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 Officer and Managing Director of the Australian HR Institute =========== 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) or wherever you get your podcasts. Please email us at thisworkinglife@abc.net.au if you would like to get in touch, we read them all and love hearing from you!
What your boss is getting wrong about AI
14/06/2026 | 25 mins.
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
Don't be left out in the cold: why you should care about your organisation’s strategy
07/06/2026 | 25 mins.
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
Tackle overwhelm with the 'Teamwork Doctor'
31/05/2026 | 25 mins.
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
Try This: how to quit
26/05/2026 | 16 mins.
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?
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, like hybrid workplaces and remote work, employee wellbeing and organisational culture, the use of AI, employee surveillance, employee engagement, diversity and inclusion. We talk about progress on wider issues that relate to work, like work life balance, organisational change, restructures, and casualisation. On This Working Life our focus is on everything related to the people in a workplace too, including culture, individual experiences, performance management and career advice.
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