosity, we can easily name values. But can we as easily apply them in our day-to-day work? Hear ...

How to harness the power of stress

05 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We all know the impact stress can have on our minds and bodies. But it turns out that it’s not the stress itself that’s impacting our health - it...

Three things you can do today for peak performance at work

05 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We all know what we need to do to be healthy and feel good so why aren't we doing it?In the fourth instalment of our special series about your health...

Vulnerable vs oversharing at work – where’s the line?

28 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever cried at work or been yelled at in front of your colleagues?In this third instalment of our series about your health at work we’re di...

The surprising key to curbing chronic pain at work

22 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

One in five of us are living and working with chronic pain. So why aren't we telling our colleagues and bosses about it?If you live with chronic pain...

What is job strain and how is it impacting your health?

15 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to a special series about your health at work. In Everything's fine... we'll be diving into topics that can be tricky to talk about with o...

What's the ‘Hourglass Ceiling’ behind the gender pay gap?

07 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On average, Australian women are paid $18,461 less than men per year.The recent report released by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency shows a gende...

How to curate constructive conflict at work

01 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

So you may have witnessed some tense conflicts at work. Someone may have even raised their voice at you. But how can we harness the power of conflict...

What the 'right to disconnect' from work means for you

23 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There's been a lot of talk about the new right to disconnect laws. But what do they mean for you, practically? In this episode you'll understand how...

Zombie Leadership: How to kill the Hollywood narrative

16 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been dubbed the Hollywood narrative of leadership - that leaders are special, and that we can’t work or succeed without them.This is what Pr...

Can’t decide what to listen to? Try this...

11 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 li...

How you can be a Friction Fixer at work

02 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Are you paying attention? This is why not.

28 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Finding it hard to get your brain into gear for the work year?You might feel your mind wandering a bit, daydreaming of being back on the beach.To hel...

Feeling a bit stuck? Here's how to progress in your work

21 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Feeling a little bit stuck right now? Like you want to progress on something but feel a bit glued up?Why does this happen to us? It turns out gettin...

Why you should say 'no' more at work

14 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

How to be a leader with both your head and your heart

07 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 decision...

The power of Anti-Striving and feeling less ambitious

31 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

How to get along with difficult colleagues

24 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 alo...

How one woman’s ‘fail’ lets us all embrace failure at work

15 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When we make a mistake or fail at work we might want the earth to open up and swallow us whole. But what makes a fail ‘right’ and how can we talk...

Curiosity - Bad for cats. Good for workers.

09 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We know curiosity is good for us and our work, but few of us actually feel it day to day. So what’s causing this gap?We find some answers and solut...

"You are surrounded by your worst triggers" - the sounds that drive you up the wall at work

01 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

From loud chewing to breathing and keyboard tapping, many of you have your pet peeves when it comes to sounds at work that drive you to distraction.B...

Why so tired? The 'Great November' disease at work

24 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

“If I can just get to Christmas, fall over the finishing line, it’ll all be fixed.”Sounds about right, but unfortunately it’s not true.In thi...

The case for reading fiction at work

17 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

“Fiction seems to do something in our brains that nonfiction doesn't.”What was the last book you read? And did you know it gave you something mor...

Adam Grant on how to unleash your hidden potential

10 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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, ...

How to escape the perfection trap

03 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

“I remember I wrote 500 words of my thesis on Christmas Day. I was really proud of that at the time.”Dr Thomas Curran is bruised from the perfect...

Out for blood: Energy vampires at work

27 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

They’re not creatures of the night, but creatures in every workplace.Ever had a colleague that left you feeling drained of energy after a conversat...

Live at SXSW - Ben Crowe and Aubrey Blanche on why peak performance is dead

20 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Why do our ‘old’ concepts of “High Performance Team” and "Peak Performance” need a rethink?Recorded live at SXSW Sydney, we interrogate the...

URGENT! Listen to this episode (to control urgency at work)

13 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ever felt that overwhelming sense that there’s just not enough time to do your job? And that everything is suddenly urgent?How did we get here and ...

Sick of meetings? Try this instead...

06 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

“If we do this, it could profoundly change how we are together.”Is your day full of meetings leaving you tired and working late just to get every...

What to say when you’re put on the spot at work

29 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

You’ve been asked a curveball question in a job interview, or your boss has asked what you think in a meeting. Suddenly your heart races and your p...

How to think and work like an artist

22 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

“We are all artists, sometimes we forget that”.Even if you don’t think you have a creative job, or that you yourself are artistic, there’s a ...

The art of negotiation: How to ask for a pay rise

15 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

You want to talk with your boss about a pay rise but even just thinking about it causes your heart to race and your palms to get sweaty.So how can yo...

How to Spring Clean your habits

08 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Our habits, good and bad, influence how we live, and how we feel and perform at work. And if you’re human, chances are you want to shake off some b...

The story of Leigh Sales: Career, courage and cello

01 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In her new book Storytellers, Leigh Sales shares hard-won lessons on how to craft a story, how to listen and how to be brave enough to ask hard quest...

How to unlock the power of envy

25 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A colleague gets promoted. A friend lands their dream job.You feel happy for them, but also, a pang of pain... what is that? Is that envy??It’s nat...

The surprising lessons from leading a horse

18 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What can guiding a horse teach us about leadership? In recent years, ‘Equine Assisted Learning’ has been used in leadership development. But wha...

Bonus Episode: A pioneering Matilda on teamwork and trust

14 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We spoke with original Matildas player Dr Shona Bass in our recent episode The Matildas Effect but we loved her insights so much we decided to bring ...

