There is a question that sounds simple, but for many people it is surprisingly difficult to answer. Who are you when you are not working? For some, the answer comes easily. They are a parent, a partner, a gardener, a musician, a walker, a volunteer, a traveller, a cook, a friend, a grandparent, a reader, [...]
When most people think about ADHD, they picture someone who is easily distracted, struggles to sit still or finds it difficult to focus. While there is some truth in those stereotypes, they only scratch the surface of what ADHD actually is and how it shows up in the workplace. One of the most important things [...]
Few conversations trigger us as quickly as being criticised. Someone questions our judgement, challenges the quality of our work, or suggests that we have caused a problem. Before we have fully understood what is being said, our nervous system may already be preparing a response. We explain. We justify. We correct the record. We point [...]
Why your culture survey may be telling you only part of the story Most organisations can describe their culture. They have values, employee surveys, engagement scores, leadership forums, wellbeing initiatives and carefully written statements about how people are expected to behave. These things matter. They provide direction and give leaders information they might not otherwise [...]
Australia is discussing skills shortages, workforce participation and the loss of experienced employees. Japan has been dealing with these issues for decades. Japan has one of the world’s oldest populations. Its workforce is shrinking, fewer young people are entering employment, and employers cannot assume that every worker who retires will be easily replaced. Its response [...]
Australia is not running out of experienced people. We are running out of effective ways to keep their knowledge, judgement and capability in circulation. In many workplaces, retirement is still treated as a hard stop. There is a farewell function, a speech, a card and perhaps a promise to “stay in touch”. Then the employee [...]
Viktor Frankl noticed something after the Second World War that still has something important to teach us about retirement. As a psychiatrist, he observed that many people did not feel most unsettled when life was busy, demanding or difficult. They often felt worse when life became quiet. Sunday afternoon, in particular, seemed to expose something. [...]
Why yoga won’t fix psychosocial hazards: what leaders should do instead Wellness programs can be good for morale, recovery and culture, but they are not, by themselves, controls for psychosocial hazards. A yoga class, morning tea, mindfulness app or fruit bowl may support individual wellbeing, but it does not remove the source of harm if [...]
The most reliable service any large corporation seems to provides these days is the customer satisfaction survey. You can spend three days trying to solve a problem they created, be transferred between departments like an unwanted Christmas present, explain your life story to six different people and emerge only slightly older than when you began. [...]
One of the biggest surprises for people moving towards retirement is that work has often been doing more for them than they realised. Yes, work provides income. But it also provides structure, purpose, conversation, shared goals, a reason to get dressed, a place to be useful, and a group of people who know what you [...]
Dr Susan Roberts says: