Eat Sleep Work Repeat

We often overlook the fact that trust is the basis for all good culture. I called out some of the remarkable data on this in the Work In 2024 deck.In Slack’s August 2023 survey of over 10,000 global office workers, trust was the top determinant of employees’ productivity scores. Employees who felt trusted were 2X as productive as those who didn’t. They were 30% more likely to put in extra effort at their jobs. If we don’t feel trusted we’re twice as likely to say we’re looking for a new job.But what role does trust play in the modern company? And how can we build it?Mark McGinn is a senior leader at the communications agency Edelman, he talks to me about their research into trust and how we should seek to build it.Has our organisation replaced government? Increasingly our company is the biggest thing that we believe we can have an impact on.Mark explains that Trust in our organisation is based on four things:Organisational abilityDependabilityIntegrityPurposeYou'll strongly enjoy downloading Edelman

The role of managers are pivotal in our working lives but most managers aren't trained or prepared for the responsibilities that they are given.When we look at the research from Gallup about burnout and why people hate their jobs managers are regarded as having the biggest responsibility. Half of people who say they don't rate their manager say they are looking for jobs. So what can we do to make our relationship with our managers better? I chatted to Anthony Painter from CMI.Download the Work in 2024 deckChartered Management Institute research on the Accidental Manager82% of workers entering management positions have not had any formal management and leadership trainingonly a quarter of workers (27%) describe their manager as ‘highly effective’of those workers who do not rate their manager, half (50%) plan to leave their company in the next yearFollow Anthony on LinkedInFollow Anthony on Twitter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eat Sleep Work Repeat is hosted by Bruce Daisley, Ellen Scott and Matthew Cook. Sign up to the newsletterWe talk through the hottest topics in work:New research says that bosses think going part-time signals the end of career ambitionRadio 5 Live's Nihal Arthanayake says he feels alienated as the only brown face in a sea of white at his workplaceBill Gates advocates for the three-day week but doesn't detail who he thinks is going to pay for it Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Professor Frances Frei is the biggest brain in the field of workplace culture and I was delighted to get another opportunity to talk to her.She explains the one thing that firms should do to fix their cultures (spoiler: train their managers), why she thinks inclusion is a more important element of culture than just diversity.The previous episode with Frances FreiFrances and Anne’s podcast FixableFrances’ and Anne Morriss’ new book Move Fast and Fix ThingsSign up for the newsletter Quotes from the book that I cited: “One way to build cynicism quickly in an organisation, something we see all the time, by the way - is to ask people for their input and then do very little with the information they give you (and take a long time to even do that)’Robert McDonald, former CEO of P&G “Organisations are perfectly designed to get the results they get… if you don’t like the results you need to change the design”. We're often asked for a summary of how to build a workplace where everyone feels welcome.

Eat Sleep Work Repeat is hosted by Bruce Daisley, Ellen Scott and Matthew Cook. Sign up to the newsletterIs toxic culture driving your team away?If you’re someone whose job it is think about culture, or maybe you’re a boss who has tried to communicate values to your team then today’s episode is an essential listen.Donald Sull and Charlie Sull are a father and son research team who have discovered extraordinary insights into values and what they look like in the real world.Here are some articles to get you going to understand the world of the Sulls:Toxic Culture Is Driving the Great ResignationThe Toxic Culture Gap Shows Companies Are Failing WomenWhy leaders need to worry about toxic culture?Charlie and Donald have a business that focusses on this called Culture X. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eat Sleep Work Repeat is hosted by Bruce Daisley, Ellen Scott and Matthew Cook. Sign up to the newsletterThis week we go deep on the latest news about work.ITV tell staff to declare ‘friendships’Moderation staff at Facebook are suing over PTSDBBC staff given help for stress levels'We Had To Remove This Post' - brilliant novella by Hanna BervoetsOobah Butler’s Amazon show on Channel 4Reddit anti workReddit r/LateStageCapitalismMatt’s final comment about having orgasms to boost productivityBig Train sketch: 'no wanking in the office please' Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eat Sleep Work Repeat is hosted by Bruce Daisley, Ellen C Scott and Matthew Cook. Sign up to the newsletterThis week we go deep on the latest news about work. We discuss:Two thirds of bosses expect a return to the office by 2036KPMG CEO surveyDavid Foster Wallace - This is Water commencement speechShonda Rhimes “Whenever you see me somewhere succeeding in one area of my life, that almost certainly means I am failing in another area of my life”80% of remote workers claim to have two jobsEmail sign-offs are changingCoffee badging as a protest against being in the officeSnail girl jobs (and the toxicity of ‘trends’ about women working less)The gendered nature of WFH assessment (participants in research were less likely to choose to hire working mothers than childless women) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sign up for the newsletterWhat Ange Postecoglou changed at Spurs in his first 100 days: ‘The mood has been transformed’Charlie writes about the oratory of Ange PostecoglouLast week I read something wonderful about the culture of Tottenham Hotspur, I contacted the writer and it felt like it was worth putting out quickly. We’ve got a couple of podcast recorded with Matt and Ellen so we’ll be back for a fuller episode next week.Ange Postecoglou has been the manager of Spurs, Tottenham Hotspur, for around a hundred days. In that time he’s started something of a transformation. And I can tell that because the Spurs fans I know how have started smiling. Spurs have started the season well, currently sitting 2nd in the Premier League. But more than that the players seem to be happy and are playing exciting football.There was a brilliant article by Charlie Ecceshare from The Athletic looking into the culture of the club under Ange, the article talked about how the mood of the club has been transformed.For anyone inter

Eat Sleep Work Repeat is hosted by Bruce Daisley, Ellen C Scott and Matthew Cook. Ellen is away this week - we were working hard to squeeze an elite guest in.Amy Edmondson is the most renowned organisational psychologist in the world. In other words she's looked to more than anyone else for the answers of how to fix work.In this in depth discussion she talks us through what she understands by psychological safety, how any of us can create it and what she believes the best team structure is to achieve it.We're also joined by Octavius Black, founder of Mind Gym, who provide behavioural science based interventions for lots of the biggest companies in the world.Amy's new book is The Right Kind of Wrong Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sign up for the Make Work Better newsletterThis episode explores the concept of fun and its importance in adult life, challenging the misperception that fun is frivolous.What is fun? Catherine Price suggests that it is the confluence of playfulness, connection, and flow.The discussion also addresses the impact of social media on fake fun and the role of playfulness in work and productivity. The conversation explores the importance of fun in the workplace and the impact it has on productivity, connection, and overall well-being. It delves into the challenges of creating a fun work environment, the role of playfulness in building connections, and the significance of in-person interactions. The discussion also highlights the value of fun in education and its potential to bridge social and cultural divides.TakeawaysFun is a feeling, not an activity, and it involves the confluence of playfulness, connection, and flow.The misperception of fun as frivolous leads to the prioritization of fake fun over true fun, impac

Sign up for the Make Work Better newsletterEat Sleep Work Repeat is hosted by Bruce Daisley, Ellen C Scott and Matthew Cook.Ellen wrote about her learnings about being a managerDespite government threats of legal action Cambridgeshire council are continuing their evidence-led trial of the 4-day week. “Nine in ten councils are struggling with job recruitment and retention and a four-day working week could be the answer”Ellen mentions this article on Stylist about boundaries (registration required)Half of the employees of Grindr were fired after the firm issued a RTO order. This included 100% of the firm’s trans employees. As Matt points out in the show trans employees are subject to the legislative whims of different states in the US and understandably try to locate in safe places.We talk about the World Values Survey report "What the world thinks about work"People in the UK are least likely to say work is important in their life. It's still seems pretty high, 73% of the UK public say work is very or rather im

I’m joined again by new cohosts Ellen C Scott and Matthew Cook.Buy BelongingOwen Eastwood is the most in-demand team performance coach in the worldHe's earned that reputation by delivering break-through results with a diverse range of teams from Gareth Southgate’s England team and the England women’s team, to the senior leadership team of NATO. His former clients represent an elite range of teams who have gone on to achieve incredible victories. We wanted to understand how he did it.What does he say? What does he ask?Eastwood’s approach is consistent. By zooming out and pointing our fleeting contribution to legacy he urges teams to think about their ‘Us’ story. For me this suggests that what he’s actually doing is emphasising a powerful shared identity. In my mind I would see this as activating a visceral bond of community, he chooses to label it as ‘belonging’. That distinction ends up feeling semantic when presented with what his approach achieves.This week on the podcast I’m joined by new co-hosts Ellen Sc

A few months ago I put out a call asking for other voices to get involved in the podcast and I’m delighted today to add Ellen C Scott and Matthew Cook to Eat Sleep Work Repeat.You may have read Ellen’s brilliant writing in The Stylist where she is the Deputy Digital Editor and previously in Metro. She writes and edits pieces on work, mental health, relationships, and more. Here’s her own Substack on work. She is also working on fiction and is represented by The Soho Agency.Matt/Matthew is the founder of theSHIFT, an award-winning learning consultancy that specialises in cultural change inside organisations. He’s basically a people enthusiast who has turned it into his job.I’ll be honest I love talking about work but I was worried that my own perspective might be a bit limiting. First and foremost I ended up as a boss and whether you intend it to or not that skews your perspective. Ellen and Matthew are here to help give a broader view. We loved recording the first episode and hopefully great things are to com

Sorry for duplicate - the previous version had no intro!If you liked this I actually shared a lot of the data on the newsletter a couple of weeks ago - read that here.Today's episode is an in depth exploration of the latest Gallup Global Workplace Report, Anna Sawyer, a Principal at Gallup takes us through the findings - and the implications for all leaders.Get your hands on Gallup’s ‘State of the Global Workplace Report’Here’s Anna on LinkedInI loved the Gallup report on employee burnout (and I cited the results in the show)We talk a little about the Gallup Q12 criteria that help them form their results, people are asked:I know what is expected of me at work.I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right.At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day.In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work.My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person.There is someone at work who encourages my development.At work, my opinions see

If you liked this I actually shared a lot of the data on the newsletter a couple of weeks ago - read that here.Today's episode is an in depth exploration of the latest Gallup Global Workplace Report, Anna Sawyer, a Principal at Gallup takes us through the findings - and the implications for all leaders.Get your hands on Gallup’s ‘State of the Global Workplace Report’Here’s Anna on LinkedInI loved the Gallup report on employee burnout (and I cited the results in the show)We talk a little about the Gallup Q12 criteria that help them form their results, people are asked:I know what is expected of me at work.I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right.At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day.In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work.My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person.There is someone at work who encourages my development.At work, my opinions seem to count.The mission or purpose of my company makes me

Alex's book: Work less, do moreMake Work Better newsletter covered the 4 day week trials For today’s episode I went to meet Alex Soujung Kim Pang. Alex has written a lot about our relationship with work, first in his book Rest and now in his book WORK LESS, DO MORE which is a refreshed version of Shorter.When we first spoke the evidence for shorter working was a series of quirky stories of pioneering firms, frequently led by maverick bosses. In the last three years the landscape for shorter working (encompassing all manner of adaptations like four day weeks, compressed hours, 9 day fortnights and more) has transformed. Alex himself has played a role for 4 Day Week Global helping to design the mechanics of programs for test firms. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sign up for the newsletterWe’re in a stage place with AI right now where for most of us it’s still a parlour trick. Something that we’ve seen create images of the Pope in bling or summon up meal planners that we’ll never use. But we’ve not really seen how it will impact our jobs.Along the way there have been some huge claims:An MIT study said that knowledge work could become 37% faster and more effective simply by using Chat GPTA study by Github found that software developers were 55% faster using Github CopilotAnecdotally I have heard the same from software developers.And in aggregate there’s certainly a chance that we’re not thinking of the implications of these things. The economist Paul Krugman this week said that if AI is able to deliver an additional 1.5% of growth per year to the economy then we should stop worrying about national debt and a percentage of GDP. Of course, he would say that his own extrapolations on these things are just an attempt to float ideas.That’s why today’s podcast was so im

Zeynep Ton is the author of the Good Jobs Strategy - which holds the honour of being the book I refer to the most when it comes to talking about work. In that book she set about making the case for firms to create good jobs for their employees, not just for the moral reason but because it was a route to faster growth. Now she returns with a new book, The Case for Good Jobs, which not only explains the reasoning for creating better working conditions for workers, but also how any firm can set about doing it. At the heart of the discussion is a recognition that workers want to do a good job - and often find obstacles in their way.MIT Sloan Review: When Doing Less Adds Up to MoreThe Obstacles to Creating Good Jobs Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are you touch starved? Do you feel a touch hunger in your life?Michael Banissy is a psychologist whose work focusses on the importance of physical connection between people, he styles himself as part of a group of ‘scientists who stroke’. Touch has become sigmatised by the actions of those who have misused it, to the extent that many of us have become fearful of touching the arm or shoulder of others.Michael Banissy gives a compelling case for appropriate touch, and asks us to rethink the role it plays in our lives.His book Why We Touch is out now. (It’s called Touch Matters in the US). Read more: How touch changes our decision making Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An episode today that is a reflection on where work is going and what implications there are for cities, for workers and for life. Dror Poleg is a writer and commentator who thinks about how the internet is disrupting our lives. What sets him apart is his ability to see second and third order effects of change. Dror Poleg's newsletter (and draft book of the future of work) can be found at his website.Join me at Microsoft's event on AI and the future of workJoin me on 25th May at 12.30pm (13:30 CET) when I’ll be speaking at Microsoft’s Employee Experience event.The event is focussed on developments in emerging workplace technologies, such as AI, and how we can optimise employee experience to help balance productivity, engagement, and wellbeing of employees.I’ll be delivering a keynote speech and taking part in a fireside chat with Microsoft’s Alexia Cambon and Nick Hedderman about how we can implement AI in the workplace to build the future of work.To register for your free seat, click the link here.If yo