Mind On The Job

This episode looks at the value of lived experience: how consultation with people who have lived experience of disability or illness (in this case, specifically mental illness) can help make workplaces more inclusive and supportive. My guest is Professor Y. Lena Wang from LaTrobe Business School. Professor Ying (Lena) Wang conducts research that focuses on understanding and developing individuals' personality, fostering employee proactive behaviours, and promoting diversity and inclusion in organisations. Coming from a practitioner background, Lena works extensively with government and industry partners in a wide range of applied research projects in such areas as workforce / leadership development, diversity and inclusion, and impact evaluations.   You find out more about Lena's work on the value of lived experience from the following sources: The Personnel Review article she led, Employing people who have "been there, experienced that" to inform innovative HRM responses to workforce mental health issues: Practice insights from industry; The International Journal of HRM research study she led, Developing inclusive and healthy organizations by employing designated lived experience roles: Learning from human resource management innovations in the mental health sector; and The Australian National Mental Health Commission's National Lived Experience (Peer) Workforce Development Guidelines, to which she contributed.   Mind on the Job is created, presented, and produced by organisational psychologist Dr Ben Searle.  The music is Cypher by Kevin Macleod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This episode looks at compassion, its importance in the workplace, and how we can make workplaces more compassionate. My guest is Dr Robert Styles, Director of Bespoke Programs at ProSocial World. Robert initially trained in music then went on to become an academic doing applied research in the field of contextual behavioural science through the Australian National University. This stream of activity continues with ProSocial World, an organisation dedicated to using science to help groups become more cooperative, adaptable, and resilient. As Director of Bespoke Programs, Robert and his team facilitate initiatives designed to enhance the well-being of communities, organisations, and governments around the world. You can find out more about ProSocial world's courses from their website, where you can also get a copy of Robert's book Conscious Cultural Evolution: A Prosocial Approach to Collective Action. Robert mentions Professor Elinor Ostram's design principles for sustainable institutions; you can read about these in her book, Governing the Commons. Mind on the Job is created, presented, and produced by organisational psychologist Dr Ben Searle.  The music is Cypher by Kevin Macleod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This episode discusses the positive sides of work and working. My guest is Dr Kathryn (Kat) Page, an organisational psychologist, leadership partner at ByMany, and author of the newly released book Good Work: Transforming Your Work from the Inside Out. Kat works with leaders and organisations to design work that supports mental health, wellbeing, and sustainable performance. Her work bridges psychology, public health, and organisational practice, helping shift the focus from fixing people to fixing work. You can buy a copy of "Good Work" from your local bookstore or online retailers.  Mind on the Job is created, presented, and produced by organisational psychologist Dr Ben Searle. The music is Cypher by Kevin Macleod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This episode features a thoughtful discussion about technology, the meaning of work, and the questionable goal of "efficiency". My guest is Anya Johnson, Professor of Organisational Behaviour and interim Head of the School of Work and Organisational Studies at the University of Sydney Business School. Anya investigates how employees regulate their emotions in the workplace, and the relationship between the design of work and teams and well-being, mental health and performance. Check out the article about technology and work that we mention in the interview: Johnson, A. et al. (2020). A review and agenda for examining how technology-driven changes at work will impact workplace mental health and employee well-being. Australian Journal of Management, 45(3), 402-424. Also check out this special issue of the Australian Journal of Management about Managing with Compassion guest edited by Professor Anya Johnson and recent podcast guest Professor Helena Nguyen (and others). Mind on the Job is created, presented, and produced by Dr Ben Searle. The music is Cypher by Kevin Macleod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this episode, we discuss fly-in fly-out (FIFO) work arrangements, focusing on the inherent psychosocial hazards and how they can be managed.  This episode's guest is Sandra Lam, an AHPRA endorsed Organisational Psychologist and Managing Director of FIFO Focus and PerMentis. With over two decades of experience across Australia and overseas, she specialises in psychosocial risk, organisational wellbeing, and building healthy workplaces. Sandra works across mining, government, justice, defence, and international sectors. She helps organisations integrate psychosocial risk management into everyday practice and supports people to thrive at work. Mind on the Job is created, presented, and produced by Dr Ben Searle. Check out my website MindOnTheJob.com for more resources.  The music is Cypher by Kevin Macleod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ If you enjoyed the episode, please rate & review the show on your podcast player!

