Psych Health and Safety Podcast

In this episode, UK hosts Peter and Kate chat with Sara Flanagan, Global Wellbeing Director at Boston Consulting Group. Sara shares from her experiences in implementing psychological health and safety internally within professional services firms, both at a national and at a global level.

In this episode, UK hosts Peter and Kate chat with Marc Atherton, Registered Aviation Psychologist and Partner at Allaxa. Marc speaks to the impact of the COVID-19 lockdowns on the aviation industry, shares his views about the relationship between mental health and safety in aviation, and shares insights from the recently published Royal Aeronautical Society Briefing Paper on Psychosocial Risk Management and Mental Health. https://www.aerosociety.com/media/23475/mental-health and-wellbeing-raes-paper.pdf

In this episode Australian hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Dr Brock Bastian, Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Melbourne, and Director and Principal Psychologist at Psychological Safety Australia. Brock shares learnings from his research in the fields of organisational culture and leadership, and we chat about the topic of toxic positivity.

In this episode Australian hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Dr John Fitzgerald, Mentally Healthy Work Lead at WorkSafe New Zealand. We explore a research report recently published by WorkSafe examining the role of work factors in suicide. John details the research purpose, methodology, and findings, and shares his key takeaway messages arising from the research. https://www.worksafe.govt.nz/research/work-related-suicide-examining-the-role-of-work-factors-in-suicide/

In this episode, UK hosts Peter Kelly and Kate Field chat with Stuart Mace, Occupational Health and Wellbeing Lead at Skansa. Stuart shares his experiences from working in recruitment, in particular his observations about the role of psychosocial hazards in driving turnover. He reflects on how his experiences in recruiting inform his learning while completing postgraduate qualifications.

In this episode, Australian hosts Jason and Joelle chat with John Chan, an organisational psychologist and Managing Director at Infinite Potential. He shares the latest findings from his ongoing burnout research, including the impact of psychosocial hazards such as job demands, job control, and workplace relationships. He also discusses interesting new areas of research into short work weeks and loneliness, and how these interact with burnout. https://infinite-potential.com.au/the-state-of-burnout-2024

In this episode, Sharon Moffat, a mental health trainer and speaker, shares her personal journey with mental illness and how she transitioned from being a personal trainer to working in the mental health space. She discusses the impact of workplace pressure and relationships with leaders on mental health and emphasizes the need for organizations to be aware of these factors. Sharon also highlights the importance of mental health first aid and signposting, as well as the need to talk about women's mental health and the mental health impact of breast cancer. She concludes by offering advice to listeners and her younger self.

In this research synopsis episode, Professor Tony LaMontagne discusses his published paper titled "Work-related causes of mental health conditions and interventions for their improvement in workplaces", published in The Lancet in 2023. The paper explores the evidence that psychosocial hazards harm mental health and provides recommendations for addressing these hazards in the workplace. https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au/handle/10072/426372

In this episode, Australian hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Christina Hey-Nguyen and Alex Rowe from the SafeWork NSW Respect at Work Taskforce. They share why the Taskforce was formed, the 4-year strategy, the approach to regulation taken by the Taskforce, and what employers can expect from a Taskforce inspection or investigation. They share their views on what reasonably practicable means in relation to workplace sexual harassment, and the methods and approaches employers should be considering from a prevention perspective. https://www.nsw.gov.au/business-and-economy/respect-at-work https://www.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-10/respect-at-work-strategy-2023-2027.pdf https://www.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-10/workplace-sexual-harassment-reporting-options.pdf https://www.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-10/workplace-sexual-harassment-regulation-map.pdf

In this episode, Australian hosts Jason and Joelle chat with Ben Caldwell, communications coordinator for Rangitīkei District Council. He shares his approach to creating a personality for a local government social media account ("Ben from Comms"), and the value that an engaging social media presence can provide to local government. He talks about the types of psychosocial hazards he experiences in his social media work, and shares suggested strategies for individuals and employers to better protect people who work in social media.