The Workplace Wellbeing Podcast: Recent Episodes
Ian Hogg
The Workplace Wellbeing podcast discusses all aspects of employee wellbeing, whether that is financial, mental health or just making work fun. Workplace Wellbeing is often cited as the number 1 growth area in HR and management and it is attracting growing interest from employers and entrepreneurs alike. Many of them are social entrepreneurs but some of them are riding the wave in an attempt to take advantage of the increasing interest in this area; we aim to help you navigate the world of Workplace wellbeing. We interview our strategic partners and customers who are active in wellbeing and explore how technology and a good strategy can help. We look at best practice in companies that care about their people and talk to charities that are focussed on improving the lives of people at work. We pay particular attention to the growing number of suppliers in the “wellbeing space”. We aim to speak to as many as possible and discuss the different approaches that they take and the problems they are trying to solve. We hope to give our listeners a full understanding of what it takes to ensure your colleagues are well looked after and hopefully introduce you to some of the innovators within the sector.
Meeting your staffing requirements in difficult times. Recruitment and retention of shift and hourly paid employees in the UK and Ireland.
This summer, we stopped our regular recordings and produced two compilation episodes from the 50-plus episodes we had recorded. We called these the “Work Place Wellbeing Podcast” done as a book.
However, despite hanging up our microphones, we have decided to put on a special episode to talk about a survey we have done with our customers and a white paper we have published to discuss the findings. The white paper is called “Meeting your staffing requirements in difficult times. Recruitment and retention of shift and hourly paid employees in the UK and Ireland.”
In this podcast Ian and Jake discuss:
- The results of the Work tech group survey
- How bad is the situation in the UK and Ireland?
- How WorkTech Group customers are dealing with the issue.
- How Workforce managers are adjusting to a world of staff shortages
- How Rota management software can help with your staffing challenges
- Why our customers are using AI powered Labour demand forecasting to match staffing levels to customer demand
White Paper: you can access a copy for free without having to leave any contact details by clicking here.
The Workplace Wellbeing Podcast is supported by the WorkTech Group, which supplies cloud based tools for the modern workforce manager. The Group owns, ShopWorks, a cloud based Employee Scheduling Software and Labour Management Software provider.fastP.A.Y.E is an Advance Salary App and On Demand Pay solution. SolvedBy.Ai provides AI powered Labour Demand Forecasting solutions and Employee Retention Software.
It’s a mark of how far we have come in the wellbeing space that the fear of losing one’s life or a limb doesn’t concern the majority of us at work and that when you ask modern managers about wellbeing in the Workplace, their thoughts often start with mental health issues.
So in this chapter, we aren’t going to discuss health and safety because, thankfully, it is well covered elsewhere, and workplaces are safer than ever. So instead, we cover some other areas of physical wellbeing that our guests have discussed.
This chapter includes clips from the following podcasts:
- Danny Clarke, Chartered Member of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health and Founder of Simply People | An overview of Occupational Health and how it fits with wellbeing in the Workplace
- Ashley Cope, Head of People Partners, EMEA at We Work | How We Work, priorities employee wellbeing
- Kevin McAlister, Founder of Lift Your Wellbeing | The role of exercise in workplace wellbeing
The Workplace Wellbeing Podcast is supported by The Worktech Group, which owns, ShopWorks, FastPAYE and Solvedby.ai
This is an area where the responsibility of the employer can be debated. However, the impact is huge. We have discussed the impact on productivity at work and the impact on the individuals concerned. A lot of effort is going into the subject, and it is an area that we believe pays huge dividends for employers that support their staff.
This chapter includes clips from the following podcasts:
- Darren Laverty of Foster Denovo | “Make their money count”
- Ben Smith, Head of Product, fastP.A.Y.E and Jake Bates, Workplace Wellbeing Specialist, fastP.A.Y.E | The On-Demand Pay space and how the sector is evolving to improve its approach to wellbeing
- Manuel Peleteiro, Founder & CEO of Inbest | How Inbest can open the benefits landscape to thousand of employees
You might also be interested in these podcasts:
- Ian Hogg, Chairman, fastP.A.Y.E | How open banking and the NHS are about to revolutionise financial wellbeing
- Nicola Anderson, CEO of Fintech Scotland | How Fintech’s can improve the lot of employee’s financial well-being
- Laura Conning, Founder, Citygate Mortgages | Business models that have a profit motive but invest a large amount of their time in doing social good, especially in the area of employee wellbeing
The Workplace Wellbeing Podcast is supported by The Worktech Group, which owns, SHopWorks, FastPAYE and Solvedby.ai
This is a subject which has become increasingly recognized as an area of employer responsibility. This is a problem that was often swept under the carpet in the past but is now benefiting from a much more open debate as in recent years the full scale of the problem has become clear. Throughout the podcast series, we have discussed the different types of mental health issues, the impact of work on people’s health plus a range of potential solutions.
This chapter includes clips from the following podcasts:
- Perrine Farque, Keynote Speaker, Author and Founder of Inspired Human | Inclusion and Psychological safety
- Faisal Shaikh, Founder and CEO of Babble | The problem of loneliness at work and how to address it
- Dr Marcus Fila, Professor of Management, Hope College, Michigan | Stress in the workplace and what to do about it
You might also be interested in these podcasts:
- Gemma Perkins, Personal transformation facilitator | Positive Psychology, what is it and how can it help wellbeing in the workplace?
- Kelly Mackin, Co- founder, Motives Met | What makes a work-life well lived?
- Dr Serra Pitts, Clinical Director of 87% | How technology can help improve employee mental wellbeing
- Rob Stephenson, CEO & Founder, InsideOut LeaderBoard | Diary of a mental health campaigner
- Stuart Mace, Ambassador, The Circle Line | The role of therapy in a wellbeing strategy
- Anastasia Callaghan, Founder, Sunday Sanctuary | Sunday evening anxiety and how to get rid of it
Just like leadership, communications has probably been one of the top 3 business book subjects of all time so we weren’t surprised that it came up regularly with our guests.. No clear trend emerged on the subject throughout our 2 series, other than clear communications and listening to your team help wellbeing.
This chapter includes clips from the following podcasts:
- Paul Hills, Founder and CEO of Konektis.org | Bringing the body language back to video meetings (for Youtube version click here)
- Andrea Newton, Founder of Confident Conversations | The Art of Conversation
- Andy Long, Owner, Impact 2 Performance Coaching | How High Impact teams and coaching can help employee wellbeing
You might also be interested in these podcasts:
- Sarah Hosein, Leadership Coach | Ensuring all voices are heard to help improve wellbeing
- Dr Bob Nelson, President of Nelson Motivation & Mario Tamayo, Principal at Tamayo Group inc. | How to make work fun
- Hannes Bend and Hoda Mahmoodzadegan, Founders of Breathing.AI | How to end that Zoomed out feeling
- Sara Sabin, Entrepreneur and Transformational Coach | The Great resignation and how to avoid it
- Caterina Kostoula, Founder, The Leaderpath | The impact of bad meetings on wellbeing at work
Chapter 6: Roles and Responsibility.We were constantly surprised by the link between what you could call standard business practice and wellbeing. This is covered in this chapter which looks at how you select your team, the roles you give them, their responsibilities and other working practices.
Tools such as an organization chart and a job description which must be part of management 101 really can have an effect on wellbeing if done properly and this came up time and again.
This chapter includes clips from the following podcasts:
- Carolyn Illman, Hiring Coach and Owner, Hire Possibilities | How a great hiring process improves wellbeing at work.
