# workplace
156 moments across 109 episodes. Click any moment to jump straight to that part of the episode.
17:00Round 3 — Nobody gets an office, including the CEOAl Elliott: Meghan. Number 1 to 20, not including 8. 5. Brilliant. Okay. All right. So here's— this is interesting, right? Okay. At interview, you're told nobody gets an office, including the CEO. Because you picked it, EP 324 · 4 Aug 2026·interview· 17:00–20:1142:00Round 9 — "We're like a family here"Al Elliott: Exactly. Drives a Mercedes S-Class. Okay, right, so quickfire. So we've probably got about 5 minutes left. Quickfire. So we'll go to Leanne first. Leanne, the HR director tells you, we're like a family here LEP 324 · 4 Aug 2026·interview· 42:00–44:2839:31Workplace Surgery: Should you offer free gym perks?Leanne Elliott: So yeah, I mean, I think You're always going to hear kind of negative conversations around things like gym memberships and fruit in the break room and ping pong tables and stuff like that. That's not to sEP 320 · 21 Jul 2026·workplace surgery· 39:31–43:367:05What's putting managers under so much pressure right now?Leanne Elliott: I mean, that's not new. That's always been the case. But it feels like now middle managers are under an added layer of pressure in terms of geopolitics, the economy, AI Kristien Turner: Yeah Leanne ElliotEP 311 · 18 Jun 2026·interview· 7:05–12:4350:44Workplace Surgery: Acknowledging Financial AnxietyLeanne Elliott: Really? Al Elliott: Yes, because I think that's what a lot of managers would ask, going, if I can't fix it, do I even bring it up? Leanne Elliott: When you and I volunteered for the Samaritans and we woulEP 310 · 16 Jun 2026·workplace surgery· 50:44–53:170:00Cold Open: The AI Connection WarningAl Elliott: Here's a question worth thinking about. When you don't know the answer to something at work right now in your current job, 2026, do you ask a colleague or do you ask a chatbot? Leanne Elliott: Our guest todayEP 309 · 11 Jun 2026·interview· 0:00–1:1340:12Workplace Surgery: Applying psychology in everyday lifeAl Elliott: Very interesting. Okay. I think you, you HR nerds are going to love that. Okay. On to my favorite time of the week, the world-famous Weekly Workplace Surgery, where I put your questions to Leanne. Leah, I havEP 308 · 9 Jun 2026·workplace surgery· 40:12–42:2425:32The wellbeing investment you're overlookingLeanne Elliott: Um, what else have I seen? Wellbeing. Are companies actually missing the one wellbeing investment that actually works? I'll answer this for you. Yes Al Elliott: Excellent. Tell us what it is Leanne ElliotEP 296 · 28 Apr 2026·news roundup· 25:32–30:4043:19Workplace Surgery — Quiet quitting after a return-to-office mandateAl Elliott: I've checked out, but I'm doing the hiding. My company mandated a full return to the office about 8 months ago. At the time, I pushed back internally and found it frustrating, but now I've just stopped. I turEP 296 · 28 Apr 2026·workplace surgery· 43:19–46:5158:12Outro / What's coming upLeanne Elliott: Just to say to come back next Thursday. Um, we've got a wonderful episode. Who's it with? Al Elliott: Thomas Waits. Thomas Waits. So I've been looking forward to, to, to publishing this one for a long timEP 296 · 28 Apr 2026·intro· 58:12–59:5642:12Workplace Surgery: engagement surveysLeanne Elliott: Yeah Al Elliott: Be interested. Okay, so I think it's on to our world-famous weekly workplace surgery where I put your questions to Leanne. Leanne, I have 3 questions, as would be my wont. Question numberEP 294 · 21 Apr 2026·workplace surgery· 42:12–45:050:00The canary in the coal mine: autistic employees as early warning systemAl Elliott: Today, the 2nd of April, 2026, is World Autism Awareness Day. Around 1 in 70 of your employees is autistic, and there's a very strong chance you wouldn't actually know because many have spent years learning hEP 289 · 2 Apr 2026·interview· 0:00–1:534:40The pandemic as the elephant in the roomChe Ugwuala: Yeah. I think without acknowledging the elephant in the room, we did have a global pandemic, right? That I think completely shut everything down and required us to sort of rethink what does work look like foEP LIVE-2026-03-25 · 25 Mar 2026·panel interview· 4:40–9:0815:52The power of intergenerational teamsLeanne Elliott: I am wondering, Al, whether older workers are being overlooked Al Elliott: Right. How about, do you know what would be really funny if you said, I wonder if shorter workers are being overlooked? Okay. OldEP 286 · 24 Mar 2026·news roundup· 15:52–23:495:16Story 1 — The Corporate Bullshit Receptivity ScaleAl Elliott: Jingle is being cued Leanne Elliott: What have you Got a new word Al Elliott: Go onEP 284 · 17 Mar 2026·news roundup· 5:16–12:5244:22Workplace Surgery — the 'silent' meetingLeanne Elliott: Okay Al Elliott: Question number 2. Now, I chose this because it's kind of similar. But a little nuanced to question number 1. So this one is about same voices dominating every meeting and how you can fixEP 284 · 17 Mar 2026·workplace surgery· 44:22–49:300:01Intro and this week in workAl Elliott: Coming up this week in work Leanne Elliott: Good news everybody, it's only 23 days until spring Al Elliott: Yay!EP 278 · 24 Feb 2026·news roundup· 0:01–2:2633:03The one thing Lindsey would ban in the workplaceAl Elliott: You've worked with a lot of leaders who are looking to effect change. If you could, like, ban something, if there was something you could say, you should never ever do this, what would you say? Lindsey CaplanEP 273 · 5 Feb 2026·interview· 33:03–39:4813:28Ruth's anecdote: new starters at Octopus MoneyLouise Hill: I could give you some anecdotal stories to add to that. When everyone starts working at Octopus Money, I often ask them, for the reason that they want to work with us. And people have lots and lots of very pEP 272 · 3 Feb 2026·panel interview· 13:28–15:3518:19Who books a financial coaching session? The