Psych Health and Safety Podcast

In this episode, Australian hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Emma Peterson, Partner at Russell McVeagh. Emma provides legal insights into a recent case in the New Zealand Employment Court involving Associate Professor Siouxie Wiles and the University of Auckland. The Court found in favour of Dr Wiles in relation to ongoing harassment she had received from members of the public. Emma takes us through the key elements of the claim, the steps taken by the University, the Court findings, and lessons for employers arising from this case.

In this episode, UK hosts Peter and Kate chat with Sarah Gashier. Sarah shares from her time in leading the London Healthy Workplace Awards, and provides some insights into the micro award category for organisations with fewer than 10 employees. Sarah then shares her experiences of workplace harassment and discrimination associated with invisible disabilities.

In this Expert Series episode, Australian hosts Jason and Joelle discuss key topics they have seen first-hand influence key stakeholders to speed up the adoption of a psychosocial safety strategy. The discussion revolved around 1) The role of legislation and enforcement of new WHS regulations, 2) elevating the profile of psychosocial risks by adding it to WHS critical risks, and 3) Leveraging common goals regarding sexual harassment prevention and psychosocial investigations to align HR and HSE functions.

In this episode, Australian hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Dr Roxane Gervais, Principal Psychologist at Practical Psychology Consultancy Ltd, and Dr Prue Millear, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of the Sunshine Coast. We chat about their current research into serious leisure and its role in work recovery. They are currently recruiting participants to help with their research - listeners who are interested can learn more via this link: https://uniofsunshinecoast.syd1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eE9nUJBeY8dZ0Dc

In this episode, Australian hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Dr Rachael Potter, Research Fellow for Justice and Society at the University of South Australia. We discuss her recently published paper developing a National Policy Index for worker mental health, involving input from 45 diverse countries. Rachael speaks to her methodology and findings, and shares insights she has collected through taking a global perspective on workplace mental health. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925753524000183

In this episode, Australian hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Liz Payne, Head of Organisational Development & Learning at the Southern Eastern Sydney Local Health District and most recently, the chair of the inaugural Psych Health and Safety Conference (PHS Con 2024). During this lively conversation, Liz, Joelle and Jason recap highlights from the PHS Con 2024. This included the live podcast recordings with Michael Leiter and Christina Maslach of burnout fame, the fantastic interview of USA podcast I. David Daniels on inclusivity in crafting psychologically healthy work, the emotional and inspiring interview of Zagi Kozarov on her High Court battle, the insights delivered by regulators, and the 10-year anniversary panel of the integrated approach to workplace mental health. Missed the conference? Post-event access is now available at www.phscon.com

In this episode, Australian hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Megan Alderson, Founding Director The Strand Veterinarian and Creator of the Vet Thrive Wellness Programme. Megan speaks about the mental health challenges facing the veterinary industry, and shares details of a program she developed and implemented to improve wellbeing in veterinary practice - and won the HRNZ Supreme Award.

Dr. Benjamin Ostrowski, a Senior Behavioural Researcher at Atlassian, delves into the dynamics of distributed work teams. He discusses how remote work impacts productivity, innovation, and mental health. The conversation highlights the challenges of isolation and time zone differences while strategizing on effective team collaboration. Ostrowski also explores innovative practices, such as 'Ship It teams' from hackathons, showcasing how diverse, distributed teams can outperform traditional setups through flexibility and asynchronous communication.

In this episode, UK hosts Peter and Kate chat with Stavroula Leka, Professor of Organisations Work and Health at Lancaster University. Stavroula shares her recollections from her time as the convenor of the working group for ISO 45003, and offers insights into global policy and legislative changes in relation to psychological health and safety.

In this episode, Australian hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Mike Hagan, HR and WHS Consultant at Mike Hagan Consulting Services. Mike shares insights from his experiences working across Safety and Human Resources to implement psychological health and safety in a large multinational. Key issues and challenges include implementing psychosocial surveys, accessing organisational data, managing resources and capacity, and navigating internal territorial or political issues.