- Dr Nicole Tschierske, Coach/ Mentor for Women in Science, Tech and Engineering | Improving the working day so that it is less energy-draining and more energy-giving
- Dr Benjamin Ritter, Founder of Live for Yourself Consulting | Putting a square peg in a square hole – job crafting and wellbeing
- Louise Deverell Smith, Founder of Daisy Chain | Flexible working and its impact on wellbeing
You might also be interested in these podcasts:
- André Delafontaine, Founder of the Genius Life Academy | Maximizing time spent in your 'Genius Zone
- Dr Marcus Fila, Professor of Management, Hope College, Michigan | Stress in the workplace and what to do about it
- Simon Hedaux, Co-Founder, ReThink Productivity | Impact of productivity on wellbeing and how approaching productivity in the wrong way can negatively impact wellbeing
- Terry McDougall, Author, Executive and Career Coach| Career Happiness and Success on Your Own Terms
“The Workplace Wellbeing Podcast is supported by The Worktech Group, which owns, SHopWorks, FastPAYE and Solvedby.ai”
Chapter 5: Management System and Process. If you really want to make a success of your strategy, some sort of management system to define and measure success and encourage continuous improvement is a good idea.
This chapter discusses ISO 45003 which is the first global management standard covering psychological health and safety in the workplace and some simpler alternatives.
This chapter includes clips from the following podcasts:
- Sheila Lord, Founder and Director, BMR Health and Wellbeing | Using systematic mental health programs to deliver measurable results
- Dr Bob Nelson, President of Nelson Motivation & Mario Tamayo, Principal at Tamayo Group inc. | How to make work fun
“The Workplace Wellbeing Podcast is supported by The Worktech Group, which owns, SHopWorks, FastPAYE and Solvedby.ai”
Why have a wellbeing strategy – employer Responsibility and return on investment. It was pretty easy to establish that physical wellbeing is covered by health and safety regulations in most countries around the world. But what about more personal issues such as financial wellbeing, personal fitness and mental wellbeing. What is the responsibility of an employer in these areas?
It probably won’t surprise you to hear, but our guests had a strong view that employers did have a responsibility to act – especially in mental health issues because work is contributing to a lot of the issues that cause mental illness. They also believed that even where the responsibility was not with the employer, helping colleagues solve their financial or mental health issues had a clear return on investment for employers as well as being morally the right thing to do.
This chapter includes clips from the following podcasts:
- Sue Jauncey, Founder, Appellon | The next-generation workforce, how to increase wellbeing whilst at the same time achieving a company’s goals
- Sheila Lord, Founder and Director, BMR Health and Wellbeing | Using systematic mental health programs to deliver measurable results
- Dr Bob Nelson, President of Nelson Motivation & Mario Tamayo, Principal at Tamayo Group inc. | How to make work fun
Listen to the full book now
The Workplace Wellbeing Podcast is supported by The Worktech Group, which owns, ShopWorks, FastPAYE and Solvedby.ai
Chapter 3: Discovery and establishing a wellbeing strategy. Two themes emerged over the course of our podcast on strategy.
They were:
- Companies didn’t have a strategy. They had free fruit and yoga
- The need to do some investigation work during a discovery phase before you settle on a strategy.
Several of our guests discussed the steps needed to establish a strategy which always started with asking colleagues their point of view and finding out what the wellbeing issues were. Once you know what the issues were, coming up with strategies to improve them was relatively easy. This was called the discovery phase and often involved surveys and workshops.
This chapter includes clips from the following podcasts:
- Davina Ramkissoon, Health & Wellbeing Director at Zevo Health | Where should you start with a wellbeing strategy?
- Sue Jauncey, Founder, Appellon | The next-generation workforce, how to increase wellbeing whilst at the same time achieving a company’s goals
- Darren Laverty, Founding Partner, Foster Denovo | How we can make an impact on our colleagues and the pitfalls employers should be looking for
Listen to the full book now
The Workplace Wellbeing Podcast is supported by The Worktech Group, which owns, ShopWorks, FastPAYE and Solvedby.ai
Trust based leadership. leadership come close to the top of the key issues that impact wellbeing, and also that good leaders make for a happy work place and that un happy organsiations nearly always have poor leadership as one of the root causes. Within leadership a key theme emerged from our guests as they consistently identified trust as probably the element of leadership which has the biggest impact on wellbeing.
This chapter includes clips from the following podcasts:
- Sir Terry Leahy, Former CEO of Tesco Plc | The impact of company values on employee wellbeing
- Ben Brearley, Leadership Coach and Consultant, Thoughtful Leader | How believing in someone can improve their wellbeing
- Daniel Edds, Management Consultant & Author | How high-impact organizations approach the practice of leadership and the impact on wellbeing
Listen to the full book now
The Workplace Wellbeing Podcast is supported by The Worktech Group, which owns, ShopWorks, FastPAYE and Solvedby.ai
Breaking down the workplace wellbeing book into bite-sized chapters.
Chapter 1: Values and Purpose. A theme that came up time and again in our 50 podcasts was that well-run organisations are happier places to work. Several of our contributors talked about the impact of values and purpose on wellbeing
This chapter includes clips from the following podcasts:
- Sir Terry Leahy, Former CEO of Tesco Plc | The impact of company values on employee wellbeing
- James Bolle, Captain of PRPSFL | Why having a purpose is key to workplace wellbeing
You might also be interested in these podcasts:
- David Green, Author and Business Owner of Improveon | The Age of Wellbeing
- Lynn Yap, Author of The Altruistic Capitalist | Does altruistic capitalism improve wellbeing?
Part 2 contains chapters that cover the key areas of wellbeing such as mental and financial wellbeing but also lots of tips to support implementing a wellbeing strategy. Regular listeners will probably have picked up the structure we tried to apply to all of our episodes. We tried to outline a problem that impacted on wellbeing, discuss the evidence, discuss potential solutions and then find out how we could implement the solutions in our workplace. These tips and ideas form the backbone of part 2.
Part 2 is called “Tactics – implementing a wellbeing strategy”. It contains chapters that cover the key areas of wellbeing such as mental and financial wellbeing but also lots of tips to support implementing a wellbeing strategy.
Get the full breakdown for chapter 2 now
If you haven't, listen to the first chapter now 1
“The Workplace Wellbeing Podcast is supported by The Worktech Group, which owns, ShopWorks, FastPAYE and Solvedby.ai”
As the Workplace Wellbeing Podcast reached the 50th episode we were finding that we were starting to cover the same subjects over again and we also believe that we have now uncovered all of the key themes that will help you become a guru of wellbeing at work.
So we have decided that this contribution of ours to the knowledge base of Workplace wellbeing is coming to an end and we won’t be making any more episodes.
However, we wanted to do something to make the 50 episodes more accessible and usable and pull them together as a single resource. So here we are, The Workplace wellbeing book, although it's not a book, it’s a podcast.
We have arranged our book as two podcasts.
Part 1 is called “Strategy – setting up your organisation for wellbeing” and covers strategic issues that you should consider as part of your wellbeing strategy.
Part 2 is called “Tactics – implementing a wellbeing strategy”. It contains chapters that cover the key areas of wellbeing such as mental and financial wellbeing but also lots of tips to support implementing a wellbeing strategy.
Get the full breakdown for chapter 1 now
“The Workplace Wellbeing Podcast is supported by The Worktech Group, which owns, ShopWorks, FastPAYE and Solvedby.ai”
Ian is joined by Julie Winkle Giulioni author of “Promotions Are So Yesterday: Redefine Career Development. Help Employees Thrive.” This book follows on from the international bestseller “Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go: Career Conversations Organizations Need and Employees Want.” which Julie co-authored
Julie is an Inc. Magazine Top 100 Leadership Speaker, Julie is a regular columnist for Training Industry Magazine and SmartBrief, and contributes articles on leadership, career development, and workplace trends to numerous publications including The Economist.
She is also a champion for workplace growth and development and helps leaders optimize talent and potential within their organizations with consulting keynote speeches, and training.
In this episode of the Workplace wellbeing podcast, Ian and Julie discuss her new book, what the alternatives to promotion are and how taking a different route could be positive for wellbeing at work,
Julie and Ian Discuss:
- Both of Julie’s books
- Why are promotions so yesterday?
- The 7 alternatives to Promotion
- How to discuss promotion v the alternatives in your business
What’s Inspiring Julie?
The Whole Language: The Power of Extravagant Tenderness Gregory boyle
How to get in touch with Julie:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliewinklegiulioni/
https://www.juliewinklegiulioni.com
Promotions Are So Yesterday: Redefine Career Development. Help Employees Thrive
Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go: Career Conversations Organizations Need and Employees Want
The Workplace Wellbeing Podcast is supported by The Worktech Group, which owns, SHopWorks, FastPAYE and Solvedby.ai
Ian is joined by Terry McDougall Terry is the author of “Winning the Game of Work: Career Happiness and Success on Your Own Terms” As well as being a successful author, Terry is also an Executive and Career Coach. She works with high-achieving business owners and companies to help them increase the overlap between their professional success and personal happiness.
In this episode, as well as discussing Terry’s book Ian and terry also discusses her work with companies to help them improve their team performance and the impact this has on wellbeing
Terry and Ian discuss:
- Terry’s book
- The 5 voices assessment
- Tips for reducing conflict in teams
- The make up of great teams
What’s inspiring Terry:
The 100X Leader: How to Become Someone Worth Following - Steven Cockram and Jeremie Kubicek
How to get in touch with Terry:
www.terrybmcdougall.com
www.linkedin.com/in/terrybmcdougall
book: www.tinyurl.com/gameofworkbook
Free 5 voices assessment
The Workplace Wellbeing Podcast is supported by The Worktech Group, which owns, SHopWorks, FastPAYE and Solvedby.ai
Ian is joined by André Delafontaine, Founder of the Genius Life Academy.
Andre has developed a unique methodology to help companies and individuals engage and energize teams by maximizing time spent in what Andre describes as their 'Genius Zones'.
André is currently teaching the Genius Life methodology to various business schools in Switzerland. Through conferences for corporate companies, he coaches managers to find their Genius Life.
André believes his methodology improves an employee's productivity, satisfaction, and happiness at work.
So in this edition of the Workplace wellbeing podcast, I want to understand more about André's Genius Life methodology and the impact it can have in the workplace.
André and Ian Discuss:
- Our four levels of competency
- Gay Hendricks research and the Science behind the Genius Life Methodology
- How to take the theory and make it work in practice
- What is Ian's genius zone?
What is inspiring André
The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level - by Gay Hendricks
Sales Secrets: The World's Top Salespeople Share Their Secrets to Success by Brandon Bornancin
How to get in touch with André
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andredelafontaine/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/geniuslifeacademy/
The Workplace Wellbeing Podcast is supported by The Worktech Group, which owns, SHopWorks, FastPAYE and Solvedby.ai
Ian is joined by Lynn Yap the author of The Altruistic Capitalist. Lynn’s book is about leaders creating a positive impact and profit. In it she discusses leaders who increase employee engagement, increase brand value through innovative products, and create social impact by focusing on purpose. Lynn is also the founder of Actv8 network whose mission is to increase the participation of women in technology and entrepreneurship.
In this episode of the workplace wellbeing podcast, Ian discusses the ideas in Lynn’s book and in particular how businesses can justify an altruistic approach.
Lynn and Ian DIscuss:
- An overview of Lynn’s book
- Starting with Why
- Shareholder v Stakeholder capitalism
- employee wellbeing as the starting point for stakeholder capitalism
What’s inspiring Lynn
Thirst by Scott Harrison
How to get in touch with Lynn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynnlyyap/
https://actv8.network/
The Altruistic Capitalist: How to Lead for Purpose and Profit by Lynn Yap
The Workplace Wellbeing Podcast is supported by The Worktech Group, which owns, SHopWorks, FastPAYE and Solvedby.ai
**Ian is joined by Louise Deverell Smith, founder of Daisy Chain. Daisy Chain is an award-Winning recruitment platform that Connects Parents with Flexible Employers.
Louise describes it as a friendly way to search and connect with like-minded employers.**
This week in the UK work from home restrictions have ended as we hopefully see a return to some sort of normality and the government is keen to see commuters to return to city centres, this is likely to cause some debate between employers and their staff about working patterns.
So we think there couldn’t be a better time to have a discussion about all things to do with flexible work.
Louise and Ian discuss:
- What is flexible working
- How many employers are using it
- Ians approach to flex
- Why famous restaurant chain, The Ivy is offering flexible working.
What is inspiring Louise:
Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol
by Holly Whitaker
MADE BY MAMMAS: THE PODCAST
How to Get in touch with Louise:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-deverell-smith-15493a9/
https://daisy-chain.com/
The Workplace Wellbeing Podcast is supported by The Worktech Group, which owns, SHopWorks, FastPAYE and Solvedby.ai
In this episode, Ian talk's to a previous guest David Green - the author of "the Age of Wellbeing". When David came on the podcast previously, he gave us a wellbeing 101 session and helped us understand some fundamentals, such as how do you define and measure wellbeing. If you haven't listened to that podcast, we recommend you listen as it was one of our best; it is episode 3 of series 2.
However, we didn't think a single 25-minute podcast was long enough to cover some of the globally significant subjects in David's book, so we invited David back for a second episode to explore the content of his book in more detail.
In particular, we discuss a key theme of David's book that leaders should adopt wellbeing as their business model, why David believes that and the implications for business.
David and Ian discuss:
- A strategic approach to wellbeing
- Why looking after the planet should be at the start of every wellbeing strategy
- How ancient wisdom is at the heart of improving wellbeing
- Why we should be aiming to thrive and not just survive
- How far Paul thinks the UK and the world still have to go
What is Inspiring David?
Economic Growth Post Brexit: How the UK Should Take on the World by John Mills
How to get in touch with David
https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrichardgreen/
https://www.improveon.co.uk/
Click on the link for a free preview of The Age of Wellbeing
The Workplace Wellbeing Podcast is supported by The Worktech Group, which owns, SHopWorks, FastPAYE and Solvedby.ai
Minal is the author of “Equity: How to Design Organizations Where Everyone Thrives.”
She is a speaker and a strategist committed to designing a more equitable world. With degrees in English, Psychology, and Organizational Development, and a lifelong passion for diversity and inclusion, she has spent her career cross-pollinating ideas in service of greater social justice for all.
Minal believes that "Equality is when everyone has the same thing. Whilst equity is when everyone has what they need to thrive and participate fully. Equity does not fault people for being different; it makes room for difference and then leverages it.”
So in this edition of the Workplace wellbeing podcast, Ian and Minal discuss Equity and organizations where everyone thrives.
Minal and Ian discuss:
- What is Equity, and how does it differ from Equality
- How does inequity manifest itself at work
- What to do about it in your workplace
- Cost and responsibility for making an equitable workspace
What is inspiring Minal:
Julie diamond – Power, a user’s guide
How to contact Minal:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mbopaiah/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/brevity-&-wit/
Equity: How to Design Organizations Where Everyone Thrives.
The Workplace Wellbeing Podcast is supported by The Worktech Group, which owns ShopWorks, FastPAYE and Solvedby.ai
Ian is joined by DR BOB NELSON and MARIO TAMAYO. Bob is president of Nelson Motivation and is one of the world’s leading authorities on employee recognition and engagement. He has worked with over 80% of Fortune 500 companies. Mario is a principal with Tamayo Group Inc., a no-nonsense consulting firm specialising in leadership and organisational performance. Together they have co-authored the book “Work Made Fun Gets Done!: Easy Ways to Boost Energy, Morale, and Results” between them these guys have sold more than 5 million books.
In this podcast, we discuss how we make work fun. I am sure we can all agree that making work more fun will improve wellbeing, but does it improve results? So we also want to explore the impact on efficiency
Bob, Mario and Ian discuss:
- Bob and Mario's background
- Wellbeing through the ages
- The impact on the bottom line of making your workplace fun
- How to make remote working fun
What is inspiring Bob and Mario :
Humour, Seriously: Why Humour Is a Superpower At Work And In Life by Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas
1,001 Ways to engage Employees: Help People Do Better What They Do Best by Dr Bob Nelson
Work Made Fun Gets Done! : Easy Ways to Boost Energy, Morale, and Results by Dr Bob Nelson and Mario Tamayo
How to Contact Bob and Mario :
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mario-tamayo-809b7791/
http://www.tamayogroup.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/drbobnelson/
http://nelson-motivation.com/
You can also see this episode on our Youtube channel if you would like to see Ian and Paul demonstrate the hand signals discussed in the podcast. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0AqF2Yr7G0
Ian is joined by Paul Hills the founder of Konektis.org, which helps organisations transform their online meetings. Paul is an expert in video and hybrid meetings and the creator of some innovative techniques that are helping to bring body language back to video meetings. Paul is also an Honorary Research Fellow at UCL Department of Experimental Psychology, a Fellow of the RSA and a member of the Good Work Guild.
If that wasn’t enough to keep him busy he is Co-founder of Gyllyngvase Wellbeing Swimmers Group in Falmouth which aims to support its member's wellbeing through open water swimming in the sea off this lovely Cornish beach.
So, In this episode, as well as talking to Paul about his thoughts on wellbeing in general we discuss what good meeting practice looks like and how that can help wellbeing as well as trying out some of the techniques.
Paul and Ian Discuss:
- Paul’s research into meetings
- What’s wrong with zoom meetings
- How bad meetings impact wellbeing
- The different hand signals Paul uses in meetings
- How to get started with implementing Paul’s ideas.
Paul Is inspired by:
Rewild Yourself: 23 Spellbinding Ways to Make Nature More Visible by Simon Barnes
How to contact Paul:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-hills-277b97/
konektis.org
Perrine Farque is a multi award-winning diversity expert and internationally recognised keynote speaker who was nominated in the Top 50 Most Influential Women in UK Tech.
Perrine is passionate about building diverse, inclusive and equitable workplaces to drive employee engagement, retention, productivity, profitability, innovation and growth.
Perrine’s book “Inclusion: the ultimate secret to an organization’s success” helps managers and HR professionals create inclusive and engaged workplaces where employees feel happy and psychologically safe.
In this episode, we discuss psychological safety, what it is and how to make your workplace a psychologically safe place.
Perrine and Ian discussed:
- Perrine’s book
- The definition of Psychological safety
- Its impact on the workplace
- Top 4 tips for improving Psychological safety
References from the podcast
- https://www.inspired-human.com/post/4-proven-strategies-to-create-psychological-safety-in-your-workplace
- Amy Edmunson - Harvard Business Review : https://hbr.org/2011/04/strategies-for-learning-from-failure
What is inspiring Perrine
- Donald Miller: Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen
- Carol Dweck Mindset - Updated Edition: Changing The Way You think To Fulfil Your Potential
How to contact Perrine
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/perrinefarque/
- https://www.inspired-human.com/
Kelly Mackin a Co-Founder of Motives Met who are hoping to answer the burning question, “what creates wellbeing at work?” or put another way, “what makes a work-life well-lived?”
Motives Met are a team of researchers that have discovered that real happiness, mental health and wellness at work only occurs when motives are met. So, in this edition of the workplace wellbeing podcast, I want to discuss the research Kelly and her team have done into motives, what they found and how to use it to improve wellbeing at your organisation.
Kelly and Ian Discuss:
- Why motives matter
- The impact they have on wellbeing
- Finding out about an individual’s motives circumplex
- How to make a difference one you know what someone’s motives are
Whats is Inspiring Kelly:
Dancing With Life: Buddhist Insights for Finding Meaning and Joy in the Face of Suffering
Phillip Moffitt.
How to contact Kelly:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-mackin-juravic-52793110/
https://www.motivesmet.com/
Davina is the Health & Wellbeing Director at Zevo Health. She leads a team of Psychologists and experts in the fields of Nutrition & Fitness in the delivery of forward-thinking, engaging and evidence-based Workplace Wellbeing Programmes.
On the Workplace Wellbeing podcast we often discuss individual tactics for improving wellbeing but in this episode we want to go a step further and discuss strategy.
Davina is often involved in helping companies set their wellbeing strategy so we discuss how employers should go about establishing a robust strategy.
Davina and Ian Discuss
- Needs analysis and the discovery phase
- How to get started with implementing a strategy
- Wellbeing champions and ow they support a wellbeing strategy
What’s Inspiring Davina
Eshter Perel: Mating in Captivity: How to keep desire and passion alive in long-term relationships
How to contact Davina
https://www.linkedin.com/in/davina-ramkissoon-7007a41b7/
https://www.zevohealth.com/
Dr Benjamin Ritter is a doctor of organisational leadership and the founder of Live for Yourself consulting. Ben is a self-confessed “values and leadership geek” he is also a full-time leadership and career coach.
Dr Ritter works with companies to help them improve retention. In the current highly challenging labour market for employers this is something that all of fastP.A.Y.E customers are taking very seriously as many have significant staff shortages. Dr Ritter believes that employees leave because they are trying to find a better fit and that something called Job Crafting is the way to solve this. So, in this episode, we explore this subject to understand how it can lead to a happier, more stable workforce.
Dr Ritter and Ian discuss:
- What is Job Crafting?
- The limitations of a Job Descriptions.
- How much of a job needs to deliver true meaning for an employee and what to do with all those tasks that nobody wants to do.
- The perfect culture for retention.
What is inspiring Dr Ritter:
Nine Lies About Work: A Freethinking Leader’s Guide to the Real World by Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall
Contact Dr Ritter:
https://www.liveforyourselfconsulting.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritterbenj/
Ian is joined by Kevin McAlister founder of Lift Your Wellbeing, an Ex Accountant now supporting employee mental health through exercise & community.
Ian and Kevin discuss the role of exercise in wellbeing. It’s a subject we have barely touched on since our podcast started and an area where a lot of employers stay clear of. Ian thinks that many employers see mental wellbeing as an area they have responsibilities in but see physical wellbeing as something for the individual. Kevin believes the two are intrinsically linked and in this episode they talk about the links between mental and physical health.
Kevin and Ian discuss:
- The relationship between physical and mental health
- The Workplace wellbeing equation
- What an employer sponsored fitness program looks like in a post pandemic world
What is Inspiring Kevin?
Psych Health and Safety Podcast: hosted by Jason van Schie and Joelle Mitchell
How to get in touch with Kevin
https://www.liftyourwellbeing.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-mcalister-liftyourwellbeing/
Ian is joined by Gemma Perkins who qualified as a teacher before starting her own business in 2014 to share her expertise. She is now on a mission to help individuals and teams unlock their potential and live more effective and well-rounded lives.
Gemma works with corporate managers, refugees, student activists and charity teams on developing their self-leadership, teamwork, wellbeing and a whole host of other soft skills that support a balanced and fulfilling life.
Ian and Gemma look at the emerging field of study that is Positive Psychology. This is a subject that comes up a lot with our guests and so in this episode, we try and put together a “Positive Psychology 101” so that we can all have a better understanding of the subject.
Ian and Gemma discuss:
- The history of positive psychology
- Gemma gets Ian to try a positive psychology exercise
- How can it help improve wellbeing in the workplace
- Some psychology health habits.
What is Inspiring Gemma?
Brené Brown: The Call to Courage a Netflix special
How to get in touch with Gemma
LinkedIn
Website
Andrea is the founder of Confident Conversations, a company that helps managers and leaders at all levels within organisations get comfortable with the uncomfortable and to have conversations that matter.
In this episode, we discuss something that sounds very obvious and that a lot of people don’t think they need any help doing…… Having conversations with people.
Andrea doesn’t think it is as easy as it sounds, she believes there are 7 significant conversations that leaders should be having to get the best out of their team and achieve the desired outcome.
In this episode Ian and Andrea discuss:
- Why do we need to coach managers on how to have uncomfortable conversations
- The seven significant conversations
- Why do managers avoid these conversations and what happens if they don’t happen.
- Andrea tells Ian off for doing it wrong for so long.
What is inspiring Andrea:Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts by Brene Brown
How to contact Andrea:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-newton-cc/
https://confidentconversations.co.uk/
https://confidentconversations.co.uk/podcast/
Charlène was a London Litigator before she set up a Primal Health Coaching and wellness business which aims to transform High Performing Executives' health both at a physical and mental level and increase cognitive and physical performances.
Lovingly dubbed ‘the Solicitor’ by her clients, Charlene promotes greater life satisfaction and wellness using her skills as a Primal Health Coach and a biohacker.
In this episode, we discuss what does a wellbeing consultant do? We have never covered this on the Workplace Wellbeing Podcast which seems kind of important – we have interviewed several wellbeing consultants and employers are increasingly looking for their help, so in this episode we dig a bit deeper into what they do.
Charlène and Ian Discuss:
- The definition of a wellbeing consultant
- What is biohacking?
- Biohacking that is appropriate for the workplace
- What skills should you look for in a wellbeing consultant?
What is Inspiring Charlène:
Her clients.
How to get in touch with Charlène:
LinkedIn: https://charlenegisele.com/
In this episode, Ian interviews Jill Eaton the author of Gender Goggles: The Vision You Need to Get Promoted, Strengthen Relationships & Love Graciously.
Jill was an IT executive for 15 years and recently retired early to write her book about how gender communication differences can impact our careers and relationships.
Ian and Jill discuss the book and how the ideas in the book can help bring harmony to the workplace:
Jill and Ian discuss:
- What are Gender Googles
- The science behind why men and women think differently
- How the genders think about teams and hierarchy
How to get in touch with Jill
Gender Goggles: The Vision You Need to Get Promoted, Strengthen Relationships & Love Graciously
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08L3XC8ZB/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jill-eaton-39540a2/
What is inspiring Jill
Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live - Brene Brown
Sarah is a leadership coach who works with teams and individuals to improve their performance. We have discussed the role of good leadership on this podcast several times and in this episode we want to explore how the communications we have with our colleagues can improve wellbeing. In particular how we make sure that everyone is heard both in team meetings, via zoom and in one to ones.
Sarah and Ian discuss:
- How big a problem is failing to share information and what impact does it have on wellbeing?
- The impact the move to more meetings on zoom had on this challenge.
- The particular challenges around 1:1s and how can we reshape them to ensure we're getting the right information from our colleagues.
- Tips to help managers deliver team meetings that allow more voices into the conversation.
What is inspiring Sarah:
Chatter: The Voice in Our Head and How to Harness It by Ethan Kross
How to contact Sarah: Linked in
Faisal is a doctor and consultant psychiatrist in the NHS, and alongside this role is founder and CEO of Babble a company that is looking to address the issue of loneliness in the workplace.
Babble has a unique offering that will improve employee wellbeing through daily ‘social yoga’.
Ian and Faisal discuss:
- Faisal’s experience as a consultant psychiatrist in the NHS
- Why people can be lonely even in a busy office
- What an employer can do to reduce loneliness
- Does working from home make loneliness worse
- How Babble aims to help impact loneliness
- Social Yoga
What is inspiring Faisal
Leading beyond Ego - by John Knights
How to Contact Faisal
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-faisal-s-shaikh-f-r-c-psych-478247a1/
https://mybabble.chat/
Nicole Tschierske is a Dr of Chemistry who has developed a career in Psychology and wellbeing. She is passionate about helping overlooked women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths become influential, so they can confidently unlock new opportunities for themselves and get their employers saying “we need you on this job!”
As a Scientist and Positive Psychology Coach, Nicole helps people turn their career frustrations into a renewed love for their work. In this episode, Nicole and Ian discuss ways that we can all modify our work life and the way we go about our job each day so that we stress less and stay motivated and engaged. They also look at how employers can help people approach their working day and achieve more whilst at the same time reducing the stress they are under.
Nicole and Ian discuss:
- The Job Demands Resource Model and the science behind it.
- Less energy draining and more energy given job demands.
- What job demands are the most energy draining.
- Where to start as an employer if you want to improve the working day of your teams.
What is inspiring Nicole:
Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport
How to get in touch with Nicole:
nicole@intoactioncoaching.de
intoactioncoaching.de
https://www.linkedin.com/in/drnicoletschierske/
Ashley Cope is head of people partners at We Work for Europe and the middle east. Not only does Ashley have to worry about the wellbeing of more than 1200 We Work employees in Europe and Asia, she also has to be mindful for the wellbeing of the thousands of members who range from lone self-employed workers to the employees of some global multi nationals.
So I am keen to hear what initiatives We Work has in place for its own employees and what support they give their members.
Ashley and Ian Discuss:
- We Work’s approach to employee wellbeing
- How We Work support their members wellbeing
- How We Work uses office design to support wellbeing
- What We Work are doing to encourage people back into the office and how they are supporting their wellbeing#
What’s inspiring Ashley:
The Ladies Who London Podcast
Contact Ashley:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-cope-0515b938/
In this episode, Ian talk’s to David Green about how his book “The Age of Wellbeing” and they cover a subject that maybe we should have done as episode 1 of series 1. They talk through some of the basics of wellbeing including how we define it and how we can measure it. It is a wellbeing 101 session that goes through some of the fundamentals of what wellbeing is.
David and Ian discuss:
- What is the definition of wellbeing
- How can we measure wellbeing
- What is the difference between wellbeing and happiness
- What is the relationship between wellbeing and success
What is Inspiring David?
Flourish: A New Understanding of Happiness and Well-Being - and How To Achieve Them: Martin Seligman
How to get in touch with David
https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrichardgreen/
To find out more about Improveon visit the website
Click on the link for a free preview of The Age of Wellbeing
Other books and papers referenced in this podcast.
- Martin Seligman - Flourish
- Dale Carnegie - How to win friends and influence people
- Stephen Covey - 7 habits of highly effective people
- Myles-Jay Linton, Paul Dieppe & Antonieta Medina-Lara - 2016 Review of Wellbeing Measures
- BITC - Employee Wellbeing Measurement and metrics guide
- What Works Wellbeing - Question bank
- Jim Collins - Good to great
- Viktor Frankl - Man's search for meaning
- Shawn Achor - The happiness advantage
David is Head of Finance at Marston’s Plc a UK hospitality firm; during lockdown, he was a key member of their Wellbeing Warriors group who was heavily focused on wellbeing particularly given the number of employees that had been furloughed within the industry. David is also the author of “Fuelled, Fit and Fired Up” a book that discusses the impact of a healthy lifestyle on wellbeing.