workplace patternLeanne Elliott: Louise, I want to ask you, you said that, that these beliefs form by 7 years old, which is extraordinary. I'm wondering how those early beliefs about what you said about, about being good at, um, at numerEP 272 · 3 Feb 2026·panel interview· 18:19–19:4310:09Building a great place to work from the gutAl Elliott: Can you tell us a bit more about how you've set up your agency for, to make it a great place to work? Xavier Shariff: Well, it's interesting actually, because we, again, Gemma and I have never worked anywhereEP 271 · 29 Jan 2026·panel interview· 10:09–15:480:01Intro and News Roundup KickoffAl Elliott: Coming up this week in work Leanne Elliott: I have a new word. I'll explain it properly in just a bit. It's a new way people are treating work, and it matters for anyone who hires or manages a team Al ElliottEP 268 · 20 Jan 2026·news roundup· 0:01–3:5535:24Workplace Surgery: Earliest Signs of BurnoutLeanne Elliott: No Al Elliott: I feel like I just, just shut the door on So go manifest and visualise. I am manifesting some amazing answers to this week's surgery questions, which are coming up right now. Question 1, LeEP 268 · 20 Jan 2026·workplace surgery· 35:24–42:1742:17Workplace Surgery: Finding a Good ManagerAl Elliott: A little detached, we are. Anyway, on to question number 2. Is it really that hard to find a good manager? Leanne? Yes Leanne Elliott: Next question Al Elliott: Leanne, this person writes, I'm trying to take EP 268 · 20 Jan 2026·workplace surgery· 42:17–48:250:02Leanne's favourite definition of culture: 'The worst behaviours tolerated'Leanne Elliott: Hello and welcome to Truth, Lies and Work, the award-winning podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture, brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business prEP 264 · 6 Jan 2026·panel interview· 0:02–5:398:06The biggest misunderstanding: culture isn't a ping-pong tableLeanne Elliott: The biggest misunderstanding I've seen, and I thought we were getting over it, but now I'm not so sure, is that culture is something tangible in that it is the offices we build, the cool break rooms that EP 264 · 6 Jan 2026·panel interview· 8:06–9:189:27Why an awesome workplace is fundamentally good for businessJosh Levine: The science of work. Why? This is something that I've struggled with, right? So my, my whole pitch to the world Is that we need to start employing and deploying culture as a strategic business advantage. It EP 264 · 6 Jan 2026·panel interview· 9:27–10:4611:22The right data: psychosocial risk factors explained?: Hmm Leanne Elliott: To understand how to best influence that. with, to have the most positive impact. And you're absolutely right in that this isn't fluff, this isn't nice to have. Even if you are the most cynical busEP 264 · 6 Jan 2026·panel interview· 11:22–15:1617:13Prediction 3 — Unionisation will surge (Rebecca Taylor)Leanne Elliott: Our next prediction comes from one of our most favourite people, the winner of Hot Take of 2025, Rebecca Taylor. She's a content creator, host of the HR Confessions podcast, and co-founder of SkillCycle AEP 263 · 1 Jan 2026·other· 17:13–22:2716:42Impact of music misfit at workLeanne Elliott: Well, do you know what else got my beef boiling this week, Al? Al Elliott: Beef boiling? That's not a phrase Leanne Elliott: Yes, it isEP 248 · 11 Nov 2025·news roundup· 16:42–23:2342:12The knock-on effect for leadersAl Elliott: Yeah Ryan Martin: And then now that I know it, that's what I'm going to do. And so it feels empowering while also offering some level of acceptance for how we got here Leanne Elliott: This is such a powerful EP 247 · 6 Nov 2025·interview· 42:12–45:2123:30Crafting a signature look and avoiding distractionLeanne Elliott: I always like to play devil's avocado when, when chatting to a guest or covering things on the, on the podcast. And it's that I can, I can hear some voices from women in my head going, what are you talkinEP 245 · 30 Oct 2025·interview· 23:30–31:170:02Waitrose axes autistic volunteer after pay requestAl Elliott: Coming up this week in work Leanne Elliott: Waitrose came under fire this week for axing an autistic volunteer after his family asked if he could be paid for some of his work. He'd stacked shelves for 4 yearsEP 244 · 28 Oct 2025·news roundup· 0:02–9:320:00Intro and news roundup kickoffAl Elliott: Coming up this week in work Leanne Elliott: Would you make 100 phone calls a day for £24,000 a year? Well, a London firm is hiring salespeople in Dubai with brutal targets and barely any base pay. They call iEP 240 · 14 Oct 2025·news roundup· 0:00–2:152:15Story 1: Breadcrumbing at workLeanne Elliott: I've got a new word Al Elliott: Go on Leanne Elliott: BreadcrumbingEP 240 · 14 Oct 2025·news roundup· 2:15–7:363:04Who are Ina and Alanah?Ina Purvanova: My name is Ina Purvanova. I'm a professor at Drake University in our Zimpelman College of Business, and I teach leadership and organizational behavior Alanah Mitchell: Yes, and I am Alanah Mitchell. I am aEP 237 · 2 Oct 2025·panel interview· 3:04–4:3248:15Who should read *The New Workplace*?Al Elliott: Interesting. So, let's talk about the book. So, can you tell us who should read it and perhaps who shouldn't read it? Alanah Mitchell: Yeah, I think that there's lots of benefits from reading the stories in oEP 237 · 2 Oct 2025·panel interview· 48:15–51:1544:45Anger and the workplace in a huge election yearAl Elliott: Do you still think that anger's gonna be a big problem in the workplace? Isabel Berwick: Yes, huge. And I think half the world's democracies are going to the polls this year. This is a huge year in terms of pEP 235 · 25 Sept 2025·interview· 44:45–46:3329:03Story 4: The Coldplay kiss cam CEO affairLeanne Elliott: Okay, then I will go for number 5 Al Elliott: Number 5. So, story number 5 is You did something. Leanne's got a great newsletter called LinkedIn AF. And if you're under the age of 35, you know what AF staEP 226 · 26 Aug 2025·other· 29:03–37:3720:52What is improv, really?Al Elliott: You've mentioned the word improv. So first of all, if someone's not heard of improv, tell us briefly what it is, and then I really want to find out how that seems to form the basis of a lot of stuff you do JoEP 225 · 21 Aug 2025·interview· 20:52–26:295:14What small talk really is (and isn't)John Michel: So, I think small talk has often been assumed to be this kind of very basic and easygoing conversation between people at work, conversations about the weather or sports or common interests. But actually peopEP 223 · 14 Aug 2025·interview· 5:14–7:2130:18Ground rules for humor at workJohn Michel: Same kind of with small talk is, you know, keep it clean, keep it, you know, uh, keep it non-offensive, non-personal. I mean, I think a lot of times it's like, if it becomes overly personal and you're not reEP 223 · 14 Aug 2025·interview· 30:18–34:4932:40Behaviours we no longer tolerateLeanne Elliott: Another one for you, Al. What's a bit— now we're talking on a similar theme. What's a behavior that you used to tolerate but will no longer entertain regardless of how many decades you've known a person? EP 222 · 12 Aug 2025·other· 32:40–38:410:02Intro and News Roundup KickoffAl Elliott: Coming up this week in work Leanne Elliott: Is hustle culture making a comeback, just in some slightly prettier packaging? There's a new TikTok trend that looks like discipline but might actually be driving bEP 208 · 24 Jun 2025·news roundup· 0:02–2:5641:12Workplace Surgery: Do I Have to Fake It to Get Promoted?Leanne Elliott: There's a lot of episodes there Al Elliott: There's a lot. There's 200-odd episodes. Yeah, so we get a little drunker on that one. Actually, we don't get drunk at all on this one, just to be clear. Okay. EP 208 · 24 Jun 2025·workplace surgery· 41:12–47:300:00Intro: What do you picture when you hear 'kindness at work'?Leanne Elliott: What do you picture when you hear the word kindness at work? Is it a boss that always checks in on your mental health, or someone who lets things slide a little too often? Does it sound strong or soft? AlEP 207 · 19 Jun 2025·intro· 0:00–2:4013:57Do we actually need to be kinder at work?Al Elliott: So far, our examples, both yours and mine, of someone who is kind, who fits the kindness template we're talking about here, have been people in authority. So is it just leaders, managers that need to be kind,EP 207 · 19 Jun 2025·interview· 13:57–23:550:02Intro and News Roundup KickoffAl Elliott: Coming up this week in work Leanne Elliott: What do you do when your team has gone all passive-aggressive, but it's all happening online? From eye-roll emojis to snarky emails, digital communication is changiEP 206 · 17 Jun 2025·news roundup· 0:02–3:370:02Why communication costs businesses $1.2 trillion a yearCheryl Robinson: So I did write down a sentence that shows how you could tell when people want to sound impressive, but all that comes across is a bunch of nonsense. So per our synergistic discussion, I'll proactively inEP 205 · 12 Jun 2025·interview· 0:02–3:243:17Story 1 — Are we normalising trauma at work?Al Elliott: It's going so well. Okay, Le, what have you seen this week? Leanne Elliott: Have you started the jingle? I didn't ask you to Al Elliott: Yes, the jingle started. The jingle has definitely startedEP 204 · 10 Jun 2025·news roundup· 3:17–14:0114:01Story 2 — 8 ways to say 'screw you' at workAl Elliott: Well, this is probably applicable to, uh, to a lot of people you just mentioned in that. I saw a post on— it was on Instagram, which is not my usual— Leanne Elliott: Goodness, what were you doing on the InstaEP 204 · 10 Jun 2025·news roundup· 14:01–18:3226:52Hot Take — Is alcohol a workplace wellbeing blind spot?Leanne Elliott: Welcome back. It is time for our hot take, the moment in the show where we hear a bold opinion about the world of work Al Elliott: Have you been drinking? Leanne Elliott: I wish I had. And today's is thisEP 204 · 10 Jun 2025·hot take· 26:52–40:1819:16Fear doesn't need evidence — it needs repetitionLeanne Elliott: Once that fear sets in, it doesn't need evidence. It just needs repetition and silence. Workplaces didn't suddenly become hostile They became hesitant. Leaders paused, and trans people were the first to fEP 199 · 22 May 2025·interview· 19:16–21:501:45News Roundup: Touching grassStuart Mace: Nice Al Elliott: Welcome back. It's Leanne's favourite time of the week Leanne Elliott: It isEP 196 · 13 May 2025·news roundup· 1:45–6:3713:19The economic cost of poor mental healthSarah Hughes: Well, you know, the cost, the economic cost, um, to— so for the, for instance, in the workplace, uh, the cost of mental illness is around £56 billion a year. So the economic case is very strong. It's very sEP 195 · 8 May 2025·interview· 13:19–15:0532:10Do wellness initiatives actually work?Leanne Elliott: I want to ask you a bit more about your career, Sarah, if I can. And before I do, I noticed on your Twitter or X or whatever it's called now, that you described yourself as a sometimes annoying woman SaraEP 195 · 8 May 2025·interview· 32:10–32:250:00Opening: Why 70% of people are incompetentNick Huber: 70% of people in this world are totally incompetent. And the sooner you realize that as a business owner or a manager or a leader, the faster you can accelerate your career and your business. Another sad trutEP 193 · 1 May 2025·interview· 0:00–1:0118:23Hot Take with Sophie Wade: why Gen Z isn't the problemLeanne Elliott: Welcome back. If you are a regular listener, you'll know that every week we ask a workplace expert to share their hot take on the world of work, something we should all be thinking about a little bit diffEP 192 · 29 Apr 2025·hot take· 18:23–28:304:04The current state of burnout in 2025Cait Donovan: I don't know that I'm famous, but my name is Cait Donovan. I'm a burnout expert. My history is in Chinese medicine crossed with Western medicine. So I have a degree in biobehavioral health and a master's deEP 185 · 3 Apr 2025·interview· 4:04–7:5838:46The collective sense of loss in today's workplaceCait Donovan: Yeah Leanne Elliott: The list really goes on. People are increasingly overwhelmed. And what I'm hearing is an overwhelming sense of sadness. Yeah Cait Donovan: Of lossEP 185 · 3 Apr 2025·interview· 38:46–42:2018:20Bridging the generational divideLeanne Elliott: And do you think it's the same with, you say that there's with Gen Z, that Gen Z, there might be that element of this is all new, the world of work, not sure what is normal, what should be expected. Is thEP 179 · 13 Mar 2025·interview· 18:20–20:2135:53Workplace Surgery: From friend to bossAl Elliott: Yes, almost a year old. We're on question 1 for this week, or 142 if we're being specific. Are you ready for it, Leanne? Elaine Smith: Yes Al Elliott: Okay. From friend to boss, how to lead without losing youEP 176 · 4 Mar 2025·workplace surgery· 35:53–41:582:51Should you comfort a crying colleague?Enya Doyle: I'm Dr. Enya Doyle. I am The Harassment Doctor. I spend my life working with companies to prevent and manage harassment in the workplace. Some of it is really fun for me, and some of it is less fun for you, pEP 175 · 27 Feb 2025·interview· 2:51–8:475:11What ADHD looks like in the workplaceLeanne Elliott: So what might that look like in, in the workplace, either to help people maybe identify these behaviors in themselves or leaders recognize them in others? Skye Waterson: Yeah, well, I think in the workplaEP 173 · 20 Feb 2025·interview· 5:11–6:0736:33What employers should never do and simple environment changesLeanne Elliott: And in terms of, um, if we take it back to the workplace, are there any— maybe because we talk a lot about how to support people, I'm also very focused on, given the state of management in the world rightEP 173 · 20 Feb 2025·interview· 36:33–39:015:37Why resilience matters in the 2025 world of workLeanne Elliott: And why is it so important today in the world of work we're operating in, in 2025? Marie-Helene Pelletier: I would say always been important. We're talking more about it, and I love that. And we're also tEP 171 · 13 Feb 2025·interview· 5:37–7:3720:52How leaders can bring this into the workplaceMarie-Helene Pelletier: So as a leader, I would say, keep in mind, back to a bit of what we mentioned earlier, that workplace is a system. In that system, we've got individuals, all of us, we've got teams, and we've got EP 171 · 13 Feb 2025·interview· 20:52–28:4818:25News Roundup: Which generation is the most sensitive?Leanne Elliott: Which generation is the most sensitive? You're not gonna— you have to read that article, right? Al Elliott: Yes, you have to read the article because in your head you're like, oh yeah, I know, but go on LEP 166 · 28 Jan 2025·news roundup· 18:25–24:4938:34Can anger ever be useful at work?Leanne Elliott: Is there a strategy that you find the most difficult? Al Elliott: Yeah, I mean, I think for a lot of people and for me, it's probably finding ways, and this has gotten way easier for me over time. I thinkEP 163 · 16 Jan 2025·other· 38:34–44:0845:20Fun at work — is it still allowed?Bruce Daisley: Yeah, I love this woman I have the utmost admiration for called Zeynep Tan. She's a professor of operations at MIT. I've had her on twice. She wrote a book called The Good Jobs Strategy, and she wrote a goEP 162 · 14 Jan 2025·interview· 45:20–48:515:17The true cost of financial insecurity at workLeanne Elliott: Okay. Basically, when you're looking at the field of wellbeing more generally, there are lots of sources of stress on people in the workplace. They could be your relationship with your boss. It could be aEP 160 · 7 Jan 2025·other· 5:17–9:3611:57Prediction 2 — Will Giangrande: Soft skills take centre stageLeanne Elliott: Yeah. And I think our next prediction also shows how this is playing out in specific industries. Next up, we have Iman Ismail, an expert in email marketing strategy and the host of the multi-award-winningEP 157 · 26 Dec 2024·other· 11:57–16:2518:02"You'll never work again" — the diagnosis that fueled his comebackKody Green: The, the big thing about rebuilding my life, and whether it was getting back to work or just being able to kind of learn how to function again, uh, for me, the, the biggest thing was having to mourn my old liEP 153 · 12 Dec 2024·interview· 18:02–22:5922:59Re-entering the workplace: trial, error, and resilienceKody Green: Just like my journey with medication, it was, uh, a lot of trial and error. Um, the difficult thing about people with severe mental illness is a lot of us end up either struggling with addiction or we end up EP 153 · 12 Dec 2024·interview· 22:59–26:5835:34Kody's book, Minds Over MeetingsKody Green: Yeah, and I mean, basically everything that we've talked about has been the main drivers in why I wanted to write this book. Um, I felt so disappointed when a doctor told me I would never work again. Uh, and EP 153 · 12 Dec 2024·interview· 35:34–39:417:25The psychology of workplace secretsAl Elliott: Shh, got a secret Leanne Elliott: Tell me Al Elliott: Well, actually, I haven't got a secret, but this article I saw was all about work. Well, we have got a secret, but that about that thing, but we don't telEP 152 · 10 Dec 2024·news roundup· 7:25–12:2714:21Grief and the workplace: the conversation we avoidAl Elliott: Yeah Maria Georgiou: If you're not in a culture where you can openly express what's going on, I think for someone who's a carer at that point, and essentially a full-time carer and a full-time employee, thereEP 151 · 5 Dec 2024·interview· 14:21–14:371:54Story 1: The Gen-Z skill gapLeanne Elliott: I saw, um, a bit— an article about Gen Z. I feel like we don't talk about enough on the show. Should maybe inject a bit of youth. Um, yeah, no, I saw— I mean, they're everywhere, aren't they? You gotta, gEP 146 · 19 Nov 2024·news roundup· 1:54–8:4545:50Workplace Surgery: Workplace jealousyLeanne Elliott: You know you shouldn't scale back what you've done. Why would you want to make yourself less successful to fit in? Don't let these people pull you down. Absolutely not. And also, I've— do you know what, tEP 146 · 19 Nov 2024·workplace surgery· 45:50–49:4211:19Story 3: The psychology of facial expressions at workLeanne Elliott: I don't know, it's fairly quiet. What are we, Tuesday the 5th of November? I think there's not much going on today apart from, from the Grow Europe. I don't know. Um, oh, of course, it's the US elections EP 142 · 5 Nov 2024·news roundup· 11:19–15:3023:05Diversity and inclusion: how far have we really come?Leanne Elliott: Annabelle is a young female professional in what might be seen as a traditionally male-dominated industry. We had to ask her if she had felt any kind of discrimination at work. No, I don't think so. I've EP 141 · 31 Oct 2024·other· 23:05–23:4047:26The five big takeaways from this conversationAl Elliott: Don't. Don't grow up. Never grow up. So this is what we've learned so far from this episode. First up, and this really surprised me, both our guests, despite being generations apart, said exactly the same thiEP 141 · 31 Oct 2024·other· 47:26–49:3513:45EY's cheating scandalLeanne Elliott: Well, these people might need it in their workplace. Have you heard about the, uh, the, um, EY cheating scandal? Al Elliott: No Leanne Elliott: No. So, um, this week The Times— I'm getting quite highbrow,EP 138 · 22 Oct 2024·news roundup· 13:45–20:4435:32Workplace Surgery: Should you report a colleague who automated their job?Leanne Elliott: Let's do it Al Elliott: So I'm a data analyst and I've recently discovered that my colleague Who has the same role and salary as me has automated most of their work. They're now actually only working abouEP 138 · 22 Oct 2024·workplace surgery· 35:32–41:333:47How external events have changed the workplaceAl Elliott: It's been quite a tough few years. The economy has been volatile, and the bosses who were making job cuts became the enemy. There's been so much more talk of generational differences too, whether boomers or GEP 137 · 17 Oct 2024·panel interview· 3:47–6:446:44Is the workplace more polarized than ever?Leanne Elliott: Can I ask you a bit more about that then, Kath? Has the workplace, from what you've seen, become more polarized over the last few years? Because I think anecdotally it seems to be the case, but in terms oEP 137 · 17 Oct 2024·panel interview· 6:44–12:1012:10Navigating politics and elections at workLeanne Elliott: So with that in mind, we, we have the, the US election coming up very shortly. I've already seen in the media and forums, HR forums, you know, people starting to think already about how they're going to mEP 137 · 17 Oct 2024·panel interview· 12:10–13:5911:54The psychology of IT professionalsAl Elliott: Leigh, quick question. Do people in IT have certain personality types, or do certain personality types suit a job in tech? Leanne Elliott: What— Al Elliott: give me, give me the psychology, psychological breaEP 135 · 10 Oct 2024·panel interview· 11:54–14:1441:36Navigating tech company cultureLeanne Elliott: Yes, tech companies are famous for their unique cultures. We've all heard about the legendary perks at big tech companies— free food, nap pods, and on-site gyms. But what is it really like to work in techEP 135 · 10 Oct 2024·panel interview· 41:36–48:5711:12Why the scariest psychopaths are the ones you don't noticeAl Elliott: Okay, so we know what it is and what the correct term is, but that doesn't mean that we feel any more comfortable around someone who we're told is psychopathic? Leanne Elliott: I'm a psychologist, and even I EP 131 · 26 Sept 2024·interview· 11:12–14:3518:54Can you actually spot a psychopath at work?Al Elliott: If 1 in 200 people have psychopathic tendencies, then there's a good chance you work with someone who fits this profile. So after this short break, Leanne's gonna ask Dr. Abby how we can tell if someone at woEP 131 · 26 Sept 2024·interview· 18:54–28:1523:45Workplace Surgery: Oversharing at workAl Elliott: Oh, well, that was a continuity nightmare. Thank you for that. Question number 1. This is about handling an employee who overshares personal information. They say it's quite fun. I run a marketing agency withEP 130 · 24 Sept 2024·workplace surgery· 23:45–30:436:30The Gen Z WhisperersAl Elliott: Well, Le, you've heard of Cesar Millan, the dog whisperer. You've heard of horse whisperers. We've now got Gen Z whisperers. I saw it in the Guardian newspaper. I say I saw it in the Guardian newspaper, I didEP 128 · 17 Sept 2024·news roundup· 6:30–13:1024:19Employee feedback on the new spaceEd Williams: And 2 out of 3 of us are devilishly good-looking Ed Williams: Seamless, seamless Al Elliott: Tell us about your latest episode, PhilEP 125 · 5 Sept 2024·interview· 24:19–25:272:00News Round-Up: Gen Alpha Slang DecodedLeanne Elliott: It is, it is time for the news roundup. Al, cue the jingle Al Elliott: So what have you got, Leanne? Leanne Elliott: Gen Alpha are coming, AlEP 121 · 13 Aug 2024·news roundup· 2:00–9:2814:40News Round-Up: Crowd Psychology at the OlympicsAl Elliott: Carry on Leanne Elliott: But yeah, it's— I just, I absolutely loved it. I absolutely loved it. So it got me thinking, as one, as I'm sure the many new supporters of these types of sports, what roles do supporEP 121 · 13 Aug 2024·news roundup· 14:40–18:5126:20Workplace Surgery: memes in work chatsAl Elliott: Yes, well done. You said it perfectly. I've been practising in the shower. Uh, if you, if you do, by the way, if you do have some thoughts on what, uh, what the future of the world would look like, what futurEP 120 · 6 Aug 2024·workplace surgery· 26:20–31:4835:09How Gen Z Approach Work DifferentlyLeanne Elliott: You mentioned Gen Z, that they're coming into the workforce now with a different perspective. How are Gen Z approaching their careers differently? Louise Kershaw: I think They're entering it now. They're EP 117 · 23 Jul 2024·interview· 35:09–37:5641:25The Psychology of Generational DifferencesAl Elliott: Okay, Leanne, I just want to defer to you for a quick second, and let's talk about the psychology behind some of the things we just talked about here Leanne Elliott: Yeah. So, I mean, generations, Different gEP 117 · 23 Jul 2024·interview· 41:25–45:2040:24Generational differences in leadershipAlexis Zahner: You know, it's such an interesting one, Al. And I would like to say personally, anecdotally, I think that there is some, um, some things that exist across generations. that we can sort of generally say migEP 113 · 9 Jul 2024·interview· 40:24–43:472:16Forest bathing: the new workplace wellness trend?Leanne Elliott: I have a new term for you Al Elliott: I like a new term. Go on Leanne Elliott: Forest bathingEP 107 · 18 Jun 2024·news roundup· 2:16–6:3024:12Workplace Surgery: Cryptic meeting invite from HRAl Elliott: Yeah, I really like it. If you've not heard it before, then essentially I take your questions or questions that we've found, just anonymous questions, but usually on the internet, and I put them to Leanne andEP 105 · 11 Jun 2024·workplace surgery· 24:12–27:4127:42Workplace Surgery: Leaving a micromanagerAl Elliott: I worked for a micromanager with a superiority complex. Even as a manager, I had to show her presentations before presenting them to customers. She reviewed emails and was always in everyone's business, so itEP 105 · 11 Jun 2024·workplace surgery· 27:42–31:1331:14Workplace Surgery: Managing your circleLeanne Elliott: I've hijacked the final question, Al, and I have one for you Al Elliott: I wondered why, why I hadn't got a note down here for the third one Leanne Elliott: I thought it was one that is one that popped upEP 105 · 11 Jun 2024·workplace surgery· 31:14–39:441:48Pride Month in the workplaceAl Elliott: Okay, Lee, so what have you seen this week? Leanne Elliott: It is Pride Month. Happy Pride to all of our LGBTQ+ listeners, friends, family, colleagues. Happy, happy Pride. Pride Month, it's such an important EP 103 · 4 Jun 2024·news roundup· 1:48–7:2910:36Tip 2: Create Offices That Empower Performance (Dr. Craig Knight)Leanne Elliott: Dr. Craig also shared some of the findings of his 20-year-long research into the relationships between the work environment Our base point is always Lean Six Sigma Al Elliott: All right. We started with tEP 102 · 30 May 2024·other· 10:36–15:2527:50Recap of All 5 TipsLeanne Elliott: Again, we will leave a link to all of Katherine's socials and her book in the show notes. If DEI is part of your job or you want to learn more, I cannot recommend her book Conscious Inclusion enough. So tEP 102 · 30 May 2024·other· 27:50–29:1611:37Tip 2: Neurodiversity Is Your Competitive Advantage with Professor Nancy DoyleLeanne Elliott: Yeah Al Elliott: Um, I was hospitalized at 14. I simply couldn't cope with it, and I spent the last 2 years of my secondary education working from home on a Monday, going into school on a Monday, picking EP 100 · 23 May 2024·other· 11:37–15:1919:26Tip 4: Be More Gen Z with Isabel BerwickAl Elliott: If you are interested in that, then check out that episode because there's a great guy on there called Ferry who's just crazier than a box of frogs, but he's actually implemented it and he is he's killing it EP 100 · 23 May 2024·other· 19:26–23:580:33ChatGPT: The hidden AI revolutionAl Elliott: Nice Leanne Elliott: Hello and welcome to Truth, Lies and Work, the award-winning psychology podcast brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals. My name isEP 99 · 21 May 2024·news roundup· 0:33–5:023:52News Roundup: McKinsey's Copenhagen clashAl Elliott: So, Leanne, is it your favourite time of week? Leanne Elliott: It is, Al. It's my favourite time of the week. It's time for the news roundup. Cue that jingle Al Elliott: Consider it queued. What have you got,EP 97 · 14 May 2024·news roundup· 3:52–8:3325:12Workplace Surgery — quitting without a job lined upAl Elliott: Welcome back. Let's kick off this weekly workplace surgery with the first question. By the way, if you have a question you'd like me to put to Leanne about the workplace, check out the show notes for our emaiEP 95 · 7 May 2024·workplace surgery· 25:12–30:3731:06Workplace Surgery — taking time off after resigningmidroll (Phil Agnew, Nudge): Mm-hmm Al Elliott: I just gave my employer my notice for quitting and I have an entire week off. Not 3 months, but I take a week off before I start my new company. But I feel guilty for takinEP 95 · 7 May 2024·workplace surgery· 31:06–36:3336:33Workplace Surgery — is a £100k watch a reasonable goal?Leanne Elliott: I have a question for you. I saw this online, I saw it on Reddit, and I thought, I wonder how Al would answer this. So this person says, is making $5,000 a month online actually attainable? I keep seeing EP 95 · 7 May 2024·workplace surgery· 36:33–44:3313:37Why getting women back to work isn't just good for themLeanne Elliott: Amelia went on to explain that getting women back into the workplace isn't just good for their own sense of identity and well-being, But it's also good for business Lydia & Amelia (Ivee co-founders, mergeEP 94 · 2 May 2024·interview· 13:37–14:5414:54Al channels his inner Andrew Tate (with shades and a gold medallion)Lydia & Amelia (Ivee co-founders, merged ch): In terms of the, yeah, the kind of figures that companies have in there in terms of their gender balance across their organization, depending on the size of the company, thisEP 94 · 2 May 2024·interview· 14:54–16:040:33Opening thoughts on compassion in the workplaceAl Elliott: Nice. Check out hopspot.com, the agentic customer platform for growing businesses Ben Branson-Gateley: Yeah, honestly, I feel a lot of compassion and a lot of love for, you know, colleagues and friends out thEP 89 · 11 Apr 2024·interview· 0:33–1:0720:10Workplace Surgery: recruiting sales superstarsLeanne Elliott: Welcome back. Is it the clinic? Is it the surgery? Is it another name? Nobody knows, but Al has used all 3 in this episode. Al, do we need a jingle? Al Elliott: Yeah, we're gonna have to come up with a jiEP 88 · 9 Apr 2024·workplace surgery· 20:10–25:548:43Social Media and Workplace DynamicsAl Elliott: But with all this venting, I worry, are we actually risking polarization? Are we creating a kind of an us and them situation? You'll often see a lot of these TikToks and YouTube Shorts will take the mickey ouEP 85 · 28 Mar 2024·interview· 8:43–14:1814:18Workplace Polarization and InclusionAl Elliott: So the lessons here seem to be that in the old days, Gen X, me, would complain about work or our manager or laugh at someone, something stupid someone did at work in the pub at the end of the day or on a FridEP 85 · 28 Mar 2024·interview· 14:18–21:3822:32Diversity and inclusion: the target is mediocrityJohn Amaechi OBE: There's many people who think, and I hope you haven't had to deal with any on your show, but there's many people who think that this whole thing about gender equity has gone a bit far, hasn't it? I meanEP 82 · 14 Mar 2024·interview· 22:32–26:5723:05Practical advice for managing personal anger and dealing with angry othersAl Elliott: We actually have a lot in common. We both use behavioral science to help people do better at work Ryan Martin: And 2 out of 3 of us are devilishly good-looking Al Elliott: And you're not gonna say which. Fel,EP 81 · 8 Mar 2024·interview· 23:05–32:3016:09The toxic side of resilience talkPetra Velzeboer: Resilience is a tricky one because, as we know, And this is the toxic bit, right? Like we restructure an entire business and then say, can you do a resilience workshop just to boost people up so they canEP 80 · 29 Feb 2024·interview· 16:09–19:296:23What's Bruce's beef with resilience?Bruce Daisley: I've got huge issues with it. And, and for a number of reasons, really. Firstly, I think at its heart, the idea of resilience is superficially really appealing, but the expectation of it is actually somethEP 78 · 20 Feb 2024·interview· 6:23–9:2017:37How Sophie's colleagues reacted at workSophie Wood: So my experience in the workplace has been largely positive because of the people. who are working with me and the way that they actually kind of treat me. Now, because they're dealing with me day in, day ouEP 77 · 8 Feb 2024·panel interview· 17:37–18:489:28The deadly arithmetic of the modern workplaceAl Elliott: Just before we go to Phill, can you just remind us— I know you've mentioned this term before, the deadly arithmetic of math, of, of statistics, no, of compassion. Um, will you just tell us what that actually EP 75 · 25 Jan 2024·interview· 9:28–11:4217:01The Old School Way vs. The New WayLeanne Elliott: Goddammit! Al Elliott: Just do your job, Leanne. Do your goddamn job. You did very well there. So all this sounds lovely, but is there a business case? Why, why did law firms do it the old way anyway? Do EP 73 · 11 Jan 2024·interview· 17:01–19:3916:53Prediction 5: Gen Z Are ComingLeanne Elliott: Talking of Gen Z Al Elliott: Yep. Our next prediction is around Gen Z. But let's just summarise where we're at so far. So, so far our predictions are: number 1, flexible work will still divide the businesEP 72 · 4 Jan 2024·interview· 16:53–23:265:50Generational differences in the workplaceLeanne Elliott: Regular listeners will know that we are fascinated by how the generational differences are playing out in the workplace. Michael is a Gen Xer whose team spans multiple generations, so I wanted to find outEP 64 · 16 Nov 2023·other· 5:50–11:5138:18The remote work debate — where Michael standsLeanne Elliott: And of course, we had to ask Michael about the argument, the debate of 2023. Where does Michael stand on remote versus hybrid versus in-office working? Al Elliott: Uh, it totally depends upon the company EP 64 · 16 Nov 2023·other· 38:18–42:0918:15Priority 2 — Create inclusive workplacesLeanne Elliott: So our second priority, if you were, if you would, if you were a snowflake hater that was triggered by mental health, then strap in, friend, because priority number 2 is to create inclusive workplaces. InEP 63 · 2 Nov 2023·other· 18:15–27:1822:28Trend 3 — Anger in the workplaceAl Elliott: Oh, really? Leanne Elliott: Anger. People are angry. The numbers of people who report being angry at work is rocketing. When we did an episode on anger, it was incredibly popular. I think suppressed anger, whEP 61 · 19 Oct 2023·other· 22:28–24:0932:55Menopause at work: 15 years of discomfort for some womenLeanne Elliott: Early onset perimenopause, typically around 43 Al Elliott: There we go. So we're talking about a good potentially 15 years of discomfort for some women. And these are often our most experienced employees.EP 58 · 28 Sept 2023·other· 32:55–36:4136:41What leaders must do — the panel's calls to actionLeanne Elliott: As business owners and leaders, we have an obligation to not only make our workplace places a better place, but wherever possible, the world a better place. So how can we create a healthier future for eveEP 58 · 28 Sept 2023·other· 36:41–44:497:47Postmen fired for buying teaAl Elliott: What else you got, Leah? Leanne Elliott: Well, speaking of people potentially getting sacked for lack of work, um, there was an interesting article in the UK news this week that did— it did, I'll be honest, iEP 53 · 24 Aug 2023·interview· 7:47–10:0827:49Affinity bias explainedAl Elliott: Now, hold on a minute. Mandy just used a term there I'd never heard before, affinity bias. What does that mean, Leigh? Leanne Elliott: In the simplest way of putting it, affinity bias means we like people likEP 53 · 24 Aug 2023·interview· 27:49–33:0138:16How