WhyWork Podcast

Season 09 Episode 04: The Moral Compass of the Law “The idea of a moral compass of the law assumes that we care about caring,” Sara provokes. “We cannot escape the moral compass of the law,” Trajce warns. Alan agrees, “Good laws reflect good moral judgment.” The podcasters explore contemporary, newsworthy topics related to moral injury. Sara describes moral injury, an occupational psychosocial hazard, as a cross-cutting hazard – one that crosscuts acute and cumulative exposure pathways. Listen to more on this to understand ethical challenges to one’s sense of integrity. The WhyWork Podcast crew, Alan, Trajce, and Sara explore hot topics: The Epstein files, P. Diddy and his workforce, and Covid healthcare reflections. “This is about you, not with you,” Alan remarks while laughing about Trajce’s wild band party days, He continues to jibe Trajce until Trajce admits that there may be a few stories of yesteryear to unpack. For more on psychosocial risk management, refer to PRAiSETM (Psychosocial Risk Assessment and Integrated Solutions for Employers) – Certified Assessor and Manager programs – and PRA, the new task-based Psychosocial Risk Analyser feature within the ErgoAnalyst software platform. These tools are helping teams visualise, quantify, qualify, and respond to both contextualised physical and psychosocial risks, merging technical rigour with empathy-driven co-design.

Season 09 Episode 03: "Top o' the morning to ya!" The WhyWork Podcast team marvel at a case when a seemingly simple salutation triggers a workplace dismissal. “Was it fair?’ Trajce begs the question. Alan asks about material misconduct and whether a belief related to the cause of an offence is reasonable justification for dismissal. This is a provocative episode, prompting deep thought on when play becomes concerning, and justifiable misconduct. Alan and Sara revel in the debate on sentiment, intention, and the impacts at work when you but your foot in your mouth. “Yes, like what about when you describe less-than-cute babies and you realise that was your workmate’s infant?” asks Sara, determining that some babies must ‘grow into’ their cuteness. Trajce is concerned about offenses escalating to termination too quickly. Sara rebuffs these ideas by suggesting that if you ringfence the frivolity around interpersonal relations in an extreme manner, you lose humour and bonding opportunities, yet agrees that personal offences are in the eye of the beholder. For more on this topic, refer to S08 E10: Darth Vader and the Handshake of Death

Season 09 Episode 02: Spyware - Yah, baby! It’s all the rage The team debate a question in workplace dismissals: “Was the sacking harsh, unjust, or unreasonable?” Alan presents the new way of working as an inspector – using body-worn cameras in investigations. He argues, “If you are capturing someone’s personal information, a video of them, a voice recording, and their interactions, the person should receive a copy of what has been captured.” Trajce and Sara weigh in on the debate, with workplace trends rampant in the use of spyware software, tracking keystrokes, and meeting attendance. Sara reminds the team of provisions to constrain ‘unnecessary surveillance’ in psychosocial risk management mandates. Alan explains, “it’s so much easier if you have stated the scope of surveillance in a policy.” In another story, Trajce is humoured by the idea that spending up to an hour a day to online shop for personal items at work is permissible in some jurisdictions, yet workers yearn for a right to disconnect from work on their home time. For more on Psychosocial Risk Management, check out: PRAiSE (Psychosocial Risk Assessment and Integrated Solutions for Employers) – Certified Assessor and Manager programs - and PRA, the new task-based Psychosocial Risk Analyser feature within the ErgoAnalyst software platform. These tools are helping teams visualise, quantify, qualify, and respond to both contextualised physical and psychosocial workplace risks, merging technical rigour with empathy-driven co-design.

S09 E01 of the WhyWork Podcast begins with sensational media gossip that leads the team, Alan, Sara, and Trajce (aka “Ziggy,” the pop music master), down a pathway of discussion on the bounds of workplace dismissal. Yes, the Coldplay incident. Trajce asks about reasonable workplace treatment when the scope of query encroaches upon one’s personal life. They discuss what happens when a worker is caught “pashing off” with someone unexpected and the taboos around workplace relationships. Trajce uses another example - when an employee refuses to take an alcohol breath test to demonstrate fitness for work. The podcasters embrace discussion on psychosocial risk management and codes of practice, standards, and guidance material which is just dripping into feeling states. Trajce is concerned about work relations that confuse judgments. Alan defends against Trajce’s contest and debate on attitudinal versus behavioural breaches, while Sara explores ideas on leveraging company policy to institute ego assertions from people in power. “I do what I wanna do,” she raps, an excerpt of a song she has in mind during these times. For more on Psychosocial Risk Management, check out: PRAiSE (Psychosocial Risk Assessment and Integrated Solutions for Employers) – Certified Assessor and Manager programs - and PRA, the new task-based Psychosocial Risk Analyser feature within the ErgoAnalyst software platform. These tools are helping teams visualise, quantify, qualify, and respond to both contextualised physical and psychosocial workplace risks, merging technical rigour with empathy-driven co-design.