The Matildas Effect: The power of ‘us’ at work

11 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Yesss, we’ve got World Cup fever! So what lessons can we learn for our work from the amazing gameplay the Matildas have shown, even without star p...

Michael Bungay Stanier on how to work with (almost) anyone

04 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How can we best protect (and repair) our relationships at work?When we start working with someone we tend to just dive into the work at hand. But wha...

Steps to building an anti-racist workplace  

30 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What does it mean if you declare your workplace to be anti-racist? Where does lip service end and actual systemic change occur? How does this differ ...

Marcus Buckingham on how to find the love in what you do

23 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There's the age old saying, do what you love, and you'll never work a day in your life. But how easy is it to find what you love? What energies you, ...

Micro stress: How small stuff piles up - and how to find the antidote

16 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 kid...

Meet the First Nations entrepreneurs transforming business

09 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week we meet some of the next generation of Indigenous entrepreneurs who are influencing the way we think about business and community. Drawin...

Morra Aarons-Mele on how to reclaim power over your anxiety at work

02 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health conditions, but in the workplace, we don’t tend to talk openly about them.  Based on her own j...

Seth Godin on how not to be a cog in the machine

25 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In Seth’s latest book, The Song of Significance he gives us insight into what real leadership looks like and how it can transform the way we work....

Why good people do bad things

16 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

“It just seems some of the lessons about ethical behaviour don’t appear to have really sunk in” - Peter Ryan,  ABC's senior business correspon...

“It transforms work and life outside of work.” The growth of the 4 day work week

09 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If you could work four days instead of five, for the same pay, would you? Organisations and businesses around the world are tentatively saying 'yes'...

Getting Unstuck - How to have a breakthrough

02 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when we feel stuck in our job or career, and how can we get unstuck?From overcoming fear to discovering what really makes us tick, we...

Don’t want to go back to the office every day? You’re not alone. Here’s why.

26 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On average, workers are in the office half the time. But some leaders say that’s not enough. But why?Should leaders really be worried about office ...

“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

19 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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: h...

Help! Get me out of this box! How generational stereotypes are boxing us in and harming us at work

12 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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...

‘Glossy’ work: When your dream job is not so dreamy

05 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Slaying dragons is good for your work. Yes, really.

28 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 mains...

How AI is leading teams and why you’re loving it

23 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 futur...

The personal costs of unreasonable work hours

14 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

“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...

How to harness the power of the weekend for a better workweek

06 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Who’s looking after our minds at work?

31 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 protectin...

Forget expertise. Here's why being a generalist is great for your work

24 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 - y...

How people are rediscovering meaning in their unretirement years

17 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Why the 'Great Unretirement' movement has been on the rise

10 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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-openin...

How to get along with anyone at work - even ‘that’ difficult person

03 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 h...

When less really is more: The power of Anti-Striving

24 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 call...

What real inclusion looks like so LGBTIQ+ people can bring their true selves to work

17 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How inclusive are workplaces for the rainbow community? What is working and what needs improving?We hear how small things like conversation starters ...

How balancing these two things makes a true modern leader

10 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 decis...

The power of saying No at work

03 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Motivation Hacks Part Two: How To Be Truly Engaged In Your Work

27 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 f...

How to kick your motivation into gear

22 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

How to begin: Set yourself a worthy goal

15 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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’ goa...

Harnessing the power of stress to improve your work and well-being

08 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 h...

Creating mindfulness in your work through meditation

01 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mindfulness…being mindful,  meditating, you know it’s good for you, but it just never feels like there’s enough time.  Using meditation to c...

Don’t regret your regrets. Use them to work smarter

25 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 T...

Right to disconnect versus trust and flexibility

16 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Many of us are enjoying the flexibility of working from home - being able to organise our work time to suit our circadian rhythms, family responsibi...

Nature at work

09 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 gettin...

Microdosing at work

02 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 perha...

Premortems -  roaring success or unmitigated disaster: meet your future self with a premortem

25 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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...

How to talk to people — using our voice, not our fingers and thumbs

17 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 hy...

Welcome to the Clubhouse! Hybrid Office Design to get you back

13 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Office renos for the hybrid world....organisations with empty floors are figuring out how to make the office more useful and attractive.Guests:Evodia...

Lessons from building the iPod, the iPhone and other useful stuff  

04 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 - t...

Micro stress: How small stuff piles up - and how to find the antidote

28 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 kid...

Autism at work

21 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This Working Life explores ideas that are shaping changes in workplaces.

How to recognise and transform a destructive leader

16 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 c...

Mind your head: The Pros and Cons of EAPs

09 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 Assis...

"I lost sleep; I'd vomit before going to work." The human cost of bullying in the workplace.

02 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 organi...

The power of fun at work

25 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 w...

Leadership nirvana: How can we make leadership development more useful for all?

18 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Are you seeking leadership nirvana? Is there even such a thing? Leadership development is such a lucrative, multi-million dollar industry but are we...

The burnout shop

11 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

The (new) working lives of teachers

04 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 a...

When size matters at work: Dunbar's number

28 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 p...

Creating mindfulness in your work through meditation

21 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mindfulness … being mindful,  meditating, you know it’s good for you, but it just never feels like there’s enough time.Using meditation to cr...

The art and science of receiving feedback

14 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 an...

Changing Your Career When You've Only Just Begun

07 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when the career you chose at 18 just isn't you anymore?

Ministry of Common Sense

31 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever sat at work thinking “Houston we have a problem, common sense has left the room!”? Brand and culture transformation expert Martin ...