do you know if you have a DEI problem?Al Elliott: I think this, this is all lovely and good. But what I really wanted to find out from Mandy was what I mean with, with the economy, with everything that's tightening at the moment, business is becoming tough. EP 53 · 24 Aug 2023·interview· 38:16–46:2134:24Clip 9 — Neurodiversity: the recurring themeLeanne Elliott: So on Truth and Lies, from very early on, Al and I always said we wanted to talk about things that were trending, things that were popular in the media, and debunk some of the truth and lies, or lies and EP 52 · 17 Aug 2023·other· 34:24–39:2024:04Happiness vs. wellbeing — why leaders should focus on wellbeingAl Elliott: So we've got these 4 chemicals. I think I understand them. Um, what's the difference between happiness and wellbeing? You said at the beginning that, that one's a state, but you didn't really go into what welEP 51 · 10 Aug 2023·other· 24:04–27:464:01News roundup: Shift shockLeanne Elliott: Cue the jingle Al Elliott: What have you got, Leah? Leanne Elliott: I have a new wordEP 49 · 27 Jul 2023·news roundup· 4:01–6:208:18The Boomers vs Gen Z HeadlineLeanne Elliott: Um, so I came across a very clickbaity angry headline this week, so I'm going to tell you the headline: Boomers are more hardworking than Gen Z according to a survey in Australia. Al Elliott: Amen. Yeah, EP 44 · 21 Jun 2023·other· 8:18–10:1222:03Offices imitating factoriesLeanne Elliott: Yeah Al Elliott: Imitating a factory. And management likes that power, loves that power. It likes to think it has the tricks to make things better. And when it doesn't, when it shares that power, when manEP 43 · 14 Jun 2023·other· 22:03–22:0347:22The business case for neurodiversityAl Elliott: Now, there's another part to this because Nancy thinks that if employers can embrace neurodiversity and provide opportunities for the neurodiverse to do meaningful work, then it'll ultimately reduce unhappineEP 41 · 31 May 2023·panel interview· 47:22–53:1249:02Hot takes on Gen Z vs. millennialsAl Elliott: That's the word. Leanne Elliott: Hot take. Al Elliott: Is it hot take? I think it's supposed to— when you, when you say something which is supposed to be like quite controversial, I think.EP 38 · 10 May 2023·hot take· 49:02–53:0531:26Theme 5: Mental health and suicide preventionAl Elliott: Long story short, I was in a networking meeting, and I used to do a lot. I used to do about 8 a week. So I knew hundreds and hundreds of people. I was in the Surrey area. So it was all Surrey and London conneEP 37 · 3 May 2023·other· 31:26–38:0023:00Disrespect as the root of toxicityAl Elliott: Disrespect is a pretty broad term. But my premise in— that comes from my own personal experience, my experience speaking with staff all over the world, and my research. And I did a TEDx talk on— I called it TEP 34 · 12 Apr 2023·other· 23:00–28:4038:13The 'people are just sensitive now' argument, demolished — part 2Leanne Elliott: Yeah Al Elliott: I'll try to convince me that somebody would want to have mental health issues. Okay. Try to convince me that, you know, that this is something that people would, would, if they're, if theEP 34 · 12 Apr 2023·other· 38:13–42:2367:47Burnout prevention — where to startLeanne Elliott: Yeah Al Elliott: Really does genuinely make a difference to how well your team will function and also how the individual members of the team will feel about their work. When we look at the workplace factoEP 32 · 29 Mar 2023·other· 67:47–70:2819:54Self-awareness and the bottom lineRyne Sherman: Personality, I think, is really important for the workplace for several reasons. So really, actually, it was Bob Hogan, the one, and Joyce, who were the people who really kicked personality in the workplaceEP 26 · 15 Feb 2023·panel interview· 19:54–25:0418:20Deep dive: how context shapes generationsLeanne Elliott: This is all from the perspective of, can we understand each other better if we actually take a moment to really think and reflect on The environments we grew up in that maybe shaped our perspectives, and EP 25 · 8 Feb 2023·interview· 18:20–21:5126:00The strange idea of the officeAl Elliott: Go and listen to Lunch wherever you get your podcasts Leanne Elliott: But come back Al Elliott: Yeah, come back. Definitely come back because Nudge isn't as good as thisEP 25 · 8 Feb 2023·interview· 26:00–28:1025:56Generational shifts in workplace expectationsAl Elliott: We also asked Will about these generational shifts in the workplace Leanne Elliott: I think there's a change happening in how we think about work now. I think expectations are changing as millennials and Gen EP 20 · 10 Jan 2023·other· 25:56–31:147:14Culture vs. climate: definitions and differencesLeanne Elliott: So, climate is more about staff's perceptions of how the work environment is currently impacting them, impacting the team, impacting their work, impacting their wellbeing. Climate is fairly changeable, anEP 08 · 23 Aug 2022·other· 7:14–11:3120:00Social relationships and empathy at workAl Elliott: Let me ask you then, because there's a fair bit in that article about social relationships, but as a manager or a leader, do I want to be friends with my employees? Do I want them to be friends with each otheEP 08 · 23 Aug 2022·other· 20:00–22:340:33What is culture, really?Al Elliott: Check out hopspot.com, the agentic customer platform for growing businesses. Okay, so if someone's listening to this and thinking, shit, this is the way that I recruit at the moment based on culture fit, thenEP 04 · 19 Jul 2022·other· 0:33–1:5824:57Gen Z and millennials — what they actually wantLeanne Elliott: So, Millennial is 1980 to 1994 and Gen Z will be probably about '95 to 2010. So, the Gen Zs are starting to come into the workforce now as Millennials have been around for a little while. Ultimately, you EP 03 · 15 Jul 2022·other· 24:57–25:51
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