Listen again: a year of change
A listener's guide to fixing workplace culture for 2021
Over the course of 2020 there has been 30 episodes of Eat Sleep Work Repeat, the podcast about work and workplace culture, over a million listens as we all collectively try to make sense of what’s happening with our jobs.
If you’re someone who wants to improve the workplace culture at your organisation - or just wants to listen to stimulating intellects - I’ve curated some of the year’s best episodes for you here. Might be something to listen to while locked in over New Year.
Brand new episode: Don’t laugh… Jennifer Aaker & Naomi Bagdonas run a hugely successful course at Stanford Business School that invites executives to remember how to find the humour in their work. In a brilliant discussion they talk about humour is one of the things that brings meaning and joy to our lives - and makes our colleagues love us more. Genuinely brilliant.
We’re not going back to Monday to Friday 9-5
The inspirational commercial property expert, Antony Slumbers explains the thinking that most firms are wrestling with right now. What was the office for? What does the future look like?
On that subject what mentality should leaders have when it comes to making decisions?
I loved this discussion with David D’Souza from the CIPD about how HR departments and leadership teams are coming to terms with these challenging issues.
How can we reinvent workplace culture from here?
Professor Dan Cable talks about the opportunity for firms right now in terms of building energised workplace cultures. It’s going to be different but how different?
Coping with the burnout epidemic
“Energy is finite, and when you keep trying to pretend it isn’t – that’s when burnout arrives.” Anne Helen Petersen is brilliant on the other pandemic.
Community Managers to the rescue
Can we set about creating a community feeling amongst our teams if we go back to working a hybrid model in the office?
Ep1: “HR has fallen”
Throughout the year I’ve had lots of wonderful feedback to the podcast but this series had the biggest response, not least to the guests who got lots of inspired listeners getting in touch with them. First up was the utterly brilliant Sarah Drinkwater.
Ep2: What would a community manager do for you?
Abedesi Osunsade explains her job as a community manager at Brand Watch. If Community Manager is the hot new job of the year, what does one do?
Ep3: Rituals - The most loved episode of the year - Casper ter Kuile tells us why rituals are so important for building workplace culture.
Ep4: The Community Professionals: Jillian Richardson is a super connector. She tells us how she’s made communities thrive in lonely places and gives us a cautionary note about community at work
She fixed the Uber culture, what would she do for you?
I had been trying to talk to Professor Frances Frei for 2 years and our conversation didn’t disappoint.
Neuroscience
Lisa Feldman Barrett is one of the most interesting voices talking about neuroscience right now. She challenges how we think, and whether your dog can actually be happy
Creativity
Seth Godin talks about how anyone can be more creative if they set time aside to do it every day. Alternatively why not let Seth redesign your workplace culture?
Understanding the ‘self-other overlap’
This is brilliant. I chatted to Emma Cohen, an inspirational psychologist at Oxford University about how when we do things with others we transcend our focus on ourselves and start feeling part of something bigger than us.
The formula for happiness
Mo Gawdat went viral went he told the world his formula for happiness. He deciphers the code for us again.
Masterclass: Liverpool’s culture under Jurgen Klopp
Masterclass: How Microsoft changed the culture for hundreds of thousands of workers
How are different firms going to work out how they will eventually return to work?
As companies make their decisions about what they will go back to I chatted to a group of leaders who explained their thinking and how they will decide what comes next. Lots of different answers of companies trying to second guess what productive working looks like.
Make Work Better is created by Bruce Daisley, workplace culture enthusiast. You can find more about Bruce’s book, podcast and writing at the Eat Sleep Work Repeat website. If you’re looking to facilitate a leadership discussion about work culture - or just a lunchtime talk to the team, get in touch!