Podcast · Business

This Working Life

by ABC Australia · English · Business

You spend so much time on work, why accept the status quo, when there are ways to do it better? Get expert advice, research and hacks that will crush your inertia. Join Lisa Leong and other This Working Lifers as we experiment and explore the latest in the world of work. We cover policy issues,

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 25 min
Latest: 11 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

11 Oct 2026 · 25 minNew

Workplace Physio: Protect Your Neck!

How's your neck feeling? Tight? Falling forward? You aren't alone. In the first edition of our occasional series Workplace Physio we look forward, with our heads held high, at the impact of 'tech neck'. Lisa steps on the wobbleboard and does her exercises to figure out what work is doing to our necks and how we can go about fixing it. Guest: Jennifer Callaghan, Specialist Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist and the Director of Callaghan Physiotherapy ====== You can binge more episodes of the This Working Life podcast with your on the job correspondent Lisa Leong on the ABC listen app (Australia)…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

4 Oct 2026 · 25 min
Is AI killing entry level jobs?
Is AI coming for your job? Well, maybe not yet. But there are early warning signs that entry level jobs are getting squeezed and traditional career pathways are closing up. Research from Stanford Digital Labs in the US has shone a light on what actual impact artificial intelligence is having on employment, and it's not necessarily what the big tech bosses have been telling us! Lisa scales the corporate coalface to find out what's coming. Guests: Dr Bharat Chandar, Research Fellow and Labor Economist at Stanford Digital Labs Dr Michael Legg, Future of Law Professor at the University of NSW…
27 Sep 2026 · 25 min
It's burnout season!
Are you burnt out ... again?! How does it keep coming round like clockwork? We're entering burnout season, and author Karl Treacher agues in his new book Built to Burn that you burning out is a feature of the system, not a bug. Are we facing an epidemic of burnout? What can we do about it? Lisa's picked up her hose and is running towards the burning building. Guests Karl Treacher, CEO of The Culture Institute, Executive in Residence at Griffith Business School and author of Built To Burn ====== You can binge more episodes of the This Working Life podcast with your on the job correspondent…
20 Sep 2026 · 25 min
Wellness shortcuts do more harm than good
Are you drowning in digital? Are the company sponsored mental health tools helping you at all? They've become the norm as they're cheaper and easier to apply than traditional methods. But research is showing that these applications and online tools aren't always cutting the mustard when it comes to improving our mental wellbeing at work; especially when they're applied as a catch all. What makes you go ommmm? Lisa investigates. And the Radio National Top 100 Australian Books countdown is underway - make your vote count! Our Work Book guest this week is Dr Stefan Volk! His pick for our This…
13 Sep 2026 · 25 min
Simone Stolzoff wants you to be uncertain!
It feels like we’re constantly being asked to know things, to be rock solid in our information. But is this desire for control and certainty stopping us from making better decisions both at work, and about our working lives? Journalist and author Simone Stolzoff has a lot of ideas about our brains and how we go to work! He’s been circling the globe hunting out people who trying to understand doubt and uncertainty for his new book How to Not Know: The Value of Uncertainty in a World That Demands Answers. So, what don't you know? Guest: Simone Stolzoff, journalist and author of How to Not Know…
6 Sep 2026 · 25 min
You're being measured!
Do you measure up? Digital and AI tools coupled with an increased desire for productivity means we’re being marked more closely than ever before. New research shows that when we know how we're being measured we stop prioritising the work that isn't measured, especially if we think the systems aren't transparent or fair. Lisa gets stuck into the modern map of "metricisation" to see how to defend soft skills from a passion for measurement! The Radio National Top 100 Australian Books countdown is underway - make your vote count! Our Work Book guest is ABC Business reporter Daniel Ziffer and his…
30 Aug 2026 · 25 min
Fluorescent lights burning you out?
How does your office make you feel? Are you an open plan convert or dying under the halogen lighting? We spend a lot of time in our workplaces and the way they’re designed can have a huge impact on our mental and physical wellbeing. Psychologists and architects are worried we've sleep walked into a world where the standard office design is actively burning workers out quick smart. It's a problem for employees stuck in environments draining them of the will, and employers losing good staff to bad design. So how do we fix it? Lisa dons a hard hat and goes looking for a smarter way to design…
23 Aug 2026 · 25 min
What do you do in a crisis?
How do you react in a crisis? Are you fight, flight, fawn or flee? We all react differently to moments of panic and stress but one thing we all have in common is that they cause us to make rash and poor decisions. Are we stuck like this or can we re-train ourselves to respond to panic and act or lead with a clear head? Guest: Dr James Donald, Senior Lecturer in Work and Organisational Studies at Sydney University and co-author of The Clear Leader ======= You can binge more episodes of the This Working Life podcast with your on the job correspondent Lisa Leong on the ABC listen app…
16 Aug 2026 · 25 min
How to get hired in the AI age
Artificial intelligence use in the job hunt is happening so fast it's hard to keep track and applicants and employers are feeling harassed by the speed of the change. Candidates find themselves trapped in a paradox where they need to write applications that make it through the screening while also standing out when an application eventually reaches a human decision maker. AI interviews are increasingly popular as well for hiring organisations which job hunters are reporting can make the process depressing and dehumanising. Research on the impact of these tools in their first years also…
9 Aug 2026 · 25 min
We're too tired to work!
Are you just too tired to work? Australians feel exhausted. Eighty two per cent of Australian knowledge workers reported being on the verge of burnout last year, and businesses are scrambling to catch up with the cost of mental fatigue. But sleepiness can be a killer too and a major shift is underway in how Australian industries treat tiredness in the workplace. It's not a new phenomenon, people were talking about "brain fag" in Victorian England, but the way we think about fatigue and the way we treat it in the workplace is in flux. So why are we so tired and what can we do about it? Lisa…
2 Aug 2026 · 25 min
Is Gina Rinehart right about cash bonuses?
Australia’s richest person and long time supporter of Australian Swimming Gina Rinehart has been offering cash bonuses for Aussie swimmers at the Commonwealth games, $20,000 for a gold medal! It can be a nice to have after a huge challenge or a drawcard to make people work harder, but there can be a danger to motivating your team with extra dollars. So, Is Gina Rinehart right, do cash bonuses work? What actually motivates us? Lisa digs into the world of motivation and incentives to try and figure out what works for us and how you can motivate people without alienating them. Stacey Parker's…
26 Jul 2026 · 25 min
The dangers of silence at work
Speaking out at work is hard. It's even harder in a culture of silence. To take the decision to break the quiet is an act of bravery, ands it's one many of us are unwilling to risk. But the dangers of a culture of silence are many, and they impact employers and employees alike. While it can be a scary thing to do, research has found that people staying silent to protect their own heath and wellbeing almost always have worse results for their mental health in the long term in a silent workplace. Lisa speaks, loudly, with an expert on why people stay quiet. Guest: Dr Nate Zettna: Lecturer in…
19 Jul 2026 · 25 min
Is it getting harder to find a job?
After the 100th email auto reply, the AI application screening and writing the umpteenth cover letter of the week, the job hunt can feel like a real drain. If you're feeling like it's harder to find a job now than last time you were looking you are not alone. A combination of people staying put, international forces and a tight economic market have all impacted the white collar worker world. And that's before we think about AI! Despite unemployment numbers remaining pretty flat the Australian Bureau of Statistics found that in the first 3 months of this year one point one million people…
12 Jul 2026 · 25 min
Is being good at your job holding you back?
Are you being asked time and again to be the one who gets everything done, is your reward for crushing it, just more “it” to crush? You might be paying a competence Tax! Research consistently shows that people who are seen as high achievers are stacked with more of the same rather than being given pathways to doing new things. it's a story a lot of people can relate to but it can be a very difficult trap to escape. Lisa is joined by a world expert in what she calls "the curse of competence" to give you the tools to break the hex! Guest: Dr Ruth Gotian: Success researcher, Associate Professor…
5 Jul 2026 · 25 min
Take a break!
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.
28 Jun 2026 · 25 min
How to avoid "Wellness Washing"
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.
21 Jun 2026 · 25 min
Why are we so bad at onboarding?
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 HR Institute about new research showing the global "job hugging" trend has arrived on our shores. Guests: Dr Talya Bauer - Professor of Management at Portland State University Sarah McCann-Bartlett - Chief Executive…
14 Jun 2026 · 25 min
What your boss is getting wrong about AI
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 and the former Director of Swinburne University's Centre for the New Workforce
7 Jun 2026 · 25 min
Don't be left out in the cold: why you should care about your organisation’s strategy
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 strategy consultancy, Marlborough and Ferdinand
31 May 2026 · 25 min
Tackle overwhelm with the 'Teamwork Doctor'
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 Thoughtload: Manage the Madness and free your Team to do great Work
26 May 2026 · 16 min
Try This: how to quit
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 of Management, author Jolted, Why we Quit, When to Stay and Why it Matters Check out our companion episode Should you really quit your job?
24 May 2026 · 25 min
Should you really quit your job, like Oprah?
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 Anthony C. Klotz, UCL School of Management, author Jolted, Why we Quit, When to Stay and Why it Matters Look out for our companion episode Try This: how to quit in your podcast feed.
17 May 2026 · 25 min
AI will change your job. Here’s the SMART way to redesign it.
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 design assessment, the link is here.
10 May 2026 · 25 min
Nir Eyal on how to stop sabotaging your career
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 Belief: The Science-Backed Way to Stop Limiting Yourself and Achieve Extraordinary results
3 May 2026 · 28 min
Sir David Attenborough is doing it, what about you? How to work until you're 100
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 Copper Doctors Alison Hernandez, co-founder, Re-create 100 Scientia Professor Henry Brodaty, co-director of Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, UNSW, 2026 Senior Australian of the Year You can find Professor Henry’s…
26 Apr 2026 · 25 min
Why 9am meetings might be failing your team
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 Business School
19 Apr 2026 · 25 min
Kyle and Jackie O safety complaint heads to Federal Court
Jackie O’s lawyers claim ARN breached workplace health and safety obligations by failing to protect her psychosocial health while she was working with co-host Kyle Sandilands. As the case heads to court this week, find out how leaders should manage psychological safety at work, and learn the potential consequences if they fail to do so. Guests: Martyn Campbell, former Chief Executive of SafeWork SA and Secretary-General of the International Association of Labour inspection. Fay Calderone, employment lawyer and partner, Hall and Willcox and author, Broken to Safe: tackling toxic workplace…
12 Apr 2026 · 25 min
Marcus Buckingham says love is the most powerful force in business
Marcus Buckingham’s latest research shows that love is a driver of super productive human behaviour. He argues the case for "designing love in" to experiences at work. Learn how to create experiences that inspire your colleagues and staff to say, "I love that!" Guest: Marcus Buckingham, global researcher focused on unlocking strengths, increasing performance and pioneering the future of work. Author, Design Love In
5 Apr 2026 · 25 min
How to help a young person find a career in the age of AI
Worrying about your young person’s future? The impact of AI is already changing the job market in some industries. So what’s the best approach for guiding them into a career during this time of uncertainty? Guests: Alana Kilmartin, speaker and author, Unserious Careers: a fun guide to the first five years of your career David Carney, Executive Director, Career Industry Council of Australia
29 Mar 2026 · 25 min
The power of inspiring vs. infuriating leadership
When your boss sends a text complimenting your work, it feels amazing! But if they point out a mistake in front of your peers, you may feel shattered. What does it take to be an inspiring leader, and how can you avoid being an infuriating one? Guest: Adam Galinsky, Paul Calello Professor of Leadership and Ethics at the Columbia Business School This interview was recorded at the Power, Status and Influence Research Conference, for the Melbourne Business School.

About This Working Life

This Working Life is a English business podcast from ABC Australia. 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: ABC Australia
Language: English
Category: Business
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 25 min
Latest episode: 11 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1080219372

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