Podcast · Business

Eat Sleep Work Repeat - better workplace culture

by brucedaisley.com · English · Business

MAKE WORK BETTER. Eat Sleep Work Repeat is the best podcast about workplace culture - it's been listened to millions of times. Bruce Daisley brings a curious mind to discussions about our jobs and the role they play in our lives. Sign up for the newsletter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/p

New episodes: Every two weeks
Typical length: 40 min
Latest: 14 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

14 Oct 2026 · 31 minNew

Office politics, collective leadership and AI disruption

A few people have asked me to do episodes on office politics and office interactions - one angle I wanted to look at that was through the lens of professional services firms. Laura Empson is a Professor at Bayes Business school having previously worked in professional services herself. She’s focussed on understanding the way that these firms work. Many professional services firms are a highly paid collection of partners who collectively own the firm. It means that the organisations are different to the version of work we are most used to. Rather than being low agency and low control they are…

Play episodeWhatsApp Download

Earlier episodes 29 most recent

S13 · E234 · 30 Sep 2026 · 33 min
The simple answer to improving productivity: asking employees
Our jobs have turned into the place where we’re told what to do: show up and follow orders. That was the finding of the latest cycle of the long-running Skills and Employment Survey. When asked, only a third of UK workers say they are given the discretion to decide how to do their jobs, a number that has dropped from two-thirds in three decades. When we hear this it’s hard not to think of the two other issues of contemporary work that have come to define the era: low engagement and low productivity. Professor Alan Felstead was one of the leads of the research and I asked him to explain the…
S13 · E233 · 23 Sep 2026 · 40 min
What is REALLY happening with AI and jobs
Bruce speaks with Daniel Susskind , economist and professor of business at Gresham College, about how AI is changing work, education, and the meaning of our jobs. Daniel's new book tackles AI and how we should prepare for the future. Predictions of the future have shown it is too uncertain to predict, so what can any of us do to ready ourselves? Susskind says that we should prepare by learning the basics while training on cutting edge technology. Above all else he believes we need to teach the essentials of character. We also discuss Ethan Mollick's posts on AI. AI2027 updated , Reddit post…
S13 · E232 · 9 Sep 2026 · 38 min
What hospitality teaches us about culture
Danny Meyer is one of the most respected restaurateurs in the world, but beyond the success of the likes of Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern and Shake Shack he's also become famous for writing a book, Setting the Table , that has become an inspiration to hundreds of thousands of readers around the world. The book is used as training manual beyond the hospitality trade by businesses who want to be famous for providing strong customer service. Danny talks about service being a monologue, whereas hospitality is a dialogue. In his new book, What Could Possibly Go Right? , he updates his story.…
S12 · E231 · 14 Jul 2026 · 56 min
Stop talking about culture - deal with behaviours
Proper ding dong this week. I have a fabulously enjoyable back-and-forth with the brilliant Professor Rob Briner. At one stage Rob says: ‘If you tell someone - whose favourite thing is organisational culture - and you tell them it’s not a very useful idea - they don’t like it.’ Well, I felt seen. To be fair I’d already acknowledged that I agreed on what he was saying that behaviours are more important than culture. Also I’m more than a culture fan, I promise. But it’s a sign that it’s an outstanding discussion. Rob’s key point was that the idea of culture is vague and subjective. Rob says…
S12 · E230 · 11 Jun 2026 · 43 min
What chance do we have versus the machines?
Sarah O'Connor is a journalist for the Financial Times who specialises in writing about work and the evolution of our jobs. Over the last year or so that has meant a lot of reflection about AI job displacement. In her new book, We Are Not Machines , Sarah reflects on how technological change is reshaping the workplace - and the invisible enshittification it often brings with it. Sarah has a strong message: firstly that we should have more belief in the unique strengths of human labour, and secondly that individual agency is the most important differentiator in our favour. It's a brilliant…
S12 · E229 · 7 May 2026 · 47 min
Can one bad apple ruin your team?
Kate Murphy is the author a new book called Why We Click . It combines the very latest research into interpersonal synchrony - how we form bonds with others. It's an intriguing read - at times compelling, at times challenging. I chatted to her to understand 'the bad apple effect' and her take on whether we need face-to-face communication at all costs. There's a full transcript on the website. Sign up to the Make Work Better newsletter or check out the best ever episodes at the website . Eat Sleep Work Repeat is made and hosted by Bruce Daisley . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for…
S12 · E228 · 16 Apr 2026 · 47 min
Your colleagues like you more than you realise…
Dr Gillian Sandstrom is a researcher whose work explores her fascination with our conversations with other people - whether colleagues, friends or strangers. She’s just published a fabulous new book ‘Once Upon A Stranger’ . Her work says that we often have a ‘liking gap’ when we talk to people - we think they like us less than we like them - even if they are work colleagues. It turns out not to be true - our co-workers like us more than we realise. It's a brilliant discussion - and potentially a prompt for you to change how you live your life. This week's newsletter is about talking to…
S12 · E227 · 2 Apr 2026 · 40 min
Life Reclaimed with Pippa Grange
A return interview with Dr Pippa Grange, a performance ("regenerative") psychologist who has worked with the England men's football team and who has earned the admiration of Brene Brown. I'm always excited to hear from the likes of Pippa, elite practioners who have earned the respect of the most respected high performers in the world. Pippa has a new book out, Life Reclaimed , which is a reflection on burnout, the need for overperformance and how to achieve balance in life. It's partly informed by her work with some of the most talented people in the world and certainly bears the trace of…
S12 · E226 · 14 Mar 2026 · 55 min
We-ness: The secret cause of Psychological Safety
I saw a post by Professor Rob Briner about the enigma of psychological safety , and in the replies it was discussed that in fact PS isn't so much an enigma, there's evidence that it is the output of group identity. It felt important to talk to Katrien Fransen about her work exploring this. This conversation (and the papers that led into it) were real penny drop moments for me. There's a full transcript on the website. Check out more: We spend a lot of time talking about Katrien’s paper: The impact of identity leadership on team functioning and well-being in team sport: Is psychological…
S12 · E225 · 26 Feb 2026 · 47 min
The more you talk about culture, the less people believe you
Today's conversation is with Professor Benjamin Laker , someone I've long admired for his cutting edge work on the evolution of culture. His article on Meeting Free Days is probably the piece of research I've shared the most in the last 5 years. Laker is Professor of Leadership at Henley Business School, which is part of the University of Reading. As well as writing multiple bestselling books on work like Too Proud to Lead and Job Crafting , he's also published dozens of articles in HBR and MIT Sloan Management Review. He's worked with government helping to develop policy on work and it's…
S12 · E224 · 3 Feb 2026 · 39 min
Flourishing at Work
Daniel Coyle returns to reflect on what has changed since we last spoke. He's moved attention to an examination of what contributes to us getting a fulfilling experience from work - and life. We talk attention, community and the way that great teams demonstrate 'group flow'. We also delve into some research by Nick Epley that I've covered on the newsletter, that suggests we're terrible at predicting what will make us happy. If you like this check out the previous episodes with Daniel: Dan Coyle can fix your broken culture The Culture Code Sign up to the Make Work Better newsletter or check…
S12 · E223 · 27 Jan 2026 · 22 min
What makes for the Best Place to Work
I'm joined by Daniel Zhao, chief economist of Glassdoor, who talks me through their new rankings of the best places to work in 2026. It's an intriguing list, is a car wash really better than some of the most famous tech brands in the world? The ranking allows us to explore what we want in a job: culture, connection, progression and autonomy. Bad culture is 7 times more powerful driving quitting than salary: hear Charlie and Donald Sull talk about Glassdoor data Glassdoor: Top US places to work Glassdoor: Top UK places to work Full transcript on the website Sign up to the Make Work Better…
S12 · E222 · 23 Jan 2026 · 32 min
Culture is built on 'moments of truth'
Kevin Green is the Chief People Officer for First Group. He's set about reinventing the culture of the organisation from the ground up. I heard Kevin speak at an event last year was completely bowled over by the way he talked about culture and the way he was trying to build it. I think you'll love this discussion. There's a full transcript on the website. Also mentioned: Waitrose culture episode with Lord Mark Price Sign up to the Make Work Better newsletter or check out the best ever episodes at the website . Eat Sleep Work Repeat is made and hosted by Bruce Daisley . Hosted on Acast. See…
S12 · E221 · 1 Dec 2025 · 43 min
People-watching in the workplace
Dr Karen Bridbord is the author of a new book, The Relationship-Driven Leader that invites us to bring a psychologist's lens to our job and the relationships with those around us. Her perspective is to use psychology to understand the person in front of you to interpret the world through their eyes. If you’ve got a controlling boss or someone who behaves in a way that impacts your life she helps you unpick what’s going in their head. The Relationship-Driven Leader: Strengthening Connections to Enhance Productivity and Wellness at Work Sign up to the Make Work Better newsletter or check out…
S12 · E220 · 25 Nov 2025 · 39 min
What Gen Z need from work
Gen Z have been shaped by recessions, the pandemic, geopolitical instability, not to mention financial insecurity and world changing technology. That's the finding of the Edelman Gen Z Lab as told to me by the leader of the project Jackie Cooper. Most powerfully she explains that Gen Z's have a ' visceral need for safety' - that's financial, social, cultural and even physical. They respond to fear by asking questions and wanting to be heard , which older generations often misread as entitlement or disrespect for hierarchy. Politically, Gen Z is fragmented . Younger Gen Zs, especially…
S12 · E219 · 11 Nov 2025 · 42 min
Is training really corporate sludge?
Most company training is a waste of time that turns firms into bureaucratic sludge holes. That’s roughly the conclusion of today’s episode which is a conversation with Andre Spicer and Mats Alvesson They have a new book out The Art of Less . Andre has been a guest a few times before - way back in 2018. This podcast is old. In 2018 this podcast was ahead of Steven Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO at the top of the podcast charts. ( Andre talking about open plan offices ) The idea that much of what companies do is related to their self identity, what the company aspires to be in the world - with the…
S12 · E218 · 2 Nov 2025 · 45 min
Strong team identity delivers success
Jeremy Holt is a psychologist and leadership coach who has spent more than 20 years helping teams get better. Read his research about better team results. This episode is the third part of a series about the power of identity in teams. Listen to the other Eat Sleep Work Repeat episodes about identity. Jeremy posting about identity Watch the Lebron documentary More Than a Game Jeremy's book For the Love of the Game Sign up to the Make Work Better newsletter or check out the best ever episodes at the website . Eat Sleep Work Repeat is made and hosted by Bruce Daisley . Hosted on Acast. See…
S12 · E217 · 27 Oct 2025 · 52 min
To understand leadership, you need to understand identity
This is the second part of an interview with Professor Alex Haslam, the world's leading voice on the study of social identity. You can hear the first part of this interview on the website. In this discussion we talk how social identity can help us understand leadership. Alex talks about the CARE model of leadership. C - Create the group A - Advance the group (sometimes over themselves) R - Represent the group E - Embed the group identity in everyday life for the group If you're interested in exploring Alex's recent contributions to discussions on leadership and culture these papers are a…
S12 · E216 · 21 Oct 2025 · 43 min
Everything is identity
“ Why are we so fixated on the individual self? I think it was a big con. The individual self is a relatively modern invention. The idea that human psychology is about the individual self was really an analytical fiction that was devised in the 20th century.” This is the first part of a wide-ranging discussion with Professor Alex Haslam. He talks us why our group identities are so essential to us and define who we are as adults. He quotes his mentor John Turner who said, 'Social identity is what makes group behaviour possible'. By the time you've finished with this episode I'm sure you'll…
S12 · E215 · 14 Oct 2025 · 46 min
We need to tackle workplace loneliness
Simon Gilbody talks loneliness at work The Loneliness of the American Worker - Wall Street Journal Make Work Better on loneliness More on solving loneliness Loneliness in teams Derek Thompson on elective isolation Professor Simon Gilbody is a psychiatrist and clinical epidemiologist at the University of York. His work specialises in 'taking a population approach to mental health', trying to understand the aspects of modern life that contribute to how we feel. I was impressed by a talk that Simon did with the Financial Times on the topic of workplace loneliness. In our discussion Simon…
S12 · E214 · 9 Oct 2025 · 35 min
Delivering culture through food
This sponsored episode is brought to you by Deliveroo for Work Spencer Walker is the global director of Deliveroo for Work. The podcast has returned several times to the idea of food as a cultural trigger, something that catalyses connection and allows cohesion. We explore that idea further this week with Spencer Walker who runs Deliveroo For Work the workplace service provided by the delivery firm. The Deliveroo Feeding Employee Engagement Report I mention a book by Robin Dunbar and Samantha Rockey, it's this: The Social Brain - Tracey Camilleri, Samantha Rockey, Robin Dunbar . They talk…
S12 · E213 · 26 Sep 2025 · 23 min
RTO mandates are caused by middle aged men not liking their wives
Delighted to post this small conversation with Nick Shackleton-Jones. Nick posts brilliantly witty rants on TikTok that are just the best things I hear about work and the futility of bureaucracy. TikTok is a fame machine and if creators drop a banger they can end up reaching a vast audience. Nick has posted some content about work, neurodiversity and philosophy that has had millions of views. It was his take on why middle aged men wanted to return to the office that I put in the newsletter last week and made up the reason why we chatted but there’s so much more to this - not least him…
S12 · E212 · 21 Sep 2025 · 40 min
What gives a team the 'collective edge'?
If we shifted our focus from the individual to the collective how different would our results at work be? I'm joined by Colin Fisher who explains that great teams are the most important contributors to great outcomes at work. The problem is that for many of our teams they are equal to less than the sum of the parts. Groups get bigger and bigger and stop being effective. Managers avoid having discussions about trimming teams down - and it leads to failure. Colin's new book The Collective Edge breaks down the ingredients of forming good teams. Colin Fisher is a professor at UCL School of…
S12 · E211 · 12 Sep 2025 · 33 min
How behavioural psychology is shaping workspace
It’s been a while since I revisited a conversation on offices and how our physical workspaces are evolving. Disruption has made the property business hugely raise their games. With 20-25% of Gen Z workers self reporting having issues of neurodivergency the office is trying to prove that it's still the centre of great workplace cultures. I chatted to Susan Carruth , a partner a 3XN, an architecture firm who is pioneering thinking about the needs of occupants and Mike Wiseman Head of Campuses at British land. For more details on the 2FA project mentioned and British Land's campuses . As…
S12 · E210 · 5 Sep 2025 · 24 min
Our personalities are changing, will it ruin work?
Last month the FInancial Times published an article by John Burn Murdoch in the form of an analysis of personality data, specifically looking at what are styled the Big Five personality traits: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. Typically these five factors are regarded as a statistically reliable way to measure personality. Unlike approaches like Myers Briggs these factors prove consistent over time and psychologists took a view that much of the variance of human personality can be understood using these factors. Interestingly these factors also prove…
S12 · E209 · 11 Aug 2025 · 42 min
Did we do Big Ange dirty?
Sign up for the newsletter A couple of years ago, I was surrounded with so many happy Spurs fans that I bought into the euphoric buzz they were giving off. Ange Postecoglou had brought the smile back to Tottenham supporters. I chatted to Charlie Eccleshare from The Athletic about the cultural reinvention that the Australian manager that enacted. Reader, the Big Ange story didn't end well as a result a lot of fans of other clubs regularly message me asking about the episode, or my opinion of Postecoglou's demise. It was while I was joking about this one time that today's guest got in touch.…
S12 · E208 · 30 Jul 2025 · 36 min
How Octopus Energy used culture to reach the top
I’m often asked asked which company cultures I admire, especially as I tend to be critical of the culture inside tech firms. It’s easy to have good vibes in small firms but organisations who manage to deliver good culture at scale are the ones I’m most interested in. I often call out Nando’s or Octopus Energy. I was delighted to get the chance to talk to the CEO of Octopus Energy Group, Greg Jackson. I’ve often reflected that the best cultures seem to be codified and made explicit, but Octopus’s culture isn’t really defined by formal values, Jackson doesn’t pin it down to three or four…
S12 · E207 · 6 Jun 2025 · 42 min
Getting to grips with workplace AI
T his is the second episode this month about AI and the implications for our jobs. Two weeks ago I went along to a huge event run by Workday down in North Greenwich. Workday, their partners and their customers took to the stage to talk about applications of AI that are coming to their platform. As part of the event I was able to run a discussion with a couple of voices from the company who are helping businesses navigate the challenges that AI presents to us. Sign up for the newsletter More about Workday Elevate I was joined by Jerry Ting. Jerry is the founder of Evisort and now teaches at…
S12 · E206 · 26 May 2025 · 34 min
What does it mean for culture when 'intelligence is on tap'?
Sign up to the newsletter First of two episodes going deep on how AI is going to impact work - and therefore workplace culture and dynamics. This week is with Alexia Cambon from Microsoft. Alexia is Head of Research on Copilot & Future of Work. Last month her team released the Work Trend Index Annual Report. It’s one of the most important pieces of insight into how our jobs will change. Their previous reports have been interesting going deep into how people are experimenting with AI but this year’s is different. It articulates a version of work that most of us aren’t yet ready for. P&G…

About Eat Sleep Work Repeat - better workplace culture

Eat Sleep Work Repeat - better workplace culture is a English business podcast from brucedaisley.com. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: brucedaisley.com
Language: English
Category: Business
New episodes: Every two weeks
Typical length: 40 min
Latest episode: 14 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1190000968
Rights: Bruce Daisley

RSS feed Apple Podcasts

More English business

Take it with you

The Melo app keeps playing with the screen off, works in the car and on your watch, wakes you to your station, and browses the whole catalogue offline. Free, no ads, no account.