The Office Reset: Recent Episodes
Ayesha Salim
A podcast about the future office, post covid-19. Hosted by Ayesha Salim.
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ChatGPT, Bing, and Bard are playing good chatbot assistants right now. But how should we be thinking about the ramifications of this technology? I chat with Pengcheng Shi, professor and director at Rochester Institute of Technology. We cover university policy, universal basic income, job impacts, quantum computing, and other topics.
In the second episode of a two-part series, I chat with space lawyer Jonathan Lim and research director AJ Link about protecting human rights in space and that famous Skylab 4 strike.
There’s been a LOT of excitement around Mars recently. And I mean the planet Mars, not the Mars bar company (although that’s pretty exciting too). The first three flights of the Mars helicopter Ingenuity has gone so well that it has officially been given permission to help its buddy, the Perseverance Rover to hunt for signs of life.
Meanwhile, SpaceX founder Elon Musk reckons he will get humans to Mars by as early as 2026, even if a bunch of people die in the process. Musk has also hinted how he might govern Mars once he’s established a city by 2050. In the terms of service agreement for beta users of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, the following provision has been added:
For Services provided on Mars, or in transit to Mars via Starship or other colonization spacecraft, the parties recognize Mars as a free planet and that no Earth-based government has authority or sovereignty over Martian activities. Accordingly, Disputes will be settled through self-governing principles, established in good faith, at the time of Martian settlement.
Whether this clause is even valid is up for debate, but it certainly highlights SpaceX’s ambitions for the martian planet. SpaceX also won NASA’s $2.9 billion contract to develop a spacecraft to land astronauts on the moon, beating Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin aerospace company.
Basically stuff is happening, and it’s happening fast.
Which means that pretty soon, companies might start thinking about sending workers to space. And this is where space lawyer Michelle L.D. Hanlon comes in on this episode.
If humans do ever make it to the red planet, what laws will be needed to protect their human rights? How will companies deal with communication issues? And if Elon Musk makes it to Mars first — how might he govern it?
Michelle on the quandary of being fired:
You will need to negotiate what it means to be relieved of duty. And what the responsibility of the company is to you, once you have been relieved of duty. Certainly, if you have been having problems with an employee, you don’t want to fire them if you can’t get them off the planet for 2 years because that’s not really going to be good for morale. There’s going to have to be some sort of understanding that if the employee is not performing - maybe their duties are reduced for the benefit of the team. But you really can’t afford to send somebody to Mars and let them just be idle.
Michelle on sharing expertise between communities:
The different communities ought to have some sort of agreement with each other to swap employees. Why should you have 3 different dieticians? Why wouldn’t you just have one that everyone can share? That would be an incredible savings opportunity.
Recommended reads
Skylab: The myth of the mutiny in space
In space, no one will hear Bezos and Musk’s workers’ call for basic rights
NASA Mars Explorers Wanted recruitment posters
You can find more podcast episodes on Apple podcasts, Spotify, and other platforms. If you would like to facilitate a discussion or even send some feedback, you can email me at: theofficereset@gmail.com
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In this episode, I chat with space lawyer Michelle L.D. Hanlon, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Space Law and president of the National Space Society about what laws that will govern humans on Mars and what it will take for humans to work successfully in space. We also wonder — how will Elon Musk govern Mars if he reaches it first?
Screenshots, keypad tracking, automated warnings...workplace surveillance is rising in popularity. But what does this mean for employee wellbeing and is there a middle ground? My guests are Lewis Maltby, president and founder of the National Workrights Institute and David Tomczak, I-O psychology doctoral candidate at The George Washington University.
Remote working has mostly been blamed for stifling creativity. But the pandemic has created other stressors, which can lead to negative behaviours. In this episode we examine malevolent creativity. My guest is Roni-Reiter Palmon, professor of industrial/organisational psychology at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
In part 1 of this series, we discussed how avatars could increase presence in the office. This concluding part discusses how avatars could boost creativity, productivity and push other company goals too - depending on how avatars are represented. My guest is Professor Rabindra (Robby) Ratan, associate professor and AT&T Scholar at Michigan State University’s Department of Media and Information.
Working from home has made us more reliant on technology than ever. From feeling the 'zoom fatigue' to managing our multiple identities on social media platforms - it's become even harder to switch off. Can avatars step in and help? In this episode we explore avatars representing us in meetings, learning our personalities, and travelling with us on social media. My guests are Mahesh Ramasubramanian, co-founder and CEO at Loom.ai and James Andrews, head of product & founding team at Genies + partner, Humans.
Remote work has been beneficial for many employees, allowing greater flexibility and no morning rush hour commute. But what if you are still at the beginning of your career?
Rowena Hennigan, a remote work expert, says it is totally possible for young professionals to advance their career through remote working. In this episode, she explains the importance of self-awareness and starting early.
Since Covid-19, we've been mostly left to our own devices in calculating the risks of everyday life. But some of these decisions have led to public outcry and shaming.
In this episode we examine how good we are at assessing risk. My guest is Tess Wilkinson-Ryan, professor of law and psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.
Deb Perelman's New York Times piece, In the Covid-19 Economy, You Can Have a Kid or a Job. You Can’t Have Both. struck a chord with parents everywhere. She wrote: "Every single person confesses burnout, despair, feeling like they are losing their minds, knowing in their guts that this is untenable."
In this episode, I catch up with my childhood friend, Sheila Joy, about the challenges she's faced parenting her 7-year old son Micah during lockdown. From juggling three different jobs - mother, teacher and employee - to Micah gatecrashing her meetings, Sheila shares how she's coped. She also talks about her joy of discovering an aspect of Micah's personality and what she misses most about being in the office.
Please send any feedback here: theofficereset@gmail.com
The lockdown has affected each of us differently - depending on which stage of our lives we are in. With businesses trying to survive and jobs on the line; maintaining our mental health seems more important than ever. But how can managers effectively lead, while juggling all this?
In the first part of the show, I speak with Dr Jo Yarker, organisational psychologist and director of Affinity Health at Work, about the importance of managing the individual within the team and why maintaining good habits is essential in order to lead.
In the second part, Lee Chambers, environmental psychologist, wellbeing trainer and founder of Essentialise, talks about his own redundancy experience in the 2008 economic crash, how he bounced back after losing his ability to walk, and how he is advising his clients on supporting furloughed and non-furloughed employees. With discussions unfolding about returning to the office, Lee says proactive communication by employers will be key.
Before the pandemic, being physically present in the office was seen as a huge advantage in the workplace. Now, technology has been filling in for those crucial face times - but will it end up reducing our presence in the long-term?
My guest Drew Austin, writer and technologist in New York, has a background in technology and urban planning and often explores the intersection of physical and digital spaces in his Kneeling Bus newsletter.
In this episode, we discuss what some of these technological limitations might mean for our future interactions in the workplace, how technology might impact our future office status, who is likely to thrive remotely, and the potential shift in power dynamic between employers and employees. I would love to have your feedback!
Please write to: theofficereset@gmail.com
Covid-19 has reset the workplace. This podcast explores the trends accelerated by the pandemic — and what it all means. Hosted by Ayesha Salim.