In this episode, we discuss some of the psychosocial hazards and other challenges affecting teachers and principals in Australian schools, along with what can be done to address them.  My guest is Melinda Phillips, an organisational psychologist, researcher, and teacher who is committed to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of principals, school leaders, and school staff. Melinda has supported schools in a range of roles in the last twenty years including as a teaching educator, consultant, and now organisational psychologist. Her recently published research explored the secondary traumatic stress experiences of school staff following student suicidal behaviour. She is currently completing a PhD exploring the social contexts of work that buffer or boost staff wellbeing in trauma aware schools. More information about Melinda's work can be found via her consultancy, Compassionate Schools. You can also check out her 2025 research paper,  Phillips, M., & Anderson, D. L. (2025). Protective factors for secondary traumatic stress of school staff following student suicide or suicidal behaviour. Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools, 35(3), 266-277.   Mind on the Job is created, presented, and produced by Dr Ben Searle. Check out my website MindOnTheJob.com for more resources.  The music is Cypher by Kevin Macleod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ If you enjoyed the episode, please rate & review the show on your podcast player!

This episode draws on Self-Determination Theory to discuss basic psychological needs and how they affect motivation, performance, and wellbeing in the workplace. It may help if you first listen to our mini-episode about Self-Determination Theory (2.9) -- or watch the video. This episode's guest is Professor Marylène Gagné, a John Curtin Distinguished Professor at the Future of Work Institute in the Faculty of Business and Law. The Institute promotes productive and meaningful work as essential foundations of a healthy economy and society. Marylène's research examines how organisations, through their structures, cultures, rewards, tasks, and management, affect people's motivational orientations towards their work, including volunteer work, and how quality of motivation influences performance and well-being in the workplace. She is a Fellow of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology and of the Academy of Social Sciences Australia, and is associate editor for the Academy of Management Annals, Motivation Science, and Motivation and Emotion. She is also a member of the Australian Research Council's College of Experts.  Mind on the Job is created, presented & produced by Dr Ben Searle. Check out our website MindOnTheJob.com for more resources.  Music is Cypher by Kevin Macleod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ If you enjoyed the episode, it would help me if you rate & review the show on your podcast player!

This mini-episode introduces listeners to Self-Determination Theory, a metatheory of motivational concepts connected by the psychological value of autonomy and other basic psychological needs. Basic psychological needs and autonomous motivation are central to my upcoming interview with Professor Marylène Gagné. This season's mini-episodes are also available in video format -- look for Mind on the Job on YouTube or check out my videos on MindOnTheJob.com. Mind on the Job is created, presented & produced by Dr Ben Searle. Music is Cypher by Kevin Macleod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ If you enjoyed the episode, it would help me if you rate & review the show on your podcast player!

This episode is about workplace emotional labour and ways to manage it. It may help if you first listen to our mini-episode about emotional labour -- or watch the video of that minisode. This episode's guest is Professor Helena Nguyen from the University of Sydney Business School Work and Organisational Studies unit, where she is co-director of the Body, Heart and Mind in Business research group. Mind on the Job is created, presented & produced by Dr Ben Searle. Check out our website MindOnTheJob.com for more resources.  Music is Cypher by Kevin Macleod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ If you enjoyed the episode, it would help me if you rate & review the show on your podcast player!

This mini-episode introduces listeners to the concept of emotional labour (or emotional labor, depending on your region), specifically the way many of us need to suppress and/or display certain emotions to align with workplace expectations of emotional behaviour. Emotional labour is central to my upcoming interview with Professor Helena Nguyen. This season's mini-episodes are also available in video format -- look for Mind on the Job on YouTube or check out my videos on MindOnTheJob.com. Mind on the Job is created, presented & produced by Dr Ben Searle. Music is Cypher by Kevin Macleod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ If you enjoyed the episode, it would help me if you rate & review the show on your podcast player!