Productivity or how to get stuff done

From round the campfire to the back row of the cinema, humans love stories. Why do we all love stories so much?  Because we’re human! But recently, you may have heard tales about storytelling for business. What is storytelling for business, and how does it work? GUESTS: MAT GROOM, comic book writer GABRIELLE DOLAN, international keynote speaker and best-selling author of six books ARIELLE BODENSTEIN is a storyteller and For The People branding agencySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We've all had one. The micro manager. The underminer. The credit stealer. The blame shifter.  Even the shouter. So how do so many people end up being bad bosses, what makes them bad bosses – and can bad bosses ever get better? GUESTS: LYNDAL HUGHES is Managing Director of Q5 Australia and has over 25 years’ experience implementing complex transformations. LEESA TONGOULIDIS has over three decades of experience in human resources and organisational development, of TeamTalks. BIRTHE NOHRDEN is the director and founder of TeamTalks.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australians like to think they are laidback larrikins, however Aussies are among the hardest working people in the world. Despite flexible work we are working more, with 13% of Aussies working overtime – that’s not far off the 15% of Japanese workers. So why are we putting in so much overtime?  ELIZA LITTLETON from Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work and DR GABRIELLA TAVELLA from the University of New South Wales explain.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What are your tips for getting stuff done? Lists? Reminders? String round your finger? How do you get it all done? With Monica Davidson of Creative Plus Business, Libby Sander, future of work researcher & Alex Light of Concrete Playground.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Time to reach out and pivot, and run it up the flagpole. Why is work full of these meaningless jargon-filled phrases? Sunil finds out from the inventor of jargon-free Friday, Gabrielle Dolan and Nick Enfield, language researcher from University of Sydney.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does failure really mean to you? And how have you overcome failure in your life and career? Moolah presenter George McEncroe knows failure. Her rideshare start-up Sheeba folded after COVID stopped her business. Sometimes you have to swallow your ego and study why your business did not work out. And that can be very helpful for your next move.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Working from home isn’t just a “nice to have” anymore – many workers now expect to have increasing flexibility and work from home options. We’ll find out from consumer psychologist, Thinkerbell founder and Enterprise Breakfast co-host Adam Ferrier why he thinks we should go back to the office, and from Stats guy Simon Kuestenmacher of the Demographics Group about some of the things bosses should consider before asking everyone to tackle the commute back to the office.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do you manage your Gen Zs? Or do they manage you? What are your tips on getting the best from them – apart from tearing out what’s left of your hair? Saskia Lo of The Zoo Republic, John Lydon, formerly of McKinsey, Ashley Fell of McCrindle research and Alex Light of Concrete Playground explain.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How old is too old? Soon be more people over 65 than under 18 in Australia? Despite the Age Discrimination Act coming into force in 2004, we’ve all heard stories of ageism, and how hard it is for older workers to get jobs after they’ve been retrenched. On this episode of the The Next Shift,  Sunil talks to Anne Moore, a pioneering innovator who started her own tech company at 57 – and is still in the game at 70 as Chief Operating Officer for Canberra-based global food security tech start up Nourish Ingredients. And workplace lawyer Melissa Scadden, Managing Partner of Justitia, an award-winning employee relations law firm,  explains the legal consequences of age discrimination might be after a landmark case this year.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wouldn’t be great if every weekend was a long weekend? Entrepreneurs Andrew Barnes and Charlotte Lockhart were so impressed by the results of getting their staff to work less they’ve become evangelists for the four-day week! Founded in 2019 by Andrew Barnes and Charlotte Lockhart, 4 Day Week Global seeks to reshape the way we think about work, by moving the conversation away from hours, and onto productivity and output. Since then, we have organised pilot programs across the world, in nations such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, with many more on the way. But although the results from trials around the world seem promising, leading leisure researcher Professor Tony Veal from the University of Technology Sydney there are still questions to ask about how the four day work really works.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.