S09 Trailer 06: Refugees Trajce advance's a refugees claim of years of bullying, micromanagment, and discrimination. The team, Alan, Trajce, and Sara, wrangle with the 'ColdPlay'd-gate' escapades and the symbolic implications of workplace power relations. Tune in to the release of Season 09 for a focus on workplace terminations for all manner of challenging reasons - coming soon!

S09 Trailer 05: Autopilot mode "How many times have you done something silly but you've been in autopilot mode?" reflects Sara when considering human factors and relatable fallabilities. Humans also innovate and improve work systems. Season 09 is coming soon, talking about more whacky case law, relatable faux-pas, and dissection of human behaviour. Stay tuned for more coming your way.

S09 Trailer 04: PRAiSE - Psychosocial Risk Assessment and Integrated Solutions for Employers. The team reflect on "The best psychosocial instrument on the planet," as Trajce aludes, while Alan struggles with prosecutions of employees in Work Health Safety Legislation.

S09 Trailer 03: Nothing but dismissals - can't we all just get along? Season 09 takes listeners down a workplace dismissal path. Alan, Trajce, and Sara explore workplace conflicts and government prosecutions in work health and safety law. Alan struggles... listen in for more on this with Season 09 releases - coming soon!

S09 Trailer 02: Bring it on - The kaleidoscope of workplace mishaps. Get ready for more humour and confronting tales - Season 09, coming soon.

S09 Trailer 01: Back in black - we're back... soon! Back in black - we're coming back soon for Season 09. Great ready for more quips about contemporary events and controversial stories, laced with insights from diverse perspectives. We explore business strategy, work design, human factors, and work health safety case law. The more things change, the more things stay the same...!

S09 Trailer 06: Trajce advance's a refugees claim of years of bullying, micromanagment, and discrimination. The team, Alan, Trajce, and Sara, wrangle with the 'ColdPlay'd-gate' escapades and the symbolic implications of workplace power relations. Tune in to the release of Season 09 for a focus on workplace terminations for all manner of challenging reasons - coming soon!

S09 Trailer 05: Autopilot mode "How many times have you done something silly but you've been in autopilot mode?" reflects Sara when considering human factors and relatable fallabilities. Humans also innovate and improve work systems. Season 09 is coming soon, talking about more whacky case law, relatable faux-pas, and dissection of human behaviour. Stay tuned for more coming your way.

S09 Trailer 04: PRAiSE - Psychosocial Risk Assessment and Integrated Solutions for Employers. The team reflect on "The best psychosocial instrument on the planet," as Trajce aludes, while Alan struggles with prosecutions of employees in Work Health Safety Legislation.

S09 Trailer 03: Nothing but dismissals - can't we all just get along? Season 09 takes listeners down a workplace dismissal path. Alan, Trajce, and Sara explore workplace conflicts and government prosecutions in work health and safety law. Alan struggles... listen in for more on this with Season 09 releases - coming soon!

S09 Trailer 02: Bring it on - the kaleidoscope of workplace mishaps. Get ready for more humour and confronting tales - Season 09, coming soon.

Back in black - we're coming back soon for Season 09. Great ready for more quips about contemporary events and controversial stories, laced with insights from diverse perspectives. We explore business strategy, work design, human factors, and work health safety case law. The more things change, the more things stay the same...