In this edition, we look at how Marston's addressed the wellbeing challenges during a difficult year and David’s new book.
David and Ian discuss:
- How did a finance guy end up supporting Marston’s wellbeing agenda
- Marston’s Wellbeing Warriors
- The power of three
- The wheel of life
What is inspiring David at the moment:
The 52 Tips
https://www.instagram.com/the52tips/
The Wheel of Life
https://www.michaelheppell.com/wheel-of-life-90-days/
How to Be Brilliant
https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Be-Brilliant-Change-your/dp/0273761234
How to contact David:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidneilrogers/
David’s book:
Fuelled, Fit and Fired Up
https://www.amazon.co.uk/FUELLED-FIT-FIRED-UP-UNLEASH/dp/B094RC545Q
Sara is a qualified accountant, entrepreneur and transformational coach, as well as being a regular contributor to the Entrepreneur Magazine Leadership Network and The Fast Company. Sara partners with organisations to create more emotionally intelligent leaders, who perform at a higher level and take targeted action to support team productivity and engagement.
In this episode, Ian and Sara discuss a subject that has had a lot of coverage in the press over the summer- the Great Resignation. What is it and how companies can avoid it? The timing for this episode seems good with a greater number of workers expected to return to the office post the summer - if ever there was a time that friction between employers and employees over returning to the office would occur, it is now.
Sara and Ian discuss:
- What is the Great Resignation?
- Why is it happening now?
- How can employers avoid it happening to them?
What is inspiring Sara at the moment:The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups by Daniel Coyle
How to contact Sara:www.sarasabin.com
sara@sarasabin.comSara Caroline Sabin | LinkedIn
Rachel is a positive mindset and self-care coach, working with her own clients as well as an associate coach with “We are Wellbeing’. Rachel specialises in helping people establish a positive mindset and achieve growth whilst leading more fulfilling lives. She is also the author of the book “Self-Care for the Seasons.”
In this podcast, we discuss the work that Rachel has been doing with companies to support them as they start to bring employees back to the office after lockdown, in particular how to ensure that employee concerns are addressed. With the UK Government planning to drop its “you should work from home if you can advice” on July 18th this is a topical subject with many companies planning to bring their teams back to the office after the summer so I am sure that what Rachel has to say will be of interest to many.
Rachel and Ian discuss:
- How to plan for a return to work post lockdown
- Why it is important to take into account wellbeing
- Tips and advice on how to manage a return to work
- How to help colleagues reconnect with each other
What is inspiring Rachel:
Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself by Nedra Glover Tawwab
How to contact Rachel:
https://wearewellbeing.co.uk/
https://www.rachelletham.com/
Guest Host Jake Bates, Employee Wellbeing Specialist at fastP.A.Y.E.
In the last episode of series 1, we thought it would be good to hear from our regular host Ian Hogg on a subject that is important to him. With Guest host, Jake Bates Ian looks at a potential revolution in financial wellbeing.
In 2020 the University of Edinburgh carried out a survey of 10,000 NHS employees about their financial wellbeing. That isn’t unusual, however, this survey was done using open banking. That means they used APIs to access all of the data in staff bank accounts. In essence, 10,000 NHS employees gave someone permission to access all of their data so researchers could see every transaction they did, over 15 million transactions were used in the survey. Scary right? Well not if it is done for the right reasons and anonymised. Ian believes that this could be the most influential survey into financial wellbeing yet and that open banking can help us understand the problems of financial wellbeing much better and help us create the solutions.
Jake and Ian discuss:
- Why the NHS survey is so important
- What is showed us
- What the NHS is doing about the issue
- The difference between Open banking and open finance
- How technology can help us solve financial wellbeing
- FastPAYE’s response to The Woolward review
- How the NHS is setting the standards for technology in financial wellbeing for the foreseeable future
Resources:
- The Financial Health of NHS Workers
- The Woolard review into Unsecured credit from the FCA
What is inspiring Ian?
Good to Great by Jim Collins Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don't
What is inspiring Jake?
The Sunshine Cruise Company
How to contact Ian
Linked in
www.fastpaye.com
How to Contact Jake
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-bates/
Ben runs Thoughtful Leader, a company that aims to “develop leaders that make work better”. Ben is an MBA and certified leadership coach who started off in the IT industry and has been leading teams, programs and projects for over 15 years.
Ben believes in a self-fulfilling prophecy in leadership - that the simple act of believing (or not) in somebody can impact their performance and wellbeing.
Ian and Ben discussed;
- The impact of leadership on wellbeing
- Trust in the workplace and evidence that it improves wellbeing
- That the simple act of believing (or not) in somebody can impact a colleagues performance and wellbeing
Resources:
McKinsey "Boss Factor" study: https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/the-boss-factor-making-the-world-a-better-place-through-workplace-relationships#
Trust Equation: https://trustedadvisor.com/why-trust-matters/understanding-trust/understanding-the-trust-equation
High-trust organisations study: https://hbr.org/2017/01/the-neuroscience-of-trust
Self-fulfilling prophecy (Pygmalion effect) original study: https://www.duq.edu/about/centers-and-institutes/center-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-and-learning-at-duquesne/pygmalion
What is inspiring Ben:
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield
Contacting Ben
https://www.linkedin.com/in/benbrearley/
https://www.thoughtfulleader.com/
Anastasia is the founder of Sunday Sanctuary. I am sure we have all experienced that Sunday evening feeling – it’s the feeling of trepidation before the start of the working week. It isn’t good for us and Anastasia felt strongly enough about removing the feeling that she launched the Sunday Sanctuary.
Anastasia believes that our week should be about feeling good from start to finish and she has created a community to offer guidance on how to prioritise mental and physical wellbeing and become the best version of ourselves both at the home and at work.
Ian and Anastasia discuss:
- What is Sunday evening anxiety
- The impact of working from home and technology on how we feel
- What we can do to make that Sunday feeling go away
What is inspiring Anastasia:
Podcast – how to fail with Elizabeth Day.
In particular these two episodes;
S10, Ep7 How To Fail: Emma Reed Turrell
Special Episode! How To Fail: Mo Gawdat On How To Cope With Anxiety In A Time Of Coronavirus
How to contact Anastasia
https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastasia-callaghan/
https://www.sundaysanctuary.co/
Arlyne is a wellbeing specialist at giffgaff which is a UK mobile phone provider. She also has a side hustle called Roots to Froots which is a financial wellbeing business.
Arlyne, found her way into wellbeing accidentally and I imagine that is not an unusual path to follow.
In this episode Ian and Arlyne discuss:
- How Arlyne ended up helping people with their financial wellbeing at work
- The Giff Gaff Ministry of Wellbeing
- Roots to Froots
- Why old school paper still has a role in financial wellbeing
What is inspiring Arlyne:
Wake up to money - a BBC radio 5 program and podcast
Creative Superpowers, equip yourself for the age of creativity
Contacting Arlyne:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/arlyne-chinyanganya-acma-cgma-b66a9658/
https://www.rootstofroots.com/about
Caterina is the founder of coaching company, “The Leaderpath” and an ex-Googler. Her book “Hold Successful Meetings” has recently been published by Penguin books. She is in Forbes Coaches Council and coaches for INSEAD business school.
As well as being an experienced coach Caterina has researched the subject of meetings extensively for her book and has strong views on how to run meetings.
Ian and Caterina discuss:
- The impact of bad meetings on wellbeing
- Meeting recovery syndrome
- What makes a good meeting
- How to hold fewer meetings
Free Quiz and training material: Caterina is kindly offering Workplace Wellbeing listeners the chance to see how good they are at meetings - simply follow this link: www.theleaderpath.com/quiz
After the quiz, you can also get the first four lessons of Caterina’s Hold Successful meetings course for free.
What is inspiring Caterina
Sweet Poison – David Gillespie
How to contact Caterina
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ckostoula/
https://theleaderpath.com/
Daniel Edds, is an experienced management consultant and is the author of “The Genetics of Leadership, cracking the code of sustainable team performance”
We have now done 20 episodes of this Podcast and yet we haven’t discussed the subject of leadership. This obviously has a big impact on the wellbeing of employees, bad leadership can lead to stress and other negative outcomes whilst good leadership is empowering and supportive.
So, Daniel and Ian discuss leadership including :
- Daniel’s book
- Management by walking around
- Having a courageous workforce
- Deliberate Developmental Organisations
- Measuring leadership
Daniel has also offered a free white paper for listeners of the Workpace Wellbeing Podcast called “Cultures of Courage, Developing a Fearless Workforce.” you can download it at: https://danieledds.com/resources
Daniels book is:
“Leveraging the Genetics of Leadership: Cracking the Code of Sustainable Team Performance”
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Leveraging-Genetics-Leadership-Sustainable-Performance/dp/1890427403/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1620195903&sr=1-1
Books that have inspired Daniel:
An Insider's Guide to Culture Change:
https://www.amazon.com/Insiders-Guide-Culture-Change-Workplace/dp/1400214653
An Everyone Culture: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Everyone-Culture-Matthew-Fleming-Deborah/dp/B01I8JXD62/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
How to contact Daniel:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieledds/
https://danieledds.com/
Sue Jauncey, a Founder and Director of Appellon. Sue is a Registered Psychologist with a forensic background who began her career working across the Australian prison system. Her journey has taken her to the launch of Appellon in 2019.
Appellon, describes itself as the world’s first Software as a service Culture Tech platform.
Sue has recently published a white paper on “The Next-generation workforce” which looks at how to increase wellbeing whilst at the same time achieving a company’s goals. In this edition
Ian and Sue discuss:
- The next-generation workforce white paper
- Issues with current management methodologies
- Doing what you say you are going to do
Media that is inspiring Sue:
The obstacle is the way – by Ryan Holiday
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Obstacle-Way-Ancient-Adversity-Advantage/dp/1781251487
White paper - https://www.appellon.com/landing-pages/ebook-landing-page
How to get in touch with Sue:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sue-jauncey-33a6112/
http://www.appellon.com/
Ian is joined by Gracious Musariri, a trained Mental Health Nurse who has recently been a member of the NHS team working to develop a wellbeing program that aims to improve the experience of people at work and build resilience amongst NHS workers.
Gracious has now launched Empylo, a consultancy that aims to help employers improve the mental wellbeing of their teams. Empylo aims to do this through evidence-based workshops and reflective practice.
Gracious and Ian discuss:
- The challenges the NHS has experienced with stress, PTSD and other mental health issues during the pandemic
- How the NHS has developed a program to improve resilience amongst its workers
- How this experience can help private sector organisations
How to get in touch with Gracious:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/empylo/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/graciousmusariri/
team@empylo.com
Media that is inspiring Gracious:
Podcast: Jay Shetty - On Purpose https://jayshetty.me/podcast/
Book: The Almanack of Nava Ravikant - a guide to wealth and happiness
Hannes and Hoda are the founders of Breathing.AI which uses machine learning whilst you are looking at your PC screen to elevate your mood, health, and optimize your performance.
Our podcast has already looked at lots of tech offerings, this one could help us get over a year of being Zoomed out.
In this episode, Ian, Hoda and Hannes discuss:
- Screen apnoea
- The impact of breathing on stress and wellbeing
- Some advanced AI technology that can check your breathing and heart rate just by looking at you
- How breathing.ai can stop you from getting zoomed out.
Special offer, a years free subscription to breathing.ai for listeners:
For listeners of the Workplace Wellbeing podcast Hoda is offering a years free subscription to breathing.ai - to take advantage of the offer, go to breathing.ai and click Join the waitlist and in the message state “Workplace Wellbeing podcast”
How to get in touch with Hoda and Hannes:
https://www.breathing.ai/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/hodamahmoodzadegan/
Books that inspire Hoda and Hannes:
“How to love” by Thich Nhat Hanh: https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Love-Thich-Nhat-Hanh/dp/1846045177/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=how+to+love&qid=1618645708&sr=8-1
“Our Time is Now” by Stacey Abrams: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Our-Time-Now-Purpose-America/dp/1250257700/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=stacey+abrams+our+time+is+now&qid=1618645751&sr=8-1
“How Will you measure your Life” by Clayton Christensen:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Will-Measure-Your-Life/dp/0007449151/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=how+will+you+measure+your+life+%E2%80%93+clayton+christensen&qid=1618645799&sr=8-1
Ian speaks to Carolyn Illman who is a Behavioural Interview Question Specialist and a Hiring Coach and the Owner of Hire Possibilities.
Carolyn believes that the hiring process is the key to a happy workplace and helps companies improve how they hire. If we recruit people who don’t fit in or can’t do the role either they or us are going to go through more stress than we should do.
In the podcast, Ian and Carolyn discuss:
- The Bar raiser role made famous by Amazon
- What type of interview questions get the best results.
- How to establish the values of a candidate
- How to fix your hiring process if it is broken
The Book that Carolyn is Inspired by:
The body keeps the score – by Bessel van der Kolk
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Body-Keeps-Score-Transformation-Trauma/dp/0141978619
How to contact Carolyn:
https://www.hirepossibilitiesseattle.com/
Instagram: Hirepossibilities
Simon is the founder of rethink productivity and also the host of the excellent productivity podcast. He has years of experience in helping retailers and other organisations make their teams as productive as possible.
In this episode Ian and Simon discuss
- Leyton Orient’s current form
- The impact of productivity on wellbeing
- What steps an employer can take to ensure happy and productive staff
- How approaching productivity in the wrong way can negatively impact wellbeing
Books that Simon is inspired by:
Matthew Syed - Rebel Ideas https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rebel-Ideas-Power-Diverse-Thinking/dp/1473613949/ref=sr_1_1?crid=12ZBROALCY2PN&dchild=1&keywords=rebel+ideas&qid=1616607633&sprefix=rebe%2Caps%2C167&sr=8-1
Adam Grant - Give and Take
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Give-Take-Helping-Others-Success/dp/1780224729/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2777G6HMNGU88&dchild=1&keywords=give+and+take+adam+grant&qid=1616607667&sprefix=give+and+ta%2Caps%2C151&sr=8-1
Contact Simon:
https://rethinkproductivity.co.uk/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonhedaux/
Danny Clarke is the founder of Simply People, a community that aims to improve the physical and mental wellbeing of employees in the workplace. At its core Simply People is a community of Occupational Health professionals. Danny has been an occupational health professional for over 15 years and brings a wealth of experience to the subject.
In this episode Ian and Danny discuss
- A 101 of Occupational Health
- How it can impact on Wellbeing in the workplace
- What is Simply People and how you can access the community
Books that Danny is inspired by:
The lost art of running, Shane Benzie: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lost-Art-Running-Shane-Benzie/dp/1472968085
Mandemic, Natasha Jones: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mandemic-Tale-Didnt-Like-Told/dp/1913206564/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=mandemic&qid=1616320700&s=books&sr=1-1
Talking to strangers: Malcolm Gladwell https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=talking+to+strangers&i=stripbooks&crid=SZT7L7ITON2U&sprefix=talking+to%2Cstripbooks%2C168&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_10
Contact Danny:
Linked in: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannymclarke/
Website: https://www.simply-people.co.uk/
Sheila is a director of BMR Health and wellbeing, a company that supports business Leaders to develop systemic mental health programmes that have a measurable return on investment.
In previous editions we have discussed therapy, software apps and strategies to support mental health. In this episode, Ian and Sheila discuss how a management system can be put in place to systematically improve mental wellbeing. Including:
- The upcoming ISO 45003 - the first global standard giving practical guidance on managing psychological health in the workplace.
- How an ISO or other systematic approach can help with wellbeing
- What is involved in getting ISO 45003
- Employers responsibilities regarding mental health in the workplace
Books that Sheila is inspired by:
Feel the fear and do it anyway: Susan Jeffers https://www.amazon.co.uk/Feel-Fear-Anyway-Indecision-Confidence/dp/0091907071
Stop thinking, start living by Richard Carlson
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stop-Thinking-Start-Living-Happiness/dp/0722535473/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Stop+thinking%2C+start+living+by+Richard+carlson&qid=1616098369&sr=8-1
Contact Sheila:
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheila-lord-bmr/
BMR website: https://www.bmrhealthandwellbeing.co.uk/
Dr Marcus Fila is a professor of Management at Hope College, Michigan and a researcher in Stress at work. He also helps companies understand the impact or stress in the Workplace through his company https://www.easeworkstress.com/.
Dr Fila believes that stress is the biggest contributing factor to staff leaving, in this edition of our podcast Ian and Dr Fila discuss stress at work, its potential causes and what employers can do to reduce it .
- Research into stress
- Impact of stress on staff retention
- Illegitimate roles
- Types of Intervention
- Re writing job descriptions to reduce stress at the workplace.
Dr Fila’s recommended reading; Anything by Sir Cary Cooper - professor of Organisation Phsycology and Health at Manchester Business School https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cary_Cooper
Dr Fila’s linked in profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-fila-65144732/
Dr Fila’s website: https://www.easeworkstress.com/
On-Demand Pay is the sector of fintech that fastP.A.Y.E operates in. In this episode, Ian is joined by two colleagues from fastP.A.Y.E; Ben Smith who is head of product and who has driven the development of fastP.A.Y.E since its inception 2 years ago and Jake Bates who is an Employee Wellbeing Specialist who helps educate customers about fastP.A.Y.E.
The podcast discusses:
- What an On-Demand pay app does and the various business models
- How it helps employee well being
- Why employer control is important
- How a good On-Demand app avoids being part of the problem, including
- referrals to debt charities
- Intervention by employers
- Access to benefits instead of an advance
- Limiting the size of an advance and encouraging additional work hours.
Listener’s will get a good overview of the On-Demand or Salary advance space and some key areas to watch out for to ensure the app makes a positive contribution to employee wellbeing.
Jake’s Linked in profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-bates/
Ben’s Linked in profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bensmithlondon/
Jakes Media Choice: Never Split the difference - https://www.waterstones.com/book/never-split-the-difference/chris-voss/tahl-raz/9781847941497
Ben’s media choice: Mind the Product - https://www.mindtheproduct.com/
Research referenced in the Podcast:
Gartner Report - 6 trends on the hype cycle for the digital workplace 2020 https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/6-trends-on-the-gartner-hype-cycle-for-the-digital-workplace-2020/
Reward and Employee Benefits Association: 2020 employee wellbeing research -https://reba.global/content/reba-employee-wellbeing-research-2020-wellbeing-is-evolving-to-be-at-the-core-of-workplace-culture
Stuart Mace, is an Ambassador at The Circle Line, a mental wellbeing company that offers affordable solutions to individuals and to corporate clients through psychology and talking therapies.
We discuss the role of therapy in the workplace and how it forms part of a well considered employee wellbeing strategy but also cover the stresses of modern test cricket and Stuart’s talks us through his first ever therapy session.
James Bolle is the founder and the Captain of “purposeful” a company that helps organisations find their purpose, he describes himself as a purpose and team happiness expert. James is also a trustee of Suited for Success UK, a charity that provides, free high-quality interview clothes, styling and interview preparation skills for unemployed men and women who are trying to re-enter the workplace.
We discuss what purpose is and how it can impact the well-being of everyone in an organisation. We will also be exploring the links between James’ day job and his charity work.
James published the podcast series, Purpose cast which is an in depth discussion about the subject https://prpsfl.com/purposecast/
Rob is a veteran mental health campaigner who is CEO of InsideOut LeaderBoard a social enterprise with a mission of ending the stigma of mental ill-health in the workplace as well as being CEO and founder of FormScore which evolved organically from a tool given by a therapist to an idea of improving mental health within our workplaces and communities by means of self reflection and support for one another. We talk about Rob’s experience and involvement in mental health campaigning as well as the impact on one’s form score of watching Spurs lose at football.
Rob is looking for beta testers for his formscore app, if you would like to help please follow this link https://www.formscore.today/join-beta
The flexible and ethical wage app
Give your employees the ability to access just a little of their earned wages early.
Laura, founded Citygate after a long career in retail banking. Citygate has a unique business model which involves offering free financial wellbeing support and advice to employers as a way of developing contacts and her network. Laura works with people with limited knowledge of finance to help solve money worries and put themselves on a stronger financial footing. We discuss the business model as well as how any potential conflicts of interest are managed.
Ex England Rugby International, Andy Long talks about his journey as a successful rugby player and coach have helped him coach high-performance teams in business and the impact that a high-performance team has on employee wellbeing. By increasing communications and removing areas of conflict Andy believes that stress is reduced and mental wellbeing is improved.
Nicola Anderson is the CEO of Fintech Scotland having previously worked at the Financial Conduct Authority. Nicola also chaired the recent Fintech and Financial Wellbeing Roundtable in Scotland for the Money and Pensions Service. In this edition we discuss the efforts being made by Fintech’s and other Scottish organisations to improve the lot of employee’s financial well-being and highlight some Fintech’s that are leading the charge
Darren Laverty of Foster Denovo has been one of the great innovators within the space in the UK and also the author of “Make their money count” a book aimed at improving employee financial wellbeing. We discuss what is involved in setting up a financial wellbeing strategy for your company.
Dr Serra Pitts, is the Clinical Director of 87 Percent as well as being a Chartered Psychologist. 87Percent is a very exciting company within the nascent wellbeing technology space, they are using clinically-led assessment to measure, understand and improve wellbeing in the workplace and technology to drive positive changes based on tangible data. 87 Percent also help companies develop their mental wellbeing strategy. We discuss how technology can help improve the mental wellbeing of employees, what is possible now and what the future might hold as technology develops.
Manuel Peleteiro of Inbest is the founder and CEO of one the most innovative employee financial wellbeing companies in the UK. Inbest partners with governments and financial firms to improve the financial wellbeing, capability and resilience of vulnerable households. We discuss how technology can help employees access the in work benefits that they are entitled to.
Sir Terry Leahy, is one of Britain’s most successful business leaders. Under his 14 years of leadership, Tesco went from the number 3 retailer in the UK to number 3 in the world. He also went on to write a book the title of which is “Management in Ten Words” it outlines the management philosophy which helped him navigate that journey.
We discuss how far employee wellbeing as a concept for management has developed since he started at Tesco in the late seventies, whilst at the same time discussing the impact of values on employee wellbeing.