Home Podcasts This Working Life
This Working Life

This Working Life

ABC Australia 248 Episodes Jul 6, 2026

This Working Life explores ways to improve your experience at work, challenging the status quo with expert advice, research, and practical hacks. Host Lisa Leong and guests delve into policy issues like hybrid workplaces, remote work, employee wellbeing, organizational culture, AI, surveillance, engagement, diversity, and inclusion. They also discuss work-life balance, organizational change, restructures, casualization, performance management, and career advice. The podcast focuses on the people side of work, including culture, individual experiences, and personal development.

Episodes

Take a break! Jul 6, 2026 0:25:16 When you’re under the pump, it can feel like taking a break at work is impossible. But that can be habit forming, and bad for your physical and mental health. Learn the benefits of building breaks into your workday, and how to do it in a way that feels manageable. 
How to avoid "Wellness Washing" Jun 29, 2026 0:25:15 You may have heard of greenwashing, now experts are worried about wellness washing where workplaces paper over the cracks with wellbeing measures but leave the chasms underneath.  
Why are we so bad at onboarding? Jun 22, 2026 0:25:15 You're starting a new job but you don't have what you need, or you certainly feel like you don't!Why is this such a universal experience and why are employers so happy to leave people to sink or swim? We dive in to the good, the bad and the ugly of onboarding and try to figure out how we can be doing it better, for bosses and for workers. Lisa also checks in with the Australian H
What your boss is getting wrong about AI   Jun 15, 2026 0:25:15 AI usage is on the rise, but its implementation within jobs and workflows is causing problems. Research shows there is a capability gap amongst Australian workers, and a lack of AI fluency and context-poor AI use is creating job strain. What can leaders do to turn this around?Guests: Dr Rebecca Hinds, head of the Work AI Institute at Glean Dr Sean Gallagher, founder of Humanova a
Don't be left out in the cold: why you should care about your organisation’s strategy Jun 8, 2026 0:25:15 Tying together what your team does within your organisation’s strategy is a key skill for middle managers and something workers at all levels can benefit from.  Learn how a strategy is put together and ways you can work towards it. Guests:Brandon Lee, Associate Professor at Melbourne Business School, consultant, researcher and executive educator   Rebecca Murray, principal of str
Tackle overwhelm with the 'Teamwork Doctor' Jun 1, 2026 0:25:16 If you’re always busy but feel as though you’re not getting on top of things, you may be experiencing cognitive and emotional overload. Liane Davey, the ‘Teamwork Doctor’, calls this “thoughtload” and offers ways to manage overwhelm and focus attention, to improve productivity and wellbeing in individuals and teams. Guest:Liane Davey PhD organisational psychologist and author Tho
Try This: how to quit May 27, 2026 0:16:00 Once you’ve made the decision to quit your job, it’s worth considering how to do it in a way that fits the situation. The researcher who coined the term, “The Great Resignation” shares his insights on different resignation styles, from the “grateful goodbye” to “bridge burning” and what managers can learn from the way employees quit.  Guest:Professor Anthony C. Klotz, UCL School
Should you really quit your job, like Oprah? May 25, 2026 0:25:15 The researcher who coined the term, "The Great Resignation", says most of us are only one event away from quitting our jobs. He calls them “jolts” and describes the one that led Oprah to quit her new job at 60 Minutes, and Jürgen Klopp to give up his successful role as manager of Liverpool FC. What motivates us to quit, what should we consider before we do it? Guest:Professor Ant
AI will change your job. Here’s the SMART way to redesign it. May 18, 2026 0:25:15 The narrative around AI at work is moving away from “job apocalypse” towards jobs transforming. So how do you redesign roles to improve productivity and take care of the psychosocial safety and wellbeing of workers?Guests:John Curtin Distinguished Professor Sharon Parker, Director of  Centre for Transformative Work Design, Curtin University If you’d like to try the S.M.A.R.T. job
Nir Eyal on how to stop sabotaging your career May 11, 2026 0:25:15 Have you struggled to make lasting behaviour change at work, and wondered why you can’t get to the next level?  The author of bestsellers Hooked and Indistractable, spoke with readers who loved his books but couldn’t nail the change part. He spent the next five years researching what was missing, Beyond Belief is the result.  Nir Eyal, behavioural design expert, author, Beyond Be
Sir David Attenborough is doing it, what about you? How to work until you're 100 May 4, 2026 0:27:57 Working for longer can help you financially, as well as giving you purpose, a social life and a healthier brain. We speak with three Australians working past retirement age, and an expert coach who helps individuals and organisations achieve longevity goals.Guests:Ronni Kahn AO, social entrepreneur, Founder and Visionary in Residence, OzHarvest  Brian James, co-founder, The Coppe
Why 9am meetings might be failing your team Apr 27, 2026 0:24:57 Circadian rhythms dictate our peak times or chronotypes and they vary across the workforce, so why does everything start so early? Learn how these biological rhythms interact with cognitive and emotional performance and how practicing circadian-influenced leadership can help get the best out of your team. Guest:Stefan Volk, Professor of Management at the University of Sydney Busi

Recommended