Season 08 Episode 13: Re-release Episode: Kozorov and the Need for Purpose WARNING: This episode refers to traumas involving children - we advise listener discretion. We re-release S01 E13 in the wake of growing concerns about psychosocial risk management in the workplace. This case is about vicarious trauma - the long-term psychological distress that can arise among workers arising from secondary exposures to traumatic events. In this case, it s about a lawyer who encounters real-world accounts of horrific circumstances - such as suicide and child pornography. Exposure to secondary trauma is a reality of work for many people, including those who must analyse the complex nature of these events and grapple with treatment of perpetrators and victims. Secondary trauma can affect professionals like first responders and healthcare workers. This case explores the impact of this vicarious trauma. For some, the exposures threaten quality of life and cause deep distress, even leading to suicide. For more on Psychosocial Risk Management, check out: PRAiSE (Psychosocial Risk Assessment and Integrated Solutions for Employers) – Certified Assessor and Manager programs - and PRA, the new task-based Psychosocial Risk Analyser feature within the ErgoAnalyst software platform. These tools are helping teams visualise, quantify, qualify, and respond to both contextualised physical and psychosocial workplace risks, merging technical rigour with empathy-driven co-design.

Season 08 Episode 12: Jumping Castles Part Two WARNING: This episode includes discussion about fatal events impacting children and families – we advise listener discretion. The WhyWork Podcast Team, Alan, Trajce, and Sara, discuss the complexities of a prosecutorial strategy when fatal events happen at a school: children who die as a result of a windstorm and out-of-control, airborne jumping castle. Those involved in the work design include a jumping castle supplier; the workplace host, a school; and an overseas manufacturer. Alan shares his grief in retelling this tale and pays his respect to the families and all involved. Trajce delves into the legal concerns, “There are concurrent, non-delegable duties,” he says, “with distinct but interconnected duties and responsibilities from the design, manufacturer, supplier, and distributor.” Sara adds a human factors perspective on the integration of technology and plant in work system – the readiness levels for technology, commercialisation, humans, and organisations. She recognises the commercial realities opposing the principles of prosecution. Alan laments the challenges of recognising recreational events as serious workplace with plant and work systems that must be management well to support health and safety. Listen to Season 04 Episode 11: The Things we Do For Fun, for more on this story.

Season 08 Episode 11: WARNING: This episode addresses cultural sensitivity issues in the workplace – we advise listener discretion. Trajce challenges his podcast team, Alan, and Sara, with a claim about cultural sensitivities. He shares a tale of a street sweeper’s unfair dismissal by a local government city council after he raised his concerns about the Acknowledgement of Country before a toolbox session. To add probative value to this dismissal, Trajce explains, the employer complained about his failure to attend cultural sensitivity training. “The problem?” Trajce asks, “the employee was on leave – the employer failed to check this. It looked like they were stacking their deck.” Alan is aghast, sharing his experiences and uncovering instances when white people used racisms laws against Indigenous people. Sara laments colonised approaches to both regulating cultural sensitivity and framing awards for cultural achievements. The WhyWork Team reflect on the challenges of returning to work once you have won an unfair dismissal claim, given the confrontations linked to resocialisation. The defendant may be hypervigilant, wondering about who has been gossiping, or who still blames them even when the management approach was ill-considered and unjust to them.

Season 08 Episode 10: Darth Vader and the handshake of death Alan, Trajce, and Sara start this episode in discussion about the social etiquette of handshakes. Alan advocates for the politeness of the handshake in business negotiations, and Trajce explains his handshake aversions, and the origins of a handshake. In this reverie, Trajce reflects on his support band, warming up big names in the 1980’s, like The Village People and Kim Wilde. Sara shares details bout her fun night out listening to Tyne James Organ and Jacob Fitzgerald & the Electric City live at a local venue. On the serious side, Trajce tells a sensation story about a claimant and her award from the Employment Tribunal in the UK, National Health Service. The claimant was awarded money to recover financial loss and punitive costs because of injury, especially to cover her upset feelings, resulting in her mental health disorders. Her grievances included her allegations of the management’s poor grievance processes a lack of support through tailored training or engagement, and she was given little control and agency over her work. Sara interprets the concerns in context to psychosocial risk factors. “The kicker,” explains Trajce, and much to Alan’s surprise, “is the concern about her colleague labelling her ‘Darth Vader’ in a workplace personality typography test.” For more on Psychosocial Risk Management, check out: PRAiSE (Psychosocial Risk Assessment and Integrated Solutions for Employers) – Certified Assessor and Manager programs - and PRA, the new task-based Psychosocial Risk Analyser feature within the ErgoAnalyst software platform. These tools are helping teams visualise, quantify, qualify, and respond to both contextualised physical and psychosocial workplace risks, merging technical rigour with empathy-driven co-design.