This Working Life

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, and this is making us feel lonely.In the second part of our hybrid work feature, we look at how hybrid work can leave us feeling lonely and disconnected, and what we can do about it. Guests:Mark Mortensen - Associate Professor, INSEADDr Caroline Knight - Research Fellow, Curtin University’s Future of Work InstituteSasha D’Arcy - Psychologist and ‘Inventiologist’ at Inventium

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 brave new world of work?In the first part of our hybrid work feature, we look at hybrid work and our level of focus when working from home, compared to in the office, and along the way we’ll bust some myths and get some attention hacks.Guests:Sue Williamson - Associate Professor of Human Resource Management in the School of Business at UNSW, CanberraKatherine Johnson - Associate Professor in Psychology in the School of Psychological Sciences at the University of MelbourneSasha D’Arcy - Psychologist and ‘Inventiologist’ at Inventium

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 or the values and beliefs your family held could be holding you back at work? Professor Deborah Ancona runs us through how to recognise the “family ghosts” and how to bust them.Guests:Deborah Ancona, Seley Distinguished Professor of Management at MIT’s Sloane School of ManagementRebekah Donaldson, executive manager, people group at QantasAnetta Pizag, workplace design consultant, strategist and author.HBR article Deborah co-wrote, Family Ghosts in the Executive SuiteProducer: Maria Tickle

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 a spectrum.But sometimes we still desire a label or a name for what we are. Many of us have done personality tests for fun, or have been asked to do a psychometric test when applying for a job.Here in Australia, around 40 per cent of recruiters and employers ask candidates or employees to do one of these tests.But how helpful are they, really, when it comes to our work?Guests:Luke Smillie - Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of MelbourneNick Haslam - Professor of Psychology at the University of MelbourneDr Martin Boult - Psychologist and Senior Director Professional Services at The Myers-Briggs Company, Asia Pacific

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 just why first jobs are so crucial in our careers and what they can teach us.If we put on our detective caps, we can look at our first jobs and pick up the little clues and insights about ourselves that can help us navigate our current career. And if you have kids, or are mentoring young people, we learn how we can advise teenagers on what to look for in their first job.Guests:Professor Julia Richardson, Curtin University School of Management and MarketingDaisy Turnbull, teacher and author 50 Questions to Ask Your Teens: A Guide to Fostering Communication and Confidence in Young Adults

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 complete waste of time and or money? We recruited three scientists to run the research filter over these hacks. This episode was originally broadcast on Tuesday 12th November 2019

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 demographic, it was social class which most determined Australian workers’ experience of inclusion or exclusion at work. Talking about class at work can be awkward, especially when most Australians believe we live in the land of a “fair go”. But, talk about it we must.Amanda Rose, Western Sydney Women founderAuthor and journalist Rick MortonLisa Annese, CEO of Diversity Council AustraliaProducers: Kara Jensen-Mackinnon and Maria TickleThis episode was first broadcast on 31 May 2021

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 feel? Possibly relaxed? Maybe even a bit more confident? More likely to apply for that job, if there’s no intimidating interview panel? Probably.AI is increasingly being used in recruitment and it’s being employed to make the hiring process more efficient, less daunting, and some argue, free from bias... so how does it stack up? And given these technological advancements, is it time to call the CV obsolete?Guests:Charles Cameron -  CEO of RCSA Australia & New Zealand (Recruitment, Consulting and Staffing Association)Barb Hyman - CEO of PredictiveHireProfessor Andreas Leibbrandt - Monash University

Call it what you like, The Great Resignation, The Great Reshuffle, or even The Great Reimagination, the employment landscape in Australia has changed radically in the past two years. CEO of the Australian HR Institute Sarah McCann Bartlett and career coach Kate Richardson talk us through how can you use this moment in time to your career advantage and what businesses need to do to get through it.We also hear stories of pandemic career changes from software engineer Zubin, UX designer Fern and clinical researcher Fay.Producer: Maria Tickle

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 on?In part two of our special series, we dive into some solutions to improve diversity and inclusion at work to see Australia's multiculturalism reflected in leadership positions. Guests:Daisy Auger-Dominguez - Chief People Officer, VICE Media Group and author, Inclusion RevolutionJuliet Bourke - Professor of Practice and non-executive director at the UNSW Business School