180. My ex is now my boss, and other toxic promotions. PLUS! DEI is doing more harm than good, with Sarah Gashier

🎙 What’s in This Episode?

🔹 Why nearly half of employees are turning down promotions – The data says more people than ever are rejecting leadership roles. Is it a work-life balance issue, a generational shift, or are companies just making leadership too unattractive?

🔹 Is DEI doing more harm than good? – Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan, says corporate diversity policies are backfiring, and Sarah Gashier’s hot take suggests he might have a point. Is performative DEI causing more problems than it solves?

🔹 Workplace Surgery: A listener’s ex-partner is now their boss. How do you stay professional when your new manager is someone who knows way too much about your personal life?

That’s all coming up on Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning psychology podcast from the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.

🗞 This Week’s Headlines

📌 BoomerAsking: Gen Z is Asking for What Boomers Never Dared To

• What is 'Boomerasking'? - Researchers Alison Wood Brooks (Harvard) and Michael Yeomans (Imperial College London) define BoomerAsking as when someone asks a question but isn’t actually interested in your answer—they’re just waiting to jump in with their own story. Read more: https://www.bps.org.uk/research-digest/improve-your-conversation-skills-ditch-boomerasking

• 42% of employees are rejecting promotions – A Randstad survey found that workers are saying no thanks to leadership roles, with work-life balance and low pay increases as the top reasons. Read more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/cherylrobinson/2025/02/17/why-nearly-50-of-employees-are-turning-down-promotions-what-leaders-can-do/

• Jamie Dimon says DEI is failing – The JP Morgan CEO slammed corporate DEI initiatives, calling them performative and blaming incompetent advisers for pushing businesses in the wrong direction. Read more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/03/13/jp-morgan-boss-attacks-incompetent-advisers-that-pushed-dei/

🔥 Hot Take of the Week: Sarah Gashier on Why DEI Might Be Broken

Sarah Gashier is an award-winning Workplace Wellbeing Consultant, Registered Nutritionist, and Psychological Safety Practitioner. She’s worked with top organisations and was even recognised by the Mayor of London for her work.

But Sarah has a controversial take on DEI: Most DEI initiatives do more harm than good.

📢 Find more from Sarah Gashier:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahgashier/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahgashier/

💡 Workplace Surgery: When Work Gets Personal

• My Ex Is Now My Boss – A listener’s former partner just got promoted to be their direct manager.
• Top Performer or High-Functioning Alcoholic? – A star employee is crushing their targets, but their drinking is becoming a problem.
• The Secret Slack Channel – A manager discovered their team has a private Slack group where they discuss work, projects, and management decisions—without including leadership.

🎧 What’s Next?

📅 This Thursday:

We’re bringing you an incredible founder story—Steve Carse, the man who turned a redundancy in 2009 into a $10M ice pop empire.

General Support with Mental Health and Well-being

If you have been affected by any of the themes in this episode, or are currently struggling with your mental health, the following resources may be useful.

Mind website: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/

If you are feeling in distress or despair, including feelings of suicide, please do consider calling the Samaritans for free on 116 123 (UK) or email jo@samaritans.org (Rest of World)

Connect with Al and Leanne

Join the Conversation on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork/

Connect with Al on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott/

Connect with Leanne on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne

Email: Hello@truthliesandwork.com

Book a Call with Al & Leanne: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat