Working It

Finale: How work has changed since we started this show

Tue, 28 Jan 2025 23:00:00 GMT

After more than three years, and 153 episodes, this is the final Working It podcast. Isabel Berwick gathers three colleagues (and friends) to discuss what they’ve learned about the world of work since the show first launched. So please, if you will, join Isabel, Andrew Hill, Emma Jacobs and Anjli Raval in the kitchen for a slice of ‘Working It’ cake, and a heartfelt goodbye to the podcast.

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Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why being a CEO is so lonely (and how to fix that)

Tue, 21 Jan 2025 23:00:00 GMT

Running a business is rewarding in plenty of ways – not least in terms of salary. But it can also be extremely lonely. Having friends at work becomes complicated (or even impossible), and you can’t be sure if people like you, or if they’re just saying what they think you want to hear. If you’re the boss, how can you learn to live with those downsides? To find out, Isabel Berwick speaks to Allan Barton (former MD of the waste disposal firm Shanks), and Tiffany Gaskell, co-CEO at the coaching consultancy Performance Consultants International.

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Lonely bosses seek opportunity in a crisis of disconnection

It feels lonelier at the top with everyone working from home

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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The science of better workplace conversations

Tue, 14 Jan 2025 23:02:23 GMT

What can we learn about the way we speak by analysing thousands of everyday conversations? That’s a question that fascinates Alison Wood Brooks. Alison, an associate professor at Harvard Business School, and author of the forthcoming book, Talk: The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves joins Isabel Berwick to discuss her research. She explains how to plan a conversation even when you don’t know who you’ll be speaking to, how we misunderstand apologies, and why there’s no such thing as too many questions.

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What we talk about when we talk about the office

The difficult work conversation AI helped me with

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why are some bosses infuriating (and others inspiring)?

Tue, 07 Jan 2025 23:00:00 GMT

When you’re a leader, colleagues look for hidden meanings in everything you do. That can make gentle suggestions sound infuriating – and amplify the effect of even off-hand compliments. So how can a leader make sure their words and actions are understood as intended? To find out, Isabel Berwick speaks to Adam Galinsky, a professor at Columbia Business School, and author of the forthcoming book ‘Inspire: The Universal Path for Leading Yourself and Others.’ Adam has asked tens of thousands of people about what makes a leader inspiring or infuriating. In this episode, he explains the perils of the ‘leadership amplification effect,’, how to praise colleagues judiciously, and why you should never tell someone to ‘drop by your office’.

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A Musk or a Ma: which type of manager are you?

How common are bad bosses?

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Best of: How to master the art of schmoozing

Tue, 24 Dec 2024 23:00:43 GMT

This week's episode of Working It – the last of the year – is a repeat of one of our favourite episodes. It features a masterclass in chit-chat from Matt Abrahams, a lecturer in communications at Stanford University, podcast host, and author of the since published book Think Faster, Talk Smarter. Good conversation is an essential tool of self-promotion in the office. So what do we make of Matt’s advice here at the FT office? Host Isabel Berwick gets the views of award-winning FT columnist Pilita Clark and Stephen Bush, who writes the FT’s daily Inside Politics newsletter.

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Top ways to be a super schmoozer

Big Tech is doing small talk no favours

Work etiquette: How to make small talk at a diplomatic function

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Produced by Laurence Knight and Audrey Tinline. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa and the sound engineer is Simon Panayi.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to get ahead (without getting promoted)

Tue, 17 Dec 2024 23:00:26 GMT

You thought you were getting that big promotion – but you missed out. What are your next steps? Isabel Berwick speaks to Sarah Ellis (co-founder of careers consultancy Amazing If) and FT Management Editor Anjli Raval to find out. They discuss how to keep your emotions in check after suffering professional rejection, who you should turn to for advice, and why ‘squiggly’ careers are more popular than ever.

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What can I do if I hit a career plateau?

‘The flattening’: tech sector calls time on middle managers

A big internal move

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Best of: How to survive the office Christmas party

Tue, 10 Dec 2024 23:00:00 GMT

It's the work Christmas party season: you're out of the office, and the alcohol is flowing. How can you make sure you don't embarrass yourself (or derail your career)? And how can you bounce back if you do go wrong? Isabel Berwick speaks to FT columnist and veteran party-goer Stephen Bush, author and comedian Viv Groskop and party-shy FT columnist Emma Jacobs to find out. Warning: contains drunken secret Santas, dancefloor embarrassment and toe-curling apologies.

Got a Christmas party nightmare you’d like Isabel and Jonathan to help you with? Submit it here: https://telbee.io/channel/ygf7_gly04xgtckcb0g56a/ or to isabel.berwick@ft.com

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Workers and bosses opt for Christmas payments over parties

The office grinch may have a point — it’s not fun if it’s forced

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Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How can middle-aged women get the most out of work?

Tue, 03 Dec 2024 23:00:00 GMT

Many middle-aged women leave the workforce with plenty left to give. What can managers do to stop that from happening? Isabel Berwick speaks to Lucy Standing, founder of Brave Starts, a not-for-profit that helps older workers realise their potential. Isabel and Lucy are joined by writer and comedian Viv Groskop, who coaches and consults widely in the corporate world. Together, they discuss how women can ask the right questions about company culture, the factors you can’t fight at work, and why the last thing older workers want is another training course.

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The perils of overlooking women of a certain age

Too many women excel at their jobs but are ignored for top roles

Advice to older workers: don’t be the office curmudgeon

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Luck makes careers. Here’s how to get more of it.

Tue, 26 Nov 2024 23:00:00 GMT

Most successful people will tell you that hard work and talent can get you where you want to go. Fewer of them will admit that luck is at least as important. Some of us are born into luckier circumstances than others; but we can all do more to make our own luck, and be ready to capitalise on it when the opportunity arises. In this episode, Isabel Berwick speaks to Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, professor of business psychology at UCL and Columbia, chief innovation officer of ManpowerGroup, and author of books including ‘The Talent Delusion’ and ‘Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders?’ Along with FT work and careers writer Emma Jacobs, they discuss why luck is a taboo subject, how it helps the wrong people thrive, and what managers can do to level the playing field.

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Why it’s often luck, not talent, that takes us to the top

The rich have advantages that money cannot buy

The untold career value of a little bit of luck at the outset

FT subscriber? Sign up to get Isabel’s free Working It newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday: ft.com/newsletters

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to get the long-term sick back to work

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 23:00:00 GMT

The UK has a well-known problem with long-term sickness in the workforce – but it’s not alone. In several wealthy countries, the number of young people turning to disability benefits has risen. Why is that? What can managers do about it? And just how much could helping people back to work boost productivity? To find out, host Isabel Berwick speaks to John Burn-Murdoch, the FT’s chief data reporter, as well as Camilla Cavendish, FT contributing editor and columnist.

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Out of work and unwell: the worrying rise of young people on benefits

How companies can deal with in-work sickness

Sickness and work is a disaster that must be fixed

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What I wish I’d known when I started my career

Tue, 12 Nov 2024 23:00:37 GMT

Isabel Berwick writes about how managers and workers can get better at their jobs. But that doesn’t mean she’s always been a perfect employee… In this special episode, Isabel speaks to her former boss (and good friend) Michael Skapinker about how she’s changed over the course of her career, her professional shortcomings, and some of the run-ins the two of them have shared. Later, Isabel and Michael discuss nuggets of career wisdom from FT colleagues including Stephen Bush, Claer Barrett and Jemima Kelly: how important is talent to a successful career? Does anyone care where you went to university? And what if the biggest career decision you’ll ever make is really to do with who you marry…?

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Starting out in work? Here’s what you need to know

My first job: what I wish I had known

My career race is in the home stretch, here’s what I know

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to be a kind manager – without being a pushover

Tue, 05 Nov 2024 23:00:55 GMT

We do not always associate bosses with kindness. But being kind to your team can make workers more engaged, more likely to stick around and more productive. So how can managers weave kindness into their daily work, even if they’re annoyed or dealing with a colleague they are not keen on? Isabel Berwick speaks to Graham Allcott, author of ‘KIND: The quiet power of kindness at work’, and Bonnie Hayden Cheng, a professor at the Hong Kong University Business School and author of ‘The Return on Kindness’.

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How acts of leadership kindness make everyone better

Kindness in the workplace too often goes unrewarded

Is kindness a leadership superpower?

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Best of: Has ‘retirement’ had its day?

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 23:00:00 GMT

Retirement used to be a cliff edge: you’d be working one week, and gardening the next. That’s changing. Now, retirement can mean working on the things you enjoy at a slower pace, and staying engaged with new ideas. Isabel Berwick speaks to author, columnist and Harvard Professor Arthur C Brooks on the science of flourishing in later life, and what older brains can do that younger ones can’t. Later, Isabel talks to former FT journalist Michael Skapinker about the importance of staying engaged with old colleagues and new ideas – even if you’re not doing the same thing every day.

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It’s time we stopped talking about retirement

The sun is setting on traditional retirement

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read the transcript of this episode which was first aired in December 2023 on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to network without being inauthentic

Tue, 22 Oct 2024 22:00:00 GMT

The idea of networking makes many of us shudder. But connecting with colleagues doesn’t have to mean cold emails and awkward encounters. Alison Fragale tells host Isabel Berwick how ‘strategic socialising’ can help us make genuinely helpful connections at work. They’re joined by Natasha Wood, head of strategy at the FT’s events business, FT Live. Natasha explains how joining colleagues in an ekiden — or long-distance relay race — helped her boost her professional status after coming back from maternity leave.

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Top ways to be a super schmoozer

Workplace friendships should be encouraged not policed

How do I get the most out of networking?

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why the pandemic couldn't kill the 100-hour week

Tue, 15 Oct 2024 22:00:00 GMT

Bankers and lawyers have long had punishing work schedules. Has the pandemic – and a widespread move towards flexible working – changed that? Guest host Bethan Staton speaks to Craig Coben, a former senior investment banker at Bank of America and Deutsche Bank, as well as Suzi Ring, the FT’s legal correspondent. They discuss why client satisfaction trumps work-life balance, why law firms can’t just hire twice as many lawyers to work half as hard, and what bankers actually do during a 100-hour work week.

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The ‘80-hour circuit breaker’: Wall Street banks tackle workloads of junior staff

High pressure, long days, crushing workloads: why is investment banking like this?

London’s junior lawyers deserve their £150,000 pay

Presented by Bethan Staton, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to survive a corporate shake-up

Tue, 08 Oct 2024 22:00:00 GMT

Corporate reorganisations can be hugely unsettling for employees, whose working lives can change overnight. What can managers do to make these periods of flux as easy as possible for their charges? Isabel Berwick speaks to work researcher Christine Armstrong, and Andrew Hill, the FT’s senior business writer. They discuss how to get ahead of gossip, why clarity is king when you deliver bad news, and the dirtiest office secret of all: that work isn’t your whole life.

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Silent lay-offs are rarely as quiet as bosses hope

We’re all busy again’, say UK restructuring experts

The anatomy of a corporate turnaround

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amazon ends remote work. Will other firms follow?

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 22:00:26 GMT

Amazon has ordered its staff back to the office five days a week from January. Will other companies follow its lead? Host Isabel Berwick asks Kevin Delaney, the editor-in-chief of media and research firm Charter, what the data says about the efficacy of remote work. They’re joined by the FT’s Emma Jacobs, who argues being in the office is not the solution to every workplace problem.

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Amazon orders staff back to office 5 days a week

Amazon says workers need to be in the office. Most of Silicon Valley disagrees.

The office is not the only solution

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Breen Turner. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Working It live: How to get ahead without burning out

Tue, 24 Sep 2024 22:00:00 GMT

Leaders are always under pressure – but the most successful ones know how to manage it. In this special episode, recorded live at the FT Weekend Festival in London on September 7, Isabel Berwick speaks to psychologist Dr Audrey Tang, who explains how managers can better resist the pressures of their work. Tang, author of books including ‘The Leader’s Guide to Resilience,’ tells Isabel about the importance of bosses modelling healthy behaviour, why skills (as opposed to strengths) can make workers unhappy, and how to know when a colleague is about to burn out.

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The balance between idleness and burnout proves elusive

How to avoid burnout and thrive at work

Burnout and America’s great resignation: how employers can help

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why you should take more risks, with Nate Silver

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 22:00:00 GMT

Every career involves choices; every choice involves risk. But being able to size up those risks, and think coolly about which are worth taking, can make the process of choosing between options much easier. The problem? Most of us aren’t actually very good at evaluating risk. In this episode, Isabel Berwick speaks to statistician, writer and sometime poker player Nate Silver to find out how we can take better risks in our careers. Silver, founder of analysis website FiveThirtyEight and author of the new book On the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything’ explains why fear plays an outsize risk in our decision making, how to recover when a bet doesn’t pan out and why your 60s might not be the time to avoid risk.

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On the Edge by Nate Silver — the risk-takers who beat the market

We need to be better at predicting bad outcomes

Interview with Nate Silver

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why you can’t ‘hack’ your way to productivity, with Oliver Burkeman

Tue, 10 Sep 2024 22:00:00 GMT

Lots of productivity advice tells you how you can cram more into your day, but accepting you can only do so much might be the only productivity “hack” that works. Oliver Burkeman, author of the smash-hit 2021 book Four Thousand Weeks, talks to Isabel Berwick about his new book, Meditations for Mortals, which lays out practical steps to living a less frantic life. Oliver tells Isabel why delaying our professional gratification can become a trap, how we should deal with our monstrous email backlogs and why pragmatism beats idealism every time.

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How can you manage your time in 2024?

Why I’m not tidying up before guests come over

Endless to-do list? Here’s how not to waste your life

FT subscriber? Sign up to get Isabel’s free Working It newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday: ft.com/newsletters

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who ate my lunch (hour)?

Tue, 03 Sep 2024 22:00:00 GMT

If you like your colleagues, the lunch hour is probably a highlight of your working day. But fewer and fewer of us are actually using it to, well, lunch. Since flexible working has become the norm, people have increasingly ‘banked’ their lunch hour, and spent their break time running errands, exercising, or seeing their kids. Stanford university professor Nick Bloom tells host Isabel Berwick. But is something lost if we don’t break bread with our colleagues? Is eating ‘al desko’ really so bad? And what’s the secret to a great homemade lunch? FT Magazine Food and Drink editor Harriet Fitch Little also joins to discuss.

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Sour-and-hot silken tofu with avocado — a Fuchsia Dunlop recipe

Recipe: The smacked cucumber salad chefs are obsessed with

Bring back the business lunch

Who picks up the bill for a business lunch?

FT subscriber? Sign up to get Isabel’s free Working It newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday: ft.com/newsletters

Credits:

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Jake Fielding. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What managers get wrong about Gen Z

Tue, 27 Aug 2024 22:00:00 GMT

Managers can’t get their heads around Gen Z employees. Why won’t they work late? Why do they talk like that? And do they even want to be here? But instead of emphasising points of difference with younger workers, we should get better at understanding their motivations. In this episode, Isabel speaks to researcher and futurist Chloe Combi, who has interviewed more than 20,000 young people about what they want. Chloe explains why Gen Z workers often clash with millennials (and how to give them better mentors). FT columnist Pilita Clark vents about her biggest Gen Z bugbear: the fact that they’re so often right about the workplace…

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The most annoying thing about young people at work

Making sense of Gen Z: employers seek answers on managing younger workers

How to adapt your leadership to a multigenerational workplace

FT subscriber? Sign up to get Isabel’s free Working It newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday: ft.com/newsletters

To take part in the FT audience survey and be in with a chance to win a pair of Bose wireless headphones, please click here. For the survey’s terms and conditions, please click here.

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why working on holiday could make you worse at your job

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 22:00:00 GMT

You’ve worked hard all year, and the summer holidays have finally arrived. But it’s not like all your colleagues have downed tools. Would it be so bad if you checked your emails – just quickly – to make sure your team don’t need you? Well, yes it would, actually. In this episode, author and journalist Brigid Schulte tells Isabel Berwick why holiday work is a failure of management – and can cost employees their good health. Isabel also speaks to freelance journalist Oliver Balch, who recently asked senior executives about whether they really disconnect on their holidays.

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‘I’m going to get a spicy margarita and I’ll be back’: how executives approach work during holidays

Did summer holidays make this week’s market turmoil worse?

How taking a holiday went global

To take part in the FT audience survey and be in with a chance to win a pair of Bose wireless headphones, please click here. For the survey’s terms and conditions, please click here.

Credits:

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How much ambition is too much? With Lucy Kellaway

Tue, 13 Aug 2024 22:00:00 GMT

In most workplaces, expressing ambition is non-negotiable. We’re all meant to strive, to want more, and to summit ever more impressive professional peaks; but only a handful ever reach the top. Besides, does ambition really make us happy? In this episode, Isabel Berwick speaks to Stefan Stern, author of ‘Fair or Foul: The Lady Macbeth Guide to Ambition.’. They discuss why even the highest achievers can never accomplish enough.’ Later, Isabel speaks to teacher and former FT journalist Lucy Kellaway, who explains why tempering your ambition can be the difference between satisfaction and sadness.

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Necessary but corrosive: Lucy Kellaway on ambition

Is the age of ambition over?

Why ‘post-ambition’ is the secret to career enlightenment

To take part in the FT audience survey and be in with a chance to win a pair of Bose wireless headphones, please click here. For the survey’s terms and conditions, please click here

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Coaching Real Leaders: How can I set the right boundaries in a new job?

Tue, 06 Aug 2024 22:00:00 GMT

Working It is taking a break this week, so we’re bringing you a podcast we think you’ll enjoy: Coaching Real Leaders, from Harvard Business Review. The show takes you inside real-life coaching sessions with veteran leadership coach Muriel Wilkins. In this episode, Muriel speaks to ‘Sarah’, who has experienced burnout in more than one of her previous roles. Muriel investigates the causes of Sarah’s burnout – and points her to new habits that may stop her burning out again.

To take part in the FT audience survey and be in with a chance to win a pair of Bose wireless headphones, please click here. For the survey’s terms and conditions, please click here.

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You messed up at work. What now?

Tue, 30 Jul 2024 22:00:00 GMT

There’s plenty of finger pointing taking place following the CrowdStrike software outage that took down millions of computers all over the world earlier this month. So what’s the best way to deal with big mistakes in the workplace – and can you win back trust after a huge error? Senior editor Hugh Carnegy, who administers the FT’s corrections and complaints process, tells host Isabel Berwick how he handles mistakes by editors and correspondents, and Sandra Sucher, professor of management practice at Harvard Business School, joins the conversation to talk about how trust is lost and regained in a corporate setting.

To take part in the FT audience survey and be in with a chance to win a pair of Bose wireless headphones, please click here. For the survey’s terms and conditions, please click here

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘Power hours’: how to make the most of your working day

Tue, 23 Jul 2024 22:00:38 GMT

We all experience peaks and troughs over the course of a working day. Knowing how to manage them can make us much more productive. Isabel Berwick speaks to Daniel Pink, bestselling author of books including When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, about why people work best at different times of day – and how we can harness those differences to do our best work. Later, producer Mischa Frankl-Duval speaks to Aaron Levie, CEO of Box. Aaron is a committed night owl. He explains his unusual schedule, and how it affects his leadership.

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Fewer meetings, more memos: the future of asynchronous work

Waking up to the new sleep rules

Sleep expert Matthew Walker on the secret to a good night’s rest

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How much should a leader know about their team?

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 22:00:00 GMT

CEOs ultimately take responsibility when something goes wrong on their team. But leaders have a lot on their plates. How can they stay on top of what the people under them are doing, without burning themselves out? To learn more, Isabel Berwick speaks to Cath Bishop, a former Olympic rower who now helps businesses create sustainable working cultures, and the FT’s senior business writer Andrew Hill.

To take part in an audience survey and be in with the chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort 35 wireless headphones, click here. Click here to find T&Cs for the prize draw.

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Senior executives must be held individually accountable

A radical prescription to make work fit for the future

How to manage a micromanager

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to make your mark as a new leader

Tue, 09 Jul 2024 22:00:09 GMT

When you step into a senior job, your in-tray is stuffed (just ask the new UK prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer). People who work under you are trying to win you round; the colleagues you beat out for the top job may be looking to sabotage you. And, as guest Laura Empson – a professor in the management of professional services firms at Bayes Business School – tells guest host Andrew Hill, some staff are even complaining about the chicken sandwiches. Laura explains how to cut through the noise when you start a new job, and the importance of throwing “live chickens” to the crocodiles.

To take part in an audience survey and be in with the chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort 35 wireless headphones, click here. Click here to find T&Cs for the prize draw.

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Why are a leader’s first hundred days so important?

Labour’s first 100 days: what lies in store for the new government?

In business, 100-day plans are a mistake

New BBC chair Samir Shah faces daunting in-tray

Presented by Andrew Hill, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Breen Turner. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to know when it’s time to quit

Tue, 02 Jul 2024 22:00:00 GMT

We’re conditioned to believe that persevering in a tough situation is more noble than quitting. But decision strategist (and former poker champion) Annie Duke tells host Isabel Berwick that that’s not always the case. Too often when we’re faced with a stick-or-twist decision at work, we underplay the positives that may come from a change – and overplay the negatives.

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Quitting is underrated

Quitting a job does not make you a failure

Why living experimentally beats taking big bets

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can AI really do creative work?

Tue, 25 Jun 2024 22:00:00 GMT

Generative AI models have improved rapidly over the past few months – and that has spooked some people in the creative industries. Many worry that models such as Midjourney and ChatGPT could take work off the plates of artists, designers and musicians. In this episode, we hear some more optimistic views. First, Dan Sherratt, VP of creative and innovation at the design agency Poppins, explains how he uses AI to speed up some of his less interesting tasks, and why there will always be a place for high-effort, human-made products. Next, Oxford professor Marcus du Sautoy explains how AI models can be genuinely creative – and might even help humans think less like machines.

Want to get in touch? Write to Isabel at isabel.berwick@ft.com

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Can AI make brainstorming less mind-numbing?

Academics express confidence that they and AI can work together

The real quandary of AI isn’t what people think

AI is an opportunity for creative industries, says Bertelsmann boss

FT subscriber? Sign up to get Isabel’s free Working It newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday: ft.com/newsletters

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can an ‘AI interviewer’ hire better than a human?

Tue, 18 Jun 2024 22:02:10 GMT

All managers want to hire the best people, but the recruitment process can be a slog. Busy managers don’t want to spend their time sifting through hundreds of applications, and candidates don’t want to be ignored. Could AI help streamline this process? Host Isabel Berwick hears from micro1 founder Ali Ansari. Ansari says his AI interviewer is already being used to perform thousands of job interviews. Later, Isabel speaks to Chano Fernandez, co-CEO of Eightfold, to learn how the company uses AI not only to recruit candidates, but also to better match staff to potential career paths.

Want to get in touch? Write to Isabel at isabel.berwick@ft.com

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Graduate jobseekers navigate AI effect on gender equality

Superfluous people vs AI: what the jobs revolution might look like

Quiet hiring: why managers are recruiting from their own ranks

Tech and generational changes increase urgency of upskilling

FT subscriber? Sign up to get Isabel’s free Working It newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday: ft.com/newsletters

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

AI and Work: Can I send a chatbot to that meeting?

Tue, 11 Jun 2024 22:00:00 GMT

There’s been a lot of talk about artificial intelligence in the workplace – but not much in the way of specifics. Isabel Berwick wants to change that. In this episode, she speaks to Iliana Oris Valiente, managing director and Innovation lead at Accenture Canada. Iliana has a ‘digital twin’ who attends meetings in her stead. But will it catch on? Later, Isabel speaks to the FT’s AI editor, Madhumita Murgia, to find out how far off digital twins (or even digital assistants) are.

Want to get in touch? Write to Isabel at isabel.berwick@ft.com

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The race for an AI-powered personal assistant

Can AI make brainstorming less mind-numbing?

Artificial intelligence: A virtual assistant for life

FT subscriber? Sign up to get Isabel’s free Working It newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday: ft.com/newsletters

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval and Tamara Komornick, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introducing Untold: Power for Sale

Wed, 05 Jun 2024 04:00:51 GMT

Introducing Power for Sale, a new season of Untold from the Financial Times. In Untold: Power for Sale, host Valentina Pop and a team of FT correspondents from all over Europe investigate what happened in the Qatargate scandal, where EU lawmakers were accused of accepting payments from Qatar to whitewash its image.

Subscribe and listen on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Best of: How Scandinavia cracked the productivity puzzle

Tue, 04 Jun 2024 22:00:27 GMT

The UK has a well-reported productivity problem, with mediocre managers, poor communication and chronic underinvestment all hampering growth. What can Britain glean from Norway, Sweden and Denmark, all of which have more productive economies? And what lessons can be learned from Japan, the only major developed economy that is less productive than the UK? Host Isabel Berwick speaks to FT senior business writer Andrew Hill to find out what ails Britain. Later, she chats to Leo Lewis, the FT’s Asia business editor, and Richard Milne, Nordic and Baltic bureau chief, to learn how the UK could perform better (or worse…) This is a repeat of an episode published at the end of October, 2023.

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Why productivity is so weak at UK companies

The UK is doing a shoddy job of keeping up with the neighbours

Sweden is navigating an international identity crisis

Lessons from Japan: High-income countries have common problems

FT subscriber? Sign up to get Isabel’s Working It newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday: ft.com/newsletters

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is ‘personality’ a good enough reason to hire someone?

Tue, 28 May 2024 22:00:00 GMT

TikTok and Instagram are awash with videos about so-called personality hires – young, fun-loving employees whose main contribution to work seems to be… well, ‘vibes’. These videos are tongue-in-cheek, but they raise interesting questions about the role our personalities play at work: how big a factor should personality be in hiring decisions? Can we put a value on being a good colleague? And can being known for your bubbly personality give the impression you don’t know what you’re doing? To find out Isabel speaks to NYU professor Tessa West, who explains why understanding status is crucial to success at work. Isabel also speaks to Bella Rose Mortel, a social media strategist and self-proclaimed personality hire, who explains that charisma alone is no substitute for competence.

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Psychological tests can help firms hire better — but accuracy is not guaranteed

Competent jerks have a shelf life in the office

No passion please, we are British

Is Myers-Briggs up to the job?

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to give honest feedback (even when it’s difficult)

Tue, 21 May 2024 22:00:00 GMT

Many managers hate giving feedback just as much as employees hate receiving it. So how can we give our colleagues pointers without upsetting them? Isabel speaks to Joe Hirsch, who helps CEOs and corporate clients design better feedback, to find out why a spirit of partnership is key to making the process more fluent. Later, she speaks to Kim Scott, a former Google and Apple executive, and author of ‘Radical Candor,’ one of the most influential business books of recent years. Kim explains why honest, straightforward feedback is so important – especially when issues of race and gender are involved.

Want to get in touch? Write to Isabel at isabel.berwick@ft.com

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Positive feedback: the science of criticism that actually works

Tesla’s Technoking gives lessons on performance reviews

The painful truth about feedback at work

FT subscriber? Sign up to get Isabel’s free Working It newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday: ft.com/newsletters

Credits:

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to slow down but achieve more, with Cal Newport

Tue, 14 May 2024 22:00:00 GMT

The modern employee is overloaded. Alongside various projects, the average office worker has to deal with a huge administrative burden, responding to emails and instant messages, attending meetings, and trying to figure out which of their seemingly endless tasks is the most urgent. Academic, author and productivity expert Cal Newport thinks there’s a better way. In this episode, he explains how white-collar jobs put an emphasis on looking busy, rather than getting stuff done – and how to fight back. Cal also gives practical tips for better managing your workflow, how to tell your boss your work will take twice as long, and why you should go to the cinema – on a workday.

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Slow Productivity by Cal Newport — when less means more

How Cal Newport rewrote the productivity gospel

Train yourself to concentrate with ‘pull-ups for the brain’

Credits:

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s global head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Working It Live: How to future-proof your career

Tue, 07 May 2024 22:00:00 GMT

Isabel Berwick has spent the last year writing The Future-Proof Career, a book about how to thrive at work, now and in the future. Last month, she held a launch event at Daunt Books, where she spoke to her friend and colleague Claer Barrett, the FT’s consumer editor, about what she learned in the process.

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Five secrets of workplace success

Can AI make brainstorming less mind-numbing?

Credits:

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What the US non-compete ban could mean for workers

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 22:00:00 GMT

More than 30mn Americans are subject to non-compete agreements, which temporarily bar them from working for rival companies if they leave their jobs. These clauses were meant to protect trade secrets and client relationships at banks, tech companies, and similarly flashy organisations – but they now affect tens of millions of Americans, including in low-paid jobs. The US Federal Trade Commission last week voted to ban non-compete agreements – but will its decision stick? Isabel Berwick speaks to Amelia Pollard and Anjli Raval, who have covered the issue for the FT, to find out.

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Millions of workers are caught in a ‘non-compete’ trap

Employee non-compete agreements barred by US regulator

Ban on non-compete agreements sends shockwave across Wall Street

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s global head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When loyal workers are bad for business

Tue, 23 Apr 2024 22:00:08 GMT

Most people think of loyalty as a good thing, but in a professional context, being too devoted to an employer can have damaging consequences. Disengaged workers who don’t leave their jobs will hardly make the best ambassadors for a company; longstanding employees might run out of fresh ideas; and some research shows loyal employees are less likely to cover up wrongdoing at their firms. Isabel Berwick speaks to Jeremie Brecheisen, Gallup’s managing partner for the Emea region, about the company’s annual ‘State of the Workplace’ report, which showed more than half of employees worldwide are looking to change jobs. Isabel also speaks to FT management editor Anjli Raval, about the downsides of workplace loyalty.

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Why staff loyalty is not always a good thing

Too much loyalty does neither the company nor the employee much good

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Coming soon: The Five Minute Investor from Money Clinic

Fri, 19 Apr 2024 04:00:58 GMT

Introducing Money Clinic’s Five Minute Investor, a miniseries hosted by Claer Barrett, the FT’s consumer editor. In each episode, Claer challenges top financial commentators to break down financial jargon in just five minutes, making you a smarter, and hopefully richer, investor. Tune in every Tuesday, and subscribe to Money Clinic wherever you get your podcasts. If you would like Claer to demystify an investment term, email the team at money@ft.com or send Claer a DM on social media — she’s @ClaerB on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Public quitting videos are spooking managers

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 22:00:55 GMT

Tens of thousands of workers have been made redundant already this year – but some are refusing to go quietly. Younger employees are posting videos of their layoffs (or of the moment they quit their jobs) on TikTok and Instagram, publicising an intimate moment that usually stays hidden. Why are they doing it? And how can managers protect themselves from the fallout of those videos? Isabel Berwick speaks to ‘Quit-Toker’ Gabby Ianniello, outplacement consultant Rhiannon Rowley and FT journalist Josh Gabert-Doyon to find out.

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Quit-Tok: why young workers are refusing to leave their job quietly

In defence of the Gen Z challenge to the ‘work ethic’

Stop moaning about Gen Z grads — they might teach us something

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What the rise of ‘supercommuters’ tells us about work

Tue, 09 Apr 2024 22:00:00 GMT

During the Covid-19 pandemic, millions of workers got used to working at home. Some moved hundreds of miles from the cities where their companies were based to live a cheaper and less stressful life. But now that in-office work is back, a rising number of people are looking to eat their cake and have it, too, combining good jobs in urban centres with a peaceful rural life. To make that work, they have to ‘supercommute’, travelling for hours on end to get to the office. But why do they do it? Isabel speaks to Mo Marikar, who commutes from North Wales to London, and Max Dawes, who takes a ferry, bus, train and metro from the Isle of Wight to London – a four-hour commute. She also talks to FT journalists Emma Jacobs and Andrew Hill to find out how the commute has changed since the pandemic.

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The rise of the super-commuter

Commuting is back — but not as we knew it

What commuters get up to when they no longer commute

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What can I do when my employees are afraid to speak up?

Tue, 02 Apr 2024 22:00:00 GMT

US aircraft maker Boeing has faced major scrutiny over its safety standards in recent years, after accidents – some catastrophic – involving its jets. But even after fatal incidents, and the recent mid-flight blowout of a door panel on one of its planes, its employees are reluctant to speak out about safety issues, according to a report released in February by the Federal Aviation Administration. How can managers and leaders better encourage employees to speak up when they notice a problem? What can they do to make sure those who raise issues will be lauded, not criticised? And is it really worth employees’ while to take the risk of dissenting? Isabel Berwick speaks to FT contributing editor and executive coach Michael Skapinker, as well as Margaret Heffernan, a former chief executive of various companies and author of books including Wilful Blindness, about why people are reluctant to raise concerns, even when they know they should.

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The perils of speaking up at work too often deter staff from voicing concerns

US aviation regulator launches formal probe into Boeing’s mid-air blowout

The whistleblowing lessons from the CBI scandal

Japan needs stronger whistleblower protections

FT subscriber? Sign up to get Isabel’s free Working It newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday: ft.com/newsletters

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to get ahead without managing people, with Martin Wolf

Tue, 26 Mar 2024 23:00:00 GMT

The higher up you go in most careers, the more likely it is you’ll become a manager. But plenty of workers want to keep doing what they’re best at, and not get involved in the messy admin and politics of overseeing other people. Martin Wolf is a leading economics commentator at the FT. He hasn’t formally managed anyone in 35 years – and doesn't’ regret it. What can we learn from Martin’s success?

Producer Mischa Frankl-Duval speaks to Martin to hear his story. Later, host Isabel Berwick chats to Karl Edge, KPMG UK’s Chief People Officer, to find out how career progression works at the company.

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Why being a manager matters more than ever

Stop making fun of managers

The UK’s productivity problem: the curse of the ‘accidental manager

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

No schedule, no meetings: are 'working hours' history?

Tue, 19 Mar 2024 23:00:00 GMT

The pandemic showed us we could all work in different places; can we all work at different times, too? That idea – known as ‘asynchronous’ work – has gained traction at a number of companies. Workers march to the beat of their own drum, and only occasionally speak to their scattered colleagues in real time. That gives them greater flexibility; but does it make collaboration harder? How can a manager get a handle on their team’s work if they’re several time zones away? And how can colleagues be expected to bond, or trust each other, without spending real time together? Guest host Mischa Frankl-Duval speaks to Scott Farquhar, CEO of software group Atlassian, whose employees work from 13 countries; and Jen Rhymer, an assistant professor at the UCL School of Management, to find out how companies make asynchronous work… work.

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We are not ready for the asynchronous future

Letter: Some offices are not suited to ‘asynchronous’ working

How to make sure the remote workforce is a winning team

Presented and produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘Supercommunicators’ are made, not born

Tue, 12 Mar 2024 23:00:00 GMT

Most of us are hired because of our “hard” skills. But the more senior we get, the more important soft skills become; none more so than how we communicate with people. Isabel Berwick speaks to Charles Duhigg about how the world’s best communicators (or “super communicators”) listen, experiment and ask questions to get into sync with people. Later, Isabel speaks to Ruth Girardet, an executive coach and moderator at the Aspen Institute, for some practical tips on how to listen to employees – and when to stop.

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Listen and you might learn something

The quiet art of being a good listener

How to communicate better at work

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi and Breen Turner. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is the CV dead?

Tue, 05 Mar 2024 23:00:00 GMT

Crafting a CV (or résumé) can be extremely tedious; wading through CVs as a hiring manager can be just as boring. So why are they still the default method for filtering job candidates? Can we do better? And might alternative hiring methods help managers choose more suitable candidates – rather than ones who just look good on paper? Isabel Berwick speaks to Jess Woodward-Jones, co-founder of talent-tech company Vizzy, who explains where she feels the CV falls short. Later, Isabel speaks to Jonathan Black, director of the Oxford University careers service, who tells her that the CV isn’t going anywhere just yet…

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AI in recruitment: the death knell of the CV?

How to write a tailored CV

LinkedIn: the end of CVs as we know them?

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Office politics: how to play the game

Tue, 27 Feb 2024 23:00:00 GMT

Office politics isn’t something we choose to do – it’s an inescapable part of working life. Our workplace rituals, friendships and the alliances we forge play a big part in how our careers pan out; so how can we make sure we’re doing them right? Can we ever get ahead without our colleagues hating us? And why does it matter if we’re late for meetings? Isabel Berwick is joined by John Curran, CEO and founder of organisational development consultancy JC & Associates, and FT deputy opinion editor, Miranda Green, to find out.

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Office politics is not optional: learn to play the game or you’ll be its victim

The fraught politics of the office whipround

How can I be more political and still be myself?

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why people-pleasers fail

Tue, 20 Feb 2024 23:00:00 GMT

If you’ve ever helped a colleague out just so they’d like you, or overburdened yourself to make your boss’s life easier, you may think of yourself as a good team player. But you might actually be a people-pleaser. Host Isabel Berwick speaks to NYU psychology professor Tessa West, who explains why people-pleasing rarely works in the long term. Later, Isabel talks to Christine Braamskamp, London-based managing partner of law firm Jenner & Block, who explains that a little people-pleasing is sometimes necessary – especially in a newer working relationship.

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Just say no if working while female

Anxiety: the office fear factor

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Jake Fielding. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why ‘sh*t-fixers’ make the best managers

Tue, 13 Feb 2024 23:00:20 GMT

Few things at work are more frustrating than tedious bureaucracy – and few things make employees happier than when their managers get rid of it. Isabel Berwick speaks to Huggy Rao, professor of organisational behaviour at Stanford, and co-author of 'The Friction Project,' to find out how managers can become 'shit-fixers’, clearing unnecessary obstacles from the path of their teams, while making sure they don’t go too fast for their own good. Later, Isabel speaks to FT senior business writer Andrew Hill to learn what the consequences can be when managers introduce too few checks and balances – and why generative AI might actually make bureaucracy worse.

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‘I work in a frustration factory’: how to make workplaces run better

Letter: Frictions and frustrations of modern office working

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The return-to-office debate is heating up

Tue, 06 Feb 2024 23:00:00 GMT

Hybrid working is an entrenched part of most office workers’ lives – but at some companies, that could be changing. Major firms including Bank of America and UPS are taking tougher stances on working from home. Will workers drag their feet in returning to the office? And if so, how can companies convince them to come back? Kevin Ellis, the UK head of PwC, tells guest host Andrew Hill why he encourages younger workers to come to work. Later, the FT’s global business columnist, Rana Foroohar, speaks to Jeremy Myerson and Phillip Ross – authors of the book ‘Unworking,’ about how better tech could win remote workers over.

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Bank of America warns return-to-office laggards with ‘letters of education’

UPS to cut 12,000 jobs as revenue outlook falls short on weak parcel demand

The home-working revolution is harming younger workers

Employers and staff seek truce on office working

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How can I help a grieving colleague?

Tue, 30 Jan 2024 23:00:00 GMT

Dealing with the grief of a bereavement at work can be extremely difficult, both for the person suffering a loss, and for those around them. So how can you make life a little easier for grieving colleagues? How can you best support them while respecting their privacy? And how can you ensure bereavement-related absences don’t make life harder for other colleagues? Isabel Berwick speaks to Andy Langford, clinical director of bereavement charity Cruse for some practical tips on dealing with workplace grief. Later, she talks to Gabriella Braun, director of workplace consultancy Working Well. Gabriella explains that grief goes beyond death; we can feel grief in any number of workplace scenarios.

Credits:

https://www.cruse.org.uk/understanding-grief/

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Workers and bosses opt for Christmas payments over parties

The office grinch may have a point — it’s not fun if it’s forced

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Should companies snoop on their remote workers?

Tue, 23 Jan 2024 23:00:00 GMT

Four years after the Covid-19 pandemic, remote work isn’t going away. But some managers are still unconvinced that workers actually do anything when they’re not in the office. Should those managers have a right to monitor their workers’ computers? And if workers are being snooped on, should they fight back? Isabel Berwick speaks to Liam Martin, co-founder of employee monitoring software company Time Doctor. She also speaks to Diana Rodriguez from Tech8 USA, a company that manufactures “mouse-jigglers” that keeps computers active when their users aren’t at their desks.

Should managers be allowed to snoop on workers? Tell us here: https://telbee.io/channel/ygf7_gly04xgtckcb0g56a/ or email isabel.berwick@ft.com

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Workplace surveillance may hurt us more than it helps

Spooks in your machine: rise in WFH monitoring drives dissent

Surveillance risks ‘spinning out of control’, warns UK workers’ union

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Your best new hire may already be on staff

Tue, 16 Jan 2024 23:00:00 GMT

January is peak hiring season, as workers reconsider their jobs and managers look to bring in fresh talent. But before you advertise a job to the big, wide world, ask yourself: could somebody already on staff move into this role? In this episode, host Isabel Berwick speaks to global HR expert Josh Bersin, who explains why companies such as Microsoft and Unilever emphasise internal development, and the benefits it can bring for employers and employees alike. Isabel also speaks to the FT’s deputy work and careers editor Bethan Staton about how workers can prime themselves to get that big internal promotion.

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Why staff loyalty is not always a good thing

UK recruiters register sharp rise in jobseekers as employers cut back

Credits:

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Productivity doesn't have to be hard work

Tue, 09 Jan 2024 23:00:00 GMT

It's a new working year, and you've got lofty ideas about doing more of... everything! But how can you actually achieve more of the stuff that matters to you? Isabel speaks to Ali Abdaal, a former doctor and one of the world's most-followed productivity experts, to hear about the role joy can play in working better. Later, Marc Zao-Sanders discusses timeboxing – a pragmatic way to focus on important tasks.

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When it comes to productivity hacks, are you an Arnie or an Elon?

Ditch the bullet journal and stay in bed as long as you like

It is your own fault if you get hooked on technology

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Best of: How to be more productive at work

Tue, 02 Jan 2024 23:00:00 GMT

We all want to achieve more – and produce better work – without spending more time at our desk. Isabel Berwick asks senior FT columnist Tim Harford how best to tackle the problem of productivity. Tim shares some of his top tips for avoiding distraction and creating a state of “flow” at work. Plus, could AI come to the rescue? Originally broadcast June 2023.

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UK productivity growth driven by minority of high-performing companies

Britain needs a way out of economic stagnation

Why productivity is so weak at UK companies

Credits:

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What will work look like in 2024?

Tue, 26 Dec 2023 23:00:36 GMT

2023 was the year companies started experimenting with generative AI; 2024 is the year it might start triggering real changes in the workplace. Between technological ructions, a US election and a seesaw shift in employee-employer power, next year will be another year of flux in workplaces across the world. Host Isabel Berwick speaks to Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, the FT’s US news editor, and Andrew Hill, its senior business writer, to find out more.

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High-flying City workers set to be most affected by AI, finds UK study

Politics in the workplace: how should we deal with opposing views?

Hybrid working boosts number of UK women in full-time jobs, study finds

UK wage growth eases in sign of softening labour market

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Has ‘retirement’ had its day?

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 23:00:00 GMT

Retirement used to be a cliff edge; you’d be working one week, and gardening the next. That’s changing. Now, retirement can mean working on the things you enjoy at a slower pace, and staying engaged with new ideas. Isabel Berwick speaks to author, columnist and Harvard Professor Arthur C. Brooks on the science of flourishing in later life, and what older brains can do that younger ones can’t. Later, she talks to former FT journalist Michael Skapinker about the importance of staying engaged with old colleagues and new ideas – even if you’re not doing the same thing every day.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to survive the office Christmas party

Tue, 12 Dec 2023 23:00:50 GMT

Got a Christmas party nightmare you’d like Isabel and Jonathan to help you with? Submit it here: https://telbee.io/channel/ygf7_gly04xgtckcb0g56a/ or to isabel.berwick@ft.com

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Workers and bosses opt for Christmas payments over parties

The office grinch may have a point — it’s not fun if it’s forced

Credits:

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What was the best business book of 2023?

Tue, 05 Dec 2023 23:00:00 GMT

Every year since 2005, the Financial Times has given an award to the year’s outstanding business book, as chosen by a panel of eminent judges. But how do they actually choose from such a wide array of excellent books? What made them select the shortlist they picked? And who took home the prestigious prize? Host Isabel Berwick speaks to a number of the shortlisted authors, including Amy Edmondson, author of ‘Right Kind of Wrong’; Ed Conway, who wrote ‘Material World’; Siddharth Kara, whose latest book is ‘Cobalt Red’; and DeepMind co-founder Mustafa Suleyman, whose book ‘The Coming Wave’ discusses the fearsome risks that AI poses to humanity. Isabel also speaks to FT editor Roula Khalaf, and FT senior business writer Andrew Hill, who has stewarded the prize since it began.

Want to get in touch? Write to Isabel at isabel.berwick@ft.com

Want more? Free links:

FT Business Book of the Year 2023 – The Shortlist

FT Business Book of the Year 2023 – The Longlist

Working It: Why successful companies need to be good at failure

AI and the next great tech shift

Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson — clashes of the titan

Material World — the six commodities that shape our lives

FT subscriber? Sign up to get Isabel’s free Working It newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday: ft.com/newsletters

Credits: Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval and mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Office Therapy: your work problems solved

Tue, 28 Nov 2023 23:00:00 GMT

Bad bosses, tough conditions and colleagues who put us in the shade; we all have work problems sometimes and Working It is here to help you solve yours. Host Isabel Berwick teams up with Jonathan Black, director of the Oxford university careers service and writer of the FT’s Dear Jonathan career advice column, to help three listeners.

Submit your workplace dilemmas, questions and worries here:

https://telbee.io/channel/ygf7_gly04xgtckcb0g56a/

FT subscriber? Sign up to get Isabel’s free Working It newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday, here.

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Workplace pressure: how to cope

Tue, 21 Nov 2023 23:00:00 GMT

We’ve all been there: the presentation we’re dreading, the deadline we’ve been avoiding, the boss breathing down our neck. So how best to cope with the resulting stress and pressure? Host Isabel Berwick sources top tips from Chris Hunt, a bomb disposal operator, and Mark Wilson, professor of performance psychology at the University of Exeter. Both also explain how pressure affects you physiologically.

Want to get in touch? Write to Isabel.Berwick@ft.com

Do you have a workplace dilemma you’d like Isabel and Jonathan Black, director of the careers service at Oxford university, to help you with? Submit it using this link.

Free FT links:

Workplace anxiety - and how to overcome it

FT subscriber? Sign up to get Isabel’s free Working It newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday, here

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Build your brand on LinkedIn (without being unbearable)

Tue, 14 Nov 2023 23:00:00 GMT

LinkedIn started life as a simple jobs site. Now, it’s something far more complex, with influencers vying for attention, and tech bros spinning improbable yarns about how hard they work. How can ordinary people get better at using the site without becoming bores? How much is it acceptable to share about yourself on LinkedIn? And what can we learn from the site’s power users? Isabel Berwick speaks to Meagan Loyst – a LinkedIn “Top Voice” – to find out. Later, Isabel speaks to Hannah Murphy, an FT reporter who covers social media, to learn more about the way LinkedIn has changed – and what might happen next.

Free Links:

Influencers and CEOs take their brands to LinkedIn

What is Ryan Reynolds doing on LinkedIn?

LinkedIn’s Ryan Roslansky: ‘You can only learn how to be a CEO by being a CEO’

Why Linda Yaccarino took on the wildest job in Silicon Valley

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introducing: Life and Art, from FT Weekend

Mon, 13 Nov 2023 05:00:25 GMT

Introducing Life and Art, from FT Weekend. It's a new twice-weekly culture podcast from the Financial Times. On Monday, we talk about life, and how to live a good one, in a one-on-one conversation that explores everything from food and travel to philosophy and creativity. On Friday, we talk about “art” – in a chat show! Three FT journalists come together to discuss a new cultural release across film, TV, music and books. Hosted by Lilah Raptopoulos, together with the FT’s award-winning writers and editors, and special guests.

Click here to follow Life and Art, from FT Weekend.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why managers get ADHD wrong

Tue, 07 Nov 2023 23:00:00 GMT

Millions of working adults struggle with ADHD worldwide. The condition often affects people’s ability to focus and complete tasks, making professional life difficult. Shortages of ADHD medicines have compounded the problem, with some patients forced to go without, or ration, their medication. How can managers better understand employees who are struggling with ADHD? What adjustments can they make to improve working conditions? And what can workers themselves do to cope? Host Isabel Berwick speaks to Dr Uthish Sreedaran, clinical director for psychiatry at Psychiatry-UK, and Leanne Maskell, founder and director of ADHD Works, which provides ADHD training and coaching.

Got a workplace dilemma you’d like Isabel and Jonathan to help you with? Submit it here: https://telbee.io/channel/ygf7_gly04xgtckcb0g56a/

Want to get in touch? Write to Isabel at isabel.berwick@ft.com

Want more? Free links:

The benefits of revealing neurodiversity in the workplace

Employers see the positive side of ADHD and autism

We’ve all got ADHD symptoms. Right?

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How Scandinavia cracked the productivity puzzle

Tue, 31 Oct 2023 23:00:00 GMT

The UK has a well-reported productivity problem, with mediocre managers, poor communication and chronic underinvestment all hampering growth. What can Britain glean from Norway, Sweden and Denmark, all of which have more productive economies? And what lessons can be learned from Japan, the only major, developed economy that is less productive than the UK? Host Isabel Berwick speaks to FT senior business writer Andrew Hill to find out what ails Britain. Later, she chats to Leo Lewis (the FT’s Asia business editor) and Richard Milne (Nordic and Baltic bureau chief) to learn how the UK could perform better (or worse…)

Why productivity is so weak at UK companies

Sweden is navigating an international identity crisis

Lessons from Japan: High-income countries have common problems

The UK is doing a shoddy job of keeping up with the neighbours

Got a workplace dilemma you’d like Isabel and Jonathan to help you with? Submit it here: https://telbee.io/channel/ygf7_gly04xgtckcb0g56a/

Want to get in touch? Write to Isabel at isabel.berwick@ft.com

FT subscriber? Sign up to get Isabel’s free Working It newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday: ft.com/newsletters

Credits: Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are tattoos acceptable at work?

Tue, 24 Oct 2023 22:00:00 GMT

Tattoos used to be frowned upon in corporate settings. But as more of us get inked, is that attitude starting to, well, fade? Employers have been easing restrictions on tattoos – but if responses to a recent FT column are any guide, plenty of people still can’t bear them. Isabel speaks to the author of that column, Pilita Clark, about what tattoos can mean for your career. Isabel speaks to tattoo enthusiasts Isabelle Campbell (an FT VP working on product and technology) and Lucy Snell, a recent FT Group intern.

Got a workplace dilemma you’d like Isabel and Jonathan to help you with? Submit it here: https://telbee.io/channel/ygf7_gly04xgtckcb0g56a/

Want more? Free links:

Tattoos have reached a turning point at work

Why millennials are uncovering tattoos at work

Tattoos bring a new form of body language to the office

Credits:

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What's the point of meetings?

Tue, 17 Oct 2023 22:00:00 GMT

Meetings are an inevitable part of office life – but how many of them are actually useful? Host Isabel Berwick speaks to Kaz Nejatian, chief operating officer of ecommerce group Shopify, to find out why the company slashed staff meetings and what the effects of that policy – dubbed “Chaos Monkey” – have been. Isabel also speaks to Dr Joe Allen, director of the Center for Meeting Effectiveness at the University of Utah, to find out how managers can make meetings less painful.

Got a workplace dilemma you’d like Isabel and Jonathan to help you with? Submit it here: https://telbee.io/channel/ygf7_gly04xgtckcb0g56a/

Want more? Free link:

If you invite someone to a meeting, there has to be a purpose

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why successful companies need to be good at failure

Tue, 10 Oct 2023 22:00:16 GMT

Amy Edmondson is a professor of leadership and management at Harvard Business School and one of the world’s most influential management thinkers. She talks to host Isabel Berwick about her new book, Right Kind of Wrong, in which she argues that companies can only hope to succeed when they make it ‘psychologically safe’ for their teams to fail. Plus, Brooke Masters, the FT’s US financial editor, tells Isabel about the time, early on in her career, when she made a mistake. What did she learn from the experience and how does Amy’s thesis play out across the US corporate world?

Do you have a workplace dilemma you’d like Isabel and Jonathan Black, director of the careers service at Oxford university, to help you with? Submit it using this link.

Make the most of a discounted offer to Isabel’s Working It newsletter here

Want more? Free links:

The art of making good mistakes

FT 2023 business book of the year shortlist

Why bosses must take time to learn from failure

Psychological failure: the art of encouraging teams to be open

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to smash the class ceiling in the workplace

Tue, 03 Oct 2023 22:00:20 GMT

We’re getting better at talking about the roles that gender and race play in career progression. What’s less spoken about is class or social mobility. In this episode, host Isabel Berwick talks to John Friedman, professor and chair of economics at Brown University, who studies the impact of childhood inequality, and hears from Sophie Pender, a London-based corporate lawyer and founder of the 93% Club, a UK network that connects and empowers people who went to state school, about how class discrimination continues to affect people at work and what to do about it.

Do you have a workplace dilemma? Isabel and Jonathan Black, director of the careers service at Oxford university, are on hand to help you out. Submit it using this link.

Want more? Free links here:

Harvard faces federal probe over legacy admissions

University is more than just a springboard to a job

UK youth face being worse off than parents, says social mobility chief

KPMG survey on social class and career progression here

The 93% Club here

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why are so many people retraining as psychotherapists?

Tue, 26 Sep 2023 22:00:00 GMT

Since the start of the pandemic, tens of thousands of people in the UK have retrained as psychotherapists or counsellors. What is it about the field that has attracted so many, and what does this phenomenon tell us about work? Host Isabel Berwick speaks to the FT’s Bethan Staton, who wrote a brilliant piece on this topic, to find out more. Later, she speaks to Michael Skapinker, who worked as an FT reporter, senior editor and award-winning columnist before training as a counsellor. Michael tells us what his new line of work has taught him and why he wishes he’d thought about it sooner.

Got a workplace dilemma you’d like Isabel and Jonathan to help you with? Submit it here: https://telbee.io/channel/ygf7_gly04xgtckcb0g56a/

Free links:

‘Profession of the century’: why so many people are retraining as therapists

Letter: Therapy is no cure for a society in crisis External Link

Therapy at work: banks and law firms among those offering counselling as staff perk

Credits:

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Clearer communication is a workplace superpower

Tue, 19 Sep 2023 22:00:05 GMT

Clear communication can be the difference between getting what you want at work, and missing out. But some of us are better at it than others. Host Isabel Berwick speaks to BBC News analysis editor Ros Atkins, best known for his viral explainer videos, about how we can learn to get to the point. Atkins has made his career conveying information effectively. His recent book, ‘The Art of Explanation,’ distils lessons from more than 20 years at the BBC.

Some work jargon is a lot worse than others

Workplace buzzwords to take seriously — and those to ignore

If you thought business jargon was bad...

Communication is a ‘leaky process’

What Beyoncé and J-Lo’s Grammy speeches teach communicators

Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Working It live: How to make a mid-life career change

Tue, 12 Sep 2023 22:00:00 GMT

Not all that long ago, you might have done the same job – or kind of job – for your entire career, but as life expectancy increases and social mores change, a growing number of people are pivoting to new jobs in middle age. In this episode, recorded at the FT Weekend Festival at London’s Kenwood House, Isabel Berwick speaks to three experts to find out why changing careers can have surprising benefits – and how to do it best. Isabel is joined by Jan Hall, founding partner of leadership consultancy No 4 and co-author of a book exploring career change for senior leaders; Ana Baillie, a former financial and professional services lawyer now studying to be a midwife; and FT contributing editor and columnist Camilla Cavendish, author of ‘Extra Time: 10 Lessons for an Ageing World.’

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The City workers who swapped the office for the great outdoors

New job, new you? Well, maybe . . .

Would it be unwise to leave my well-paid job to pursue a career in film?

I have done the same job for years — how do I now move my career on?

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We'd love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? Which topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com.

Follow Isabel on LinkedIn

On X, formerly Twitter, you can follow Isabel at @IsabelBerwick

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa and the sound engineer is Simon Panayi.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why do Brits make such bad managers?

Tue, 05 Sep 2023 22:00:32 GMT

Brits love to moan about their managers – but maybe they have a point. The vast majority of bosses in the UK get no formal training on how to lead, and most MPs don’t think improving the quality of management should be a priority, according to polling and data from the Chartered Management Institute. Host Isabel Berwick speaks to Ann Francke, head of the CMI, to find out where British managers go wrong – and what better leadership could do for the British economy. Later, she speaks to the FT’s US financial editor, Brooke Masters, and Lucy Fisher, the FT’s Whitehall editor and host of the Political Fix podcast. They discuss what UK leaders could learn from their US counterparts, and why bad British leadership starts from the top.

Leadership skills neglected for too long, warns UK management body

CBI to recruit new president as part of governance overhaul

What Lucy Letby tells us about the NHS culture of secrecy and denial

Workplace flattery gets you everywhere

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are Fridays dead?

Tue, 29 Aug 2023 22:00:00 GMT

It’s Friday afternoon in the city. You’re surrounded by office blocks, there’s a restaurant or bar on every corner… so where is everyone? If occupancy and travel data are anything to go by, they’re probably at home. Isabel Berwick speaks to Stanford economics professor Nick Bloom and FT columnist Pilita Clark to find out whether cities will be ghost towns on Fridays for the foreseeable future. She also asks: if people aren’t at the office on Friday, what are they getting up to? Finally, Chris Silcock, the managing director for the UK and Ireland at Kellogg’s tells Isabel why the company lets workers knock off early on Fridays.

Want more? For a limited time this summer, we're making related articles FREE to read for all Working It listeners. See:

Thursdays really are the new Fridays

Get ready for the four-day working week

Big US city downtowns ‘stuck’ behind smaller rivals in pandemic recovery

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We'd love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com.

Follow Isabel on LinkedIn

On X, formerly Twitter, you can follow Isabel at @IsabelBerwick

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, with production assistance from Lucy Snell. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa and the sound engineer is Simon Panayi.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why we’re so f***ing angry at work – and how to stop

Tue, 22 Aug 2023 22:00:11 GMT

New data from Gallup shows that almost one in five Brits say they feel angry at work – a sharp jump from last year and comfortably higher than our European counterparts. So how can we stop getting wound up in the office – and how should we deal with colleagues who fly into a rage? Host Isabel Berwick speaks to Mike Fisher, founder and director of the British Association of Anger Management, about how workplace fury works. Isabel also hears from Liz Fosslien, the bestselling co-author and illustrator of two books about how to embrace emotions at work: No Hard Feelings and Big Feelings.

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Why we are all so angry at work

The hell of other people in the office

Should you cry at work? And other personal questions

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We'd love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com.

Follow Isabel on LinkedIn

On X, formerly Twitter, you can follow Isabel at @IsabelBerwick

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa and the sound engineer is Simon Panayi.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why diversity strategies fail – and how to fix them

Tue, 15 Aug 2023 22:00:25 GMT

Corporate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes are commonplace, and with good reason. They can help with staff satisfaction, retention and improve business outcomes. But all too often they are implemented in incoherent ways. Host Isabel Berwick speaks to Lily Zheng, a DEI strategist and consultant, about how companies can develop initiatives that make a lasting difference.

Want more? For a limited time this summer, we're making related articles FREE to read for all Working It listeners. See:

Corporate diversity in the crosshairs after US Supreme Court ruling

Exits of diversity executives shake faith in US companies’ commitments

Recession is no excuse for going backwards on diversity

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We'd love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com.

Follow Isabel on LinkedIn

On Twitter, you can follow Isabel at @IsabelBerwick

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa and the sound engineers are Simon Panayi and Breen Turner.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shared workspaces are growing up

Tue, 08 Aug 2023 22:00:00 GMT

Work has changed immeasurably since the pandemic – and office design has adapted too. Laura Beales, co-founder and chief operating officer of Tally Workspace, tells host Isabel Berwick why beer taps are out and phone booths are in, while Ebbie Wisecarver, head of Global Design and Development at WeWork, discusses how the company’s approach to design has matured since Covid-19. Finally, FT columnist Simon Kuper discusses how he made his perfect office: a beautifully appointed, 19th-century flat in Paris.

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How I made my perfect office

After 25 years working alone, I tried WeWork

Hybrid working enters a third dimension

Privacy at work and the rise of the ‘quiet space’

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We'd love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com.

Follow Isabel on LinkedIn

On Twitter, you can follow Isabel at @IsabelBerwick

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa and the sound engineer is Simon Panayi.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Best of: Why we love to hate the middle manager

Tue, 01 Aug 2023 22:00:58 GMT

The Harvard Business Review once published a damning report about middle managers, saying that the very title “evokes mediocrity”. Was that fair? And what does it take to be a good middle manager? Host Isabel Berwick, the FT’s work and careers editor, discusses with Andrew Hill, the FT’s senior business writer and former management editor. This is a repeat of an episode published on October 18, 2022.

Want more?

Andrew Hill on why being a manager matters more than ever

How demands on team leaders are intensifying

Forget the toxic boss - meet the toxic underlings

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click, here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Manuela Saragosa. Produced by Novel.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Best of: Imposter syndrome: turning self-doubt into a positive

Tue, 25 Jul 2023 22:00:52 GMT

If you often feel underqualified and full of self-doubt at work, you may be suffering from imposter syndrome. But as host Isabel Berwick finds out in this episode, in some cases that may actually improve your performance. Isabel speaks to Sian Beilock, president of Columbia University’s Barnard College, a cognitive scientist who studies how people perform under stress, and Viv Groskop, author, comedian and host of the podcast 'How to Own the Room'. Sian unpicks the psychological aspects of imposter syndrome while Viv gives us advice on how to manage it and even make it work in your favour. This is a repeat of an episode published on June 28, 2022.

Want more?

Sian Beilock on how to banish self-doubt at work

… and on overcoming the ‘spotlight effect’

How to get over your fear and learn to speak up

Viv’s website https://vivgroskop.com/

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter. Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review! Produced by Novel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why are sexual harassment and assault still happening at work?

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 22:00:13 GMT

It can be dispiriting that six years after the #MeToo movement went viral, alleged office sexual predators continue to be unmasked by the media – including the recent FT exposés of hedge fund manager Crispin Odey, and of star architect David Adjaye, both of whom dispute the allegations against them. In this episode, host Isabel Berwick speaks to her colleague Madison Marriage, who led the Odey investigation, about how hard it can be to get victims to come forward. Meanwhile FT business columnist Helen Thomas explains why she thinks these high profile cases are causing a sea change in corporate culture. Plus, Isabel speaks to Tessa West, professor of psychology at New York University and author of Jerks at Work – Toxic Co-workers and What to Do About Them, about how to fend off unwanted advances.

Want more?

Latest on the FT’s investigations into Crispin Odey and David Adjaye

You can watch our video documentary Crispin Odey: the fall of a hedge fund maverick from this Thursday, July 20.

The UK parliament’s Treasury Select Committee is inviting people to submit evidence by September 1 towards its investigation into sexism and misogyny in the financial services industry.

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We'd love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow Isabel on LinkedIn

On Twitter, you can follow Isabel at @IsabelBerwick, as well as Madison Marriage at @miss_marriage and Helen Thomas at @helentbiz

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Produced by Laurence Knight. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa and the sound engineer is Simon Panayi.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to master the art of schmoozing

Tue, 11 Jul 2023 22:00:27 GMT

Do you ever find yourself lost for words? Or maybe you have too much to say? This week’s episode features a masterclass in chit-chat from Matt Abrahams, a lecturer in communications at Stanford University, podcast host, and author of the forthcoming book 'Think Faster, Talk Smarter'. Good conversation is an essential tool of self-promotion in the office. So what do we make of Matt’s advice here at the FT office? Host Isabel Berwick gets the views of award-winning FT columnist Pilita Clark and Stephen Bush, who writes the FT’s daily Inside Politics newsletter.

Want more?

Top ways to be a super schmoozer

Big Tech is doing small talk no favours

Work etiquette: How to make small talk at a diplomatic function

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We'd love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow Isabel on LinkedIn

On Twitter, you can follow Isabel at @IsabelBerwick, as well as Pilita Clark at @pilitaclark and Stephen Bush at @stephenkb

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Produced by Laurence Knight and Audrey Tinline. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa and the sound engineer is Simon Panayi.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Men, are you lonely? How your workplace could help

Tue, 04 Jul 2023 22:00:28 GMT

The US surgeon-general Vivek Murthy recently issued a report calling attention to an epidemic of loneliness and isolation; he warned that people’s lack of social connection was “as dangerous as smoking 15 cigarettes a day”. Worst affected are men: in 2021, a study by the Survey Center on American Life said the percentage of men without any close friends had jumped from 3 per cent to 15 per cent since 1990. Can the workplace help alleviate the problem? Host Isabel Berwick talks to Jonathan Black, FT columnist and director of the University of Oxford’s careers service, FT reporter and Unhedged host Ethan Wu, and Max Dickins, author of the memoir Billy No-Mates: How I Realised Men Have a Friendship Problem.

Want more?

The loneliness epidemic threatens our health as well as our happiness

Lonely bosses seek opportunity in a crisis of disconnection

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We'd love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow Isabel on LinkedIn

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Produced by Audrey Tinline and Laurence Knight. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa and the sound engineer is Simon Panayi

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Menopause in the workplace: breaking taboos

Tue, 27 Jun 2023 22:00:37 GMT

When the British broadcaster Davina McCall woke up one morning in her forties dripping with sweat, she didn’t know what was happening to her. She’d never heard the word perimenopause. But as she did her research, she became in her words an “accidental activist”, determined to raise awareness and help menopausal women, especially in the workplace. In a recording taken from the recent FT Live Women in Business summit, Working It host Isabel Berwick talks to Davina about her campaign and how she’s managed her career through menopausal symptoms.

Want more?

Employers should do more to keep menopausal women in the workplace

How buying my first bespoke suit helped me through a life crisis

Useful links:

https://www.menopausecafe.net/

https://www.thephoenixgroup.com/views-insights/menopause-and-employment-how-enable-fulfilling-working-lives

https://www.nhsemployers.org/articles/menopause-and-workplace

https://thisisdavina.com/

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We'd love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow Isabel on LinkedIn

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Produced by Audrey Tinline and Philippa Goodrich. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa and the sound engineer was Simon Panayi.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Best of: What’s the point of HR?

Wed, 21 Jun 2023 04:00:58 GMT

In a repeat of a popular Working It episode, Isabel Berwick asks if HR has an image problem. For some managers, the phrase “human resources” has become synonymous with the idea of needless corporate policies that get in the way of growth. From the employee's perspective, there is often doubt on whether HR is there to protect them - or the company. Host Isabel Berwick speaks with Jamie Fiore Higgins, an author and executive coach who spent 18 years at Goldman Sachs, about her experience of HR at the investment bank. Isabel also speaks to Georgina Shaw, a people partner at Lush, a company without a conventional HR department, and discusses HR’s role in the corporate structure with Andrew Hill, the FT’s senior business writer.

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We'd love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow Isabel on LinkedIn

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Manuela Saragosa. Produced by Novel.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to be more productive at work

Tue, 13 Jun 2023 22:00:26 GMT

We all want to achieve more - and produce better work - without spending more time at our desk. Isabel Berwick asks senior FT columnist Tim Harford how best to tackle the problem of productivity. Tim shares some of his top tips for avoiding distraction and creating a state of “flow” at work. Plus, could AI come to the rescue?

Want more?

Will ChatGPT be Homer Simpson’s Salvation?

How Cal Newport rewrote the productivity gospel

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click, here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We'd love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow Isabel on LinkedIn

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Produced by Audrey Tinline. Executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Mix by Jake Fielding. The sound engineer is Breen Turner. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bored at work? How AI could come to the rescue

Tue, 06 Jun 2023 22:00:22 GMT

Will generative AI and ChatGPT in the workplace make some jobs redundant or will they simply change the way we work, ridding us of some of the more mundane, boring parts of our job? Isabel Berwick hears from Jeff Wong, head of the innovation team at professional services firm EY, who believes this new technology will free employees to become more productive. Plus, Madhumita Murgia, the FT’s artificial intelligence editor, gives a round-up of sectors that could see profound changes, while Mary Towers, a policy expert on employment rights at the UK’s Trades Union Congress, an umbrella body for unionised labour, says employees should be given more control over how generative AI is introduced in the workplace.

Want more?

We are all secretaries now

WPP teams up with Nvidia to use generative AI in advertising

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We'd love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow Isabel on LinkedIn

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Produced by Audrey Tinline. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa and the sound engineer is Jake Fielding.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The post pandemic workplace: what to wear?

Tue, 30 May 2023 22:00:47 GMT

The formal workwear of pre-pandemic office life doesn’t feel quite right any more. But what should we put on in its place? Isabel Berwick hears from two of the FT’s best writers on fashion about what to wear for our hybrid working lives. Jo Ellison, editor of the FT’s HTSI magazine, gives her tips for updating your look, and the FT’s Robert Armstrong sings the praises of the navy blue suit.

Want more?

Will we ever say goodbye to gorpcore?

Work and weekend wardrobes - do we need boundaries?

What’s so great about the wardrobe of ‘Succession’?

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click, here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next. We'd love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email Isabel at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow Isabel on LinkedIn

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Produced by Audrey Tinline. Executive editor is Manuela Saragosa. Mix by Jake Fielding. The sound engineer is Breen Turner. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s global head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why back to the office mandates aren’t working

Tue, 23 May 2023 22:00:36 GMT

Finance firms like BlackRock, JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs are trying hard to get their staff to show up more often in the office. But occupancy rates seem to be stuck at permanently lower levels than pre-pandemic. Isabel Berwick hears from Professor Scott Galloway at NYU, on why he thinks more office time would be good for us all. And the FT’s Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson has been listening to chief executives voicing their concerns about an epidemic of loneliness.

Want more?

BlackRock calls employees back to the office four days a week

Lonely bosses seek opportunity in a crisis of disconnection

You can’t pin workforce problems all on GenZ

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click, here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We'd love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow Isabel on LinkedIn

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Produced by Audrey Tinline. Executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Mix by Jake Fielding. The sound engineer is Breen Turner. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do you see me? Staying visible in a hybrid workplace

Tue, 16 May 2023 15:04:52 GMT

Do you ever feel invisible at work? Making sure your successes are recognised is more important than ever now that hybrid working is the norm in so many jobs. Host Isabel Berwick hears from two experts on building your profile at work: author and consultant Aliza Licht talks about growing your ‘personal brand’ while FT contributor Viv Groskop explains why that’s different from your professional reputation and why you shouldn’t get the two confused.

Want more?

Personal branding: we may cringe, but it works

Only connect: hybrid work fuels demand for female networks

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click, here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We'd love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email Isabel at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow Isabel on LinkedIn

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why your skills matter more than your degree

Tue, 09 May 2023 22:00:12 GMT

The way employers recruit staff is changing. There’s a shift towards selecting people for their key skills, rather than solely on their educational qualifications or job titles. Isabel Berwick hears from Josh Graff at LinkedIn and from the FT’s Andrew Hill about what employers - and workers - are seeking in today’s job market.

Want more?

Six insights into how business can bridge the skills gap

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We'd love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow Isabel on LinkedIn

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Produced by Audrey Tinline. Executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. The sound engineer is Jake Fielding.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What they don’t teach you about money

Tue, 02 May 2023 04:00:19 GMT

Does sorting out your personal finances fill you with anxiety and trepidation? What can you learn from your money mistakes? Money Clinic host Claer Barrett, and Isabel Berwick, host of the FT’s work and careers podcast, Working It, answer listeners’ questions in this special episode, taken from a webinar made in conjunction with the FT’s financial literacy charity, FLIC.

Want more?

The first lesson for female financial education? Money is power

How to ask for a pay rise - and when to give one

Isa season this year is a stampede

Find out more about FLIC here

You can follow Claer on Twitter and Instagram @Claerb

Follow Isabel Berwick on LinkedIn

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com

If you’d like to talk to Claer about a future episode, please email the Money Clinic team at money@ft.com with a short description of your problem, and how you would like us to help

Presented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Persis Love and Audrey Tinline. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Jake Fielding and Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Best of: So, your boss is a narcissist...

Tue, 25 Apr 2023 22:00:00 GMT

We’ve probably all had one: a boss whose traits include a grandiose sense of self-importance, a need for excessive admiration, a lack of empathy and a sense of entitlement. They’re all traits of a narcissist. Psychologist Ramani Durvasula, an expert on the subject, tells host Isabel Berwick why so many narcissists end up in positions of leadership, and how to handle them. Plus, psychotherapist Naomi Shragai, author of 'The Man Who Mistook His Job For His Life', explains why some narcissistic traits are essential to getting ahead at work. This is a repeat of an episode first published on October 25 2022.

Want more?

CEO Narcissism

How to handle a narcissist in the workplace

Lustful leaders: the good, the bad, and the narcissistic

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We'd love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow Isabel on LinkedIn

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Produced by Manuela Saragosa. Produced by Novel.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introducing Behind the Money: Night School

Mon, 24 Apr 2023 04:00:42 GMT

There’s been a lot of big finance and economics news in 2023. Whether it's stories about rising interest rates, tech industry layoffs or bank runs, it can almost feel like you need an MBA just to make sense of it all. That’s why the Financial Times is launching a bonus series called Behind the Money: Night School.

Over the next five weeks, this show will help you understand the concepts behind the biggest economic stories of this year. U.S. managing editor Peter Spiegel chats with FT journalists as they unpack the basics around things like energy markets, inflation and the rise of artificial intelligence. This series is supported by Blinkist. If you want to find out more about conversations like this, check out the Blinkist app.

Behind the Money: Night School is out now. Find it by subscribing to the Behind the Money podcast wherever you listen.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to turn around a toxic workplace culture

Tue, 18 Apr 2023 22:00:00 GMT

How difficult is it to fix a workplace that’s gone wrong? It’s a question being asked in the UK following allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment at the country’s leading business lobby organisation, the CBI. Host Isabel Berwick hears from Frances Frei, the Harvard Business School professor who helped change the internal culture at Uber in 2017 after allegations of sexual harassment and sexism there. And Ann Francke, chief executive at the UK’s Chartered Management Institute, tells Isabel that leaders who preach inclusivity must do more to make sure they practise it, too.

Want more?

Rebuild the CBI, do not bury it

CBI President apologises for scandal and pledges to reboot

Can Frances Frei fix Uber?

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click, here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We'd love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow Isabel on LinkedIn

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What’s stopping women from reaching the top?

Tue, 11 Apr 2023 22:00:30 GMT

In the UK, more women are being appointed to boards, but not so often to other leadership roles in large companies. Meanwhile, wage growth for women in the US appears to have stalled and progress on closing the gender pay gap has seen little change over the past 20 years. Latest data also show that about 80 per cent of UK employers pay men more than women on average in their organisation. Host Isabel Berwick combs through the latest data and asks what needs to change, with the FT’s labour and equality correspondent Taylor Nicole Rogers and columnist Pilita Clark.

Want more?

Women struggle to close America’s gender pay gap

Nearly 80% of UK employers pay men more than women

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We'd love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow Isabel on LinkedIn

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Produced by Audrey Tinline and Lulu Smyth. Executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. The sound engineer is Jake Fielding.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to plan for the next crisis

Tue, 04 Apr 2023 22:01:45 GMT

We’re living in a time of multiple crises — from bank collapses to business failures. So what are the best practices when it comes to anticipating the worst-case scenario and dealing with risk? Isabel Berwick discusses the ways flawed judgement and tribalism get in the way of risk assessment, as well as how to plan ahead with Michael Skapinker, author and FT contributing editor, and John Mullins, an entrepreneur and a professor of management practice at the London Business School.

Want more?

From SVB to the BBC: why did nobody see the crisis coming?

https://www.ft.com/content/4d589d5c-f2cb-4568-93dd-acda6fab931f

FT Business Books

https://www.ft.com/content/b47c143f-0aeb-4c82-8c18-ad86d13ee0b3

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We'd love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow Isabel on LinkedIn

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Produced by Manuela Saragosa and Audrey Tinline. The sound engineer is Breen Turner.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Neurodiversity at work: ‘I had to kick doors down to be heard’

Tue, 28 Mar 2023 22:00:00 GMT

Rising numbers of adults are choosing to reveal a diagnosis of neurodiversity at work and companies have a legal duty to make reasonable adjustments for them. But what’s the best way to do that? Isabel Berwick hears from Dan Harris, the founder of Neurodiversity in Business, Nancy Doyle from Genius Within, Janice Rae, who runs TechTalent Academy, and the FT’s Emma Jacobs, who’s been hearing from business leaders diagnosed as neurodivergent.

Want more?

The benefits of revealing neurodiversity in the workplace

How to design an office for every type of brain

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click, here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We'd love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow Isabel on LinkedIn

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Produced by Manuela Saragosa and Audrey Tinline. Mix by Jake Fielding. The sound engineer is Breen Turner.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The unintended consequences of mass lay-offs

Tue, 21 Mar 2023 23:00:12 GMT

When companies lay off thousands of workers at a time, how much do they think about those left behind? Sudden job cuts can sever the bond of trust between employers and their remaining workers. Host Isabel Berwick asks Sandra Sucher from Harvard Business School whether that trust can be repaired, and the FT’s management editor Anjli Raval talks about research into the effects of mass lay-offs. Plus, careers expert Jonathan Black gives tips on how to make sure you are ready to face the job market.

Want more?

The shock of mass lay-offs is only the beginning for companies

Tech workforces: how low can they go?

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click, here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We'd love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow Isabel on LinkedIn

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Produced by Manuela Saragosa and Audrey Tinline. The sound engineer is Breen Turner.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You’re fired: is there a better way to make lay-offs?

Tue, 14 Mar 2023 23:00:56 GMT

Lay-offs in some sectors of the US economy have reached levels not seen since the height of the pandemic. Tech and banking sectors have been hit hard and the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank is bringing more uncertainty. But if headcount has to be cut, how should managers decide who to lay off ? Host Isabel Berwick hears from the FT’s US Financial Editor Brooke Masters on how companies are managing job cuts, and from Andy Milton, founder of the London Tech Network, who tells her about the effect of widespread lay-offs on tech workers in London.

Want more?

Who to fire: how the biggest companies plan mass lay-offs

https://www.ft.com/content/cb8b5a61-e0fc-4254-9e77-e80e14296718

How not to fire people

https://www.ft.com/content/a19b4a08-3fcb-480f-aaa0-1f2ab607447e

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click, here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We'd love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow Isabel on LinkedIn

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Produced by Manuela Saragosa and Audrey Tinline. The sound engineer is Breen Turner.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘Overboarding’: the perils of sitting on too many boards

Tue, 07 Mar 2023 23:00:24 GMT

There's shareholder pressure not to allow directors to take on too many board seats at once, something that’s been called ‘overboarding’. Non-executive directors can now find themselves voted off a board by investors if they believe a director is spreading themselves too thinly to do a good job. So how many board positions is too many? Host Isabel Berwick hears from the FT’s management editor Anjli Raval and corporate governance expert Patricia Lenkov in the US, while the FT’s careers expert Jonathan Black has advice on what’s required to be a good board member.

Want more?

‘Overboarding’: why it has become a hot issue for companies

https://www.ft.com/content/c1aeaa21-1361-492d-a63d-d14d7c1a481d

How do I become a non-executive director?

https://www.ft.com/content/642cc2e5-c04c-4075-9978-03eb6eb44fca

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click, here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We'd love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow Isabel on LinkedIn

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Produced by Manuela Saragosa and Audrey Tinline. The sound engineer is Breen Turner.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Should you know how much your colleagues earn?

Tue, 14 Feb 2023 23:00:31 GMT

Experts say more and more countries are inching towards greater pay transparency as a tool to address unfairness and inequity, such as the gender pay gap. Host Isabel Berwick hears from the FT’s Nordic correspondent Richard Milne about Norway’s experience of radical pay transparency and discusses the pros and cons of ending salary secrecy with the FT’s US labour and equality correspondent, Taylor Nicole Rogers, and Professor Tomasz Obloj from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.

We'd love to hear from you. Please help us by filling in our listener survey at ft.com/workingitsurvey. It takes around 10 minutes to complete and you’ll be in with a chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort Earbuds.

Want more?

How salary secrecy is being challenged https://www.ft.com/content/907e041b-975b-4c74-b734-2373d36e09bd

Get ready for salaries to become more public https://www.ft.com/content/009c6492-796f-4bf5-971b-de49bc662f23

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next. One-click sign-up at www.ft.com/newsletters

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Produced by Persis Love. Executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Best of: Friendship in the workplace: It’s lonely at the top

Tue, 07 Feb 2023 23:00:22 GMT

Many of us see our work colleagues just as much, if not more, than friends and family – or at least, that was the case before March 2020 and the Covid lockdowns that followed. So how crucial are these workplace friendships in luring employees back to the office after several years of working from home? And is there an inevitable trade-off between climbing the corporate ladder and keeping up your workplace friendships? Host Isabel Berwick discusses these questions and more with Lynda Gratton, professor of Management Practice in Organisational Behaviour at the London Business School, and Sarah Gordon, chief executive of the Impact Investing institute in London and formerly business editor at the Financial Times, where she was one of Isabel’s good workplace friends!

We'd love to hear from you. Please help us by filling in our listener survey at ft.com/workingitsurvey It will take you around 10 minutes to complete and you will be in with a chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort Earbuds.

Want more?

What do friends bring to the workplace? https://www.ft.com/content/f13bca30-45ea-11e2-b780-00144feabdc0

When your best workplace friend leaves:

https://www.ft.com/content/62b2db86-60e7-11e9-b285-3acd5d43599e

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and

what’s coming next. One-click sign-up at www.ft.com/newsletters

Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Renée Kaplan and Manuela Saragosa. Assistant producer is Persis Love. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Produced by Novel.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Best of: Managing introverts: quiet voices in a loud world

Tue, 31 Jan 2023 23:00:24 GMT

Host Isabel Berwick describes herself as an extrovert but she has introverts in her team. So what should she bear in mind to ensure they perform at their best? Isabel gets advice from self-described ambitious, anxious introvert Morra Aarons-Mele, who hosts The Anxious Achiever podcast and is the author of an eponymous upcoming book, and hears from colleague Kesewa Hennessy, the FT’s head of audience diversity, who describes herself as an introvert.

Want more?

How working from home plays to the strengths of introverts: https://www.ft.com/content/f8ceffe7-cc89-4d95-975e-6142924a33b8

Why it’s OK to be quiet at meetings: https://www.ft.com/content/6d5942a2-a13a-49ea-a833-a6d5ce780ae3

We'd love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Please help us by filling in our listener survey at www.ft.com/workingitsurvey It will take you around 10 minutes to complete and you will be in with a chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort Earbuds! Your personal information will be processed in accordance with the FT's privacy policy. If you have any queries about the survey please let us know at customer.research@ft.com.

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Renée Kaplan and Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Produced by Novel.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The truth about ‘entitled millennials’

Tue, 24 Jan 2023 23:00:22 GMT

There are a lot of stereotypes about millennials - meaning anyone born between 1981 and 1996 - but perhaps the biggest one is that they have an overwhelming sense of entitlement. Host Isabel Berwick unpicks some of the tropes with Emily Bowen and Shelley Johnson, workplace experts and hosts of the popular Australian podcast My Millennial Career, while the FT’s US labour and equality correspondent, Taylor Nicole Rogers, explains what distinguishes millennials from younger generations starting out on their careers.

Want more?

Millennials are shattering the oldest rule in politics https://www.ft.com/content/c361e372-769e-45cd-a063-f5c0a7767cf4

What Musk misses about how this generation works https://www.ft.com/content/2ecc2819-d54c-4539-9c9d-e849cfe618ba

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click, here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

You can also email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow Isabel on LinkedIn

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Manuela Saragosa. Produced by Novel.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is maternity leave still a career killer?

Tue, 17 Jan 2023 23:00:23 GMT

Research shows more than half of women in the UK are thinking of leaving their job, or have left their job, because of a lack of workplace flexibility. Host Isabel Berwick speaks to Janine Chamberlin, UK country manager at the social platform LinkedIn, and to Sarah O’Connor, the FT’s employment columnist, about the enduring workplace stigma around pregnancy and return from maternity leave and asks if anything has changed given more people are working remotely amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Want more?

Family-friendly leave policies are key to staff retention: https://www.ft.com/content/b14b4e7a-e87d-4aee-a267-8100661e4b57

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click, here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We'd love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow Isabel on LinkedIn

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Manuela Saragosa. Produced by Novel

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Professional failures? Rejections? We’ve all had a few …

Tue, 10 Jan 2023 23:00:32 GMT

How do you move on from professional failure, from missing out on the job you coveted or messing up in your role? Host Isabel Berwick hears from Farrah Storr, head of writer partnerships for Substack UK and previously the editor of the UK edition of Elle, Cosmopolitan and Women's Health, about what went on behind the scenes in her very successful career, while Brooke Masters, the FT's US financial editor and associate editor, argues that blaming your boss is not the answer.

Want more?

What the ‘CV of failures’ really reveals about career setbacks: https://www.ft.com/content/86ea48da-1dc5-11e6-b286-cddde55ca122

Farrah’s Substack post about her professional failures: https://bit.ly/3W3dc7c

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click, here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We'd love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow Isabel on LinkedIn

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Manuela Saragosa. Produced by Novel.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The future of work: predictions for 2023

Tue, 03 Jan 2023 23:00:53 GMT

2022 was the year of hybrid and flexible working, side hustles and talent wars, but will any of these trends stick in 2023? Host Isabel Berwick looks at what’s in store for the workplace in the year ahead with FT colleagues Taylor Nicole Rogers, the US labour and employment correspondent, and Sophia Smith, Working It newsletter editor.

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click, here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We'd love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow Isabel on LinkedIn

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Manuela Saragosa. Produced by Novel.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Office life: tales from the Christmas party dance floor

Tue, 20 Dec 2022 23:00:00 GMT

Why do so many workplaces spend so much money to put on a Christmas party? And how do you face your colleagues if you think you may have embarrassed yourself at one? Host Isabel Berwick sources advice from Jo Hemmings, a behavioural psychologist, while Jo Ellison, editor of the FT’s luxury lifestyle magazine HTSI, argues the case for making the most of the office Christmas party. Plus, Timothy Dowling, a screenwriter on the Hollywood film 'Office Christmas Party', tells Isabel why the subject is ripe for comedy.

Want more?

The office grinch may have a point - it’s not fun if it’s forced: https://www.ft.com/content/59de98b0-17ae-44ec-b91c-4ffdf8761214

The work Christmas party is dead. Hooray! https://www.ft.com/content/468d0e2b-0607-4703-8f55-2d09d59fb578

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click, here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We'd love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Manuela Saragosa. Produced by Novel.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The best business books to read now

Tue, 13 Dec 2022 23:00:57 GMT

The Financial Times Business Book of the Year prize was set up in 2005 with the simple mission of finding and rewarding each year’s most “compelling and enjoyable” read. Earlier this month, the £30,000 award went to Chris Miller’s Chip Wars, a book that reads like a thriller about the battle for dominance in the semiconductor industry. Host Isabel Berwick is joined by Andrew Hill, the FT’s senior business writer, and Frederick Studemann, the FT’s literary editor, to talk about how entries are judged and why business books continue to top bestseller lists.

Want more?

For background, longlists and shortlists of the award, see: https://www.ft.com/bookaward

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click, here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Manuela Saragosa. Produced by Novel

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

4. Four days' work for five days' pay: does it work?

Thu, 08 Dec 2022 05:00:44 GMT

It has been billed as the biggest overhaul of the working week since the carmaker Henry Ford introduced the five day week in his factories almost a century ago. A number of UK companies have signed up to trial a four-day week, with no loss in pay for employees. In the last of this four-part series about the trial, host Isabel Berwick speaks to the FT’s Emma Jacobs who tracked four companies taking part. Will they stick to the new shorter working hours or go back to a five-day week?

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click, here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Manuela Saragosa. Produced by Novel.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

3. Four days' work for five days' pay: what the experts say

Wed, 07 Dec 2022 05:00:22 GMT

A host of UK companies have been taking part in a six-month trial aimed at overhauling the traditional five-day working week. They’ve structured their businesses to work on a four-day week instead, with no loss in pay for employees. In the third episode of this four-part series about the trial, host Isabel Berwick hears from the FT’s Emma Jacobs who has been speaking to consultants and academics advising the companies involved, as well as the people behind the global four-day week campaign. What’s required to make it work?

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click, here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Manuela Saragosa. Produced by Novel.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2. Four days' work for five days' pay: what employees have to say

Tue, 06 Dec 2022 05:00:06 GMT

It’s billed as the biggest overhaul of the working week since the carmaker Henry Ford introduced the five-day week in his factories, almost a century ago. A number of UK companies have signed up to trial a four-day week, with no loss in pay for employees. In the second episode of this four-part series about the trial, host Isabel Berwick hears from the FT’s Emma Jacobs who’s been speaking to employees involved, reporting on their concerns about maintaining productivity and time management.

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click, here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Manuela Saragosa. Produced by Novel.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1. Four days' work for five days' pay: rethinking our working hours

Mon, 05 Dec 2022 05:00:56 GMT

A host of UK companies have been taking part in a 6-month trial aimed at overhauling the traditional five-day working week. They’ve structured their businesses to work on a four day week instead, with no loss in pay for employees. The trail is being coordinated by 4 Day Week Global in partnership with the UK think tank Autonomy, the 4 Day Week UK Campaign and researchers at Cambridge University, Boston College and Oxford University. In this first episode of a four-part series about the trial, host Isabel Berwick speaks to the FT’s Emma Jacobs about the four businesses - Yo Telecoms, Stellar Asset Management, fish and chip shop Platten's and games developer Hutch - who signed up to take part. Why did they sign up, how are they adapting their work flow and what are their aims and concerns as they kick off their experiment?

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click, here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Manuela Saragosa. Produced by Novel.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Politics in the workplace: how to deal with opposing views

Tue, 29 Nov 2022 23:00:35 GMT

A recent survey in the US found that four in 10 employees had left a job because they felt their values were stigmatised, but how does that sit with a growing number of companies and chief executives making public commitments to diversity and inclusion? Host Isabel Berwick hears from Octavius Black, CEO and co-founder of Mind Gym, which uses behavioural science techniques to improve culture and performance for companies and their staff. And she asks Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, FT's US business editor, whether workplaces are really becoming more divided and polarised.

Want more?

Politics in the workplace: how should we deal with opposing views?: https://www.ft.com/content/0864d0cb-bab0-4571-9e25-9b6f0ca041ef

When should business take a stand? https://www.ft.com/content/5ceffa36-899a-4457-919f-b70902162f64

Why Silicon Valley is split on keeping social activism out of the workplace: https://www.ft.com/content/ba0ac9a7-e33e-4e77-a583-3c900e698ab0

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click, here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? Which topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Manuela Saragosa. Produced by Novel.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What’s the point of HR?

Tue, 22 Nov 2022 23:00:45 GMT

HR has an image problem. For some managers, the phrase “human resources” has become synonymous with the idea of needless corporate policies that get in the way of growth. From the employee's perspective, there is often doubt on whether HR is there to protect them - or the company. Host Isabel Berwick speaks with Jamie Fiore Higgins, an author and executive coach who spent 18 years at Goldman Sachs, about her experience of HR at the investment bank. Isabel also speaks to Georgina Shaw, a people partner at Lush, a company without a conventional HR department, and discusses HR’s role in the corporate structure with Andrew Hill, the FT’s senior business writer.

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click, here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Manuela Saragosa. Produced by Novel.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to win the war for talent

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 23:00:09 GMT

Businesses are competing to attract the people they consider the most skilled workers, but if hiring challenges can be described as a war, then the past two years have been one long battle. Host Isabel Berwick hears from Tyler Cowen, an economist and co-author of a new book called ‘Talent’, about how to spot and retain the skilled recruits, and from FT management editor, Anjli Raval, about how skills shortages are affecting recruitment practices.

Want more?

Talent wars: why businesses have to battle to hire the best https://www.ft.com/content/e79e1497-1eb3-4ca1-bd1f-b12679e24576

The global war for talent https://www.ft.com/content/61cc947c-c44c-4340-897a-8bd947227c05

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click, here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Manuela Saragosa. Produced by Novel.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The loneliness of the long Covid employee

Tue, 08 Nov 2022 23:00:22 GMT

Tens of millions of people worldwide are believed to be suffering from long Covid, experiencing symptoms lasting for more than four weeks after they had Covid-19. Host Isabel Berwick speaks to Jana Javornik, associate professor of employment relations at the University of Leeds, about how she’s juggling her workload with long Covid symptoms, and Sarah Neville, the FT’s global health editor, explains why workplaces have been reluctant to address the issue.

Want more?

The growing evidence that Covid-19 is leaving people sicker https://www.ft.com/content/26e0731f-15c4-4f5a-b2dc-fd8591a02aec

Number of Britons with long Covid reaches new high https://www.ft.com/content/e62008ff-bebf-4f9f-bc3a-9bb54991fc30

Long Covid defies understanding as sufferers despair https://www.ft.com/content/ff63cd68-7281-4340-b1b6-5db3d891eaff

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click, here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Manuela Saragosa. Produced by Novel.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Best of Working It: Can you run a company without managers?

Tue, 01 Nov 2022 23:00:49 GMT

A workplace without bosses sounds... idyllic. In this episode, Isabel explores the topic of flat hierarchies with Alexis Gonzales-Black, an expert in organisational design. A few years ago, Alexis helped Zappos, the Amazon-owned online shoe business, to bring in ‘Holacracy’. The experiment wasn’t a total success, as we hear, but Alexis talks about how leaders can step back and make the most of employees’ skills and expertise. But what about other ways that companies knock down workplace hierarchies? Isabel chats to Andrew Hill, the FT’s management editor, about a consultancy that abolished job titles (cue: confusion all round) and US company WL Gore (makers of Gore-Tex), where leaders are appointed through acquiring skills and followers - not just because someone higher up gives them a job. Plus, the dark side of boss-less workplaces. Do they give toxic colleagues a free pass to behave even more badly?

We love to hear from you: email us at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter or Instagram.

Mentioned in the podcast:

Alexis Gonzales-Black on Zappos’ experiment with Holacracy: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/insights-holacracy-interview-alexis-gonzales-black-usha-gubbala/

More on what happened to Tony Hsieh, Zappos’ late CEO https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-death-of-zappos-tony-hsieh-a-spiral-of-alcohol-drugs-and-extreme-behavior-11607264719

FT article by Alicia Clegg -’ Boss-less business is No Workers’ Paradise’ https://www.ft.com/content/34a86220-d639-11e9-8d46-8def889b4137

Andrew Hill on innovative management ideas https://www.ft.com/content/f14b3205-f140-4e74-8743-04b881b63134

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Renée Kaplan. Assistant producer is Persis Love. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Produced by Novel.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So, your boss is a narcissist…

Tue, 25 Oct 2022 22:00:22 GMT

We’ve probably all had one: a boss whose traits include a grandiose sense of self-importance, a need for excessive admiration, a lack of empathy and a sense of entitlement. They’re all traits of a narcissist. Psychologist Dr Ramani Durvasula, an expert in the subject, tells host Isabel Berwick, the FT’s work and careers editor, why so many narcissists end up in positions of leadership, and how to handle them. Plus, psychotherapist Naomi Shragai, author of 'The Man Who Mistook His Job For His Life', explains why some narcissistic traits are essential to getting ahead at work.

Want more?

CEO narcissism https://www.ft.com/content/1cebaf40-7362-487c-bd33-d52e2265a5a8

How to handle a narcissist in the workplace https://www.ft.com/content/eab55621-5a6e-4176-bcb9-c451417db328

Lustful leaders: the good, the bad, and the narcissistic https://www.ft.com/content/387bdfbe-b5a2-46e6-8a63-f3a41c2e7f68

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click, here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Manuela Saragosa. Produced by Novel.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why we love to hate the middle manager

Tue, 18 Oct 2022 22:00:26 GMT

The Harvard Business Review once published a damning report about middle managers, saying that the very title “evokes mediocrity”. Was that fair? And what does it take to be a good middle manager? Host Isabel Berwick, the FT’s work and careers editor, discusses with Andrew Hill, the FT’s senior business writer and former management editor.

Want more?

Andrew Hill on why being a manager matters more than ever https://www.ft.com/content/dd340c7b-48e3-459c-84af-bfb704d37665

How demands on team leaders are intensifying https://www.ft.com/content/a1740fb3-bd69-4c8d-a322-8b59332de568

Forget the ‘toxic boss’ - meet the toxic underlings https://www.ft.com/content/a9c0c114-fb8a-4829-bfc0-2f52a2bbef9f

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click, here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Manuela Saragosa. Produced by Novel.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Future of Work: Trends and predictions

Tue, 11 Oct 2022 22:00:24 GMT

Fans of business and work podcasts won’t need any introduction to Steven Bartlett (Diary of a CEO), Bruce Daisley (Eat, Sleep, Work, Repeat), Jenna Kutcher (The Goal Digger Podcast) and Emma Gannon (Ctrl Alt Delete). All of them host successful podcasts about our working lives. Working It host Isabel Berwick hears about what they see as the big workplace issues for the next year, touching on everything from hybrid work and hyperconnectivity to the metaverse.

Want more?

For articles about the future of work, check out the following feed: https://www.ft.com/future-of-work

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click, here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Manuela Saragosa. Produced by Novel.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to deal with toxic colleagues

Tue, 04 Oct 2022 22:00:05 GMT

We’ve all come across them in the workplace: the tyrannical boss, the person who puts you down in order to build themselves up, the passive aggressive co-worker. Taylor Nicole Rogers, the FT’s US labour and equality correspondent, stands in for Working It host Isabel Berwick, to source tips on managing difficult colleagues. She hears from author and podcaster Amy Gallo, an expert in conflict, communication, and workplace dynamics, and speaks to the FT’s US investment reporter Madison Darbyshire.

Want more?

You can’t hide from the jerks at work: https://www.ft.com/content/dd9d39f8-2861-4c99-809e-6a198dd7c4ee

How to deal with an abusive work situation: https://www.ft.com/content/5b5d3ff9-9a11-4f9c-a440-d41cc90ad452

How do I navigate a toxic office environment? https://www.ft.com/content/e7309f02-c595-11e9-ae6e-a26d1d0455f4

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click, here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Manuela Saragosa. Produced by Novel.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Office slackers: the truth about doing nothing at work

Tue, 27 Sep 2022 22:00:01 GMT

Regular listeners might be forgiven for thinking employees are mostly overwhelmed and overworked. But is the world actually full of people looking artfully busy? Employees who may be slipping under the radar in big organisations? Host Isabel Berwick speaks to David Bolchover, author of ‘The Living Dead: Switched Off, Zoned Out – The Shocking Truth About Office Life’, who spent several years employed at a large organisation doing nothing. And she hears from Leo Lewis, the FT’s Asia business editor based in Tokyo, about a backlash in Japan against the phenomenon of the hatarakanai ojisan, the old geezer (or, less commonly, his female equivalent) who manages to get away with doing no work.

Want more?

The rise and rise of Japan’s unsackable slacker https://www.ft.com/content/4012c8f4-cb16-4bf5-ac25-a88c1aae8a51

The threat of boredom at work https://www.ft.com/content/bccf5464-0996-11e7-97d1-5e720a26771b

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click, here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next.

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Manuela Saragosa. Produced by Novel.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

High at work: why so many people are microdosing

Tue, 20 Sep 2022 22:00:53 GMT

Host Isabel Berwick investigates claims that microdosing improves performance at work. It’s well known that in Silicon Valley some executives have taken to ingesting very small amounts of psychedelic drugs such as LSD, in the belief that it increases concentration and productivity. But there are also soft-touch versions, known as nootropics or ‘smart drugs’, which include legal mushroom varieties and are said to have similar effects. Isabel and her team try them out at Shroom Town Cafe, a pop-up in central London, and she speaks to Jakobien van der Weijden, co-founder of the Microdosing Institute in the Netherlands.

Want more?

How safe is your psychedelic trip? https://www.ft.com/content/c5cc0077-3966-4c65-9320-d0a0860740af

The secret to making your brain work better: https://www.ft.com/content/08078211-638b-4326-ac2e-92ae2cdf65c9

How Silicon Valley rediscovered LSD: https://www.ft.com/content/0a5a4404-7c8e-11e7-ab01-a13271d1ee9c

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter with one click, here. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next. You can sign up for the newsletter with one click, here

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Manuela Saragosa. Produced by Novel.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A sceptic’s guide to ‘quiet quitting’

Tue, 13 Sep 2022 22:00:25 GMT

‘Quiet quitting’ is the summer’s hottest workplace trend. It’s spurred thousands of social media posts on TikTok and elsewhere. But what is it exactly? And what if your staff are doing it? FT features writer Emma Jacobs and columnist Pilita Clark join Working It host Isabel Berwick to discuss. Is ‘quiet quitting’ simply a triumph of alliteration over information or does it tell us something useful about workplace attitudes that have come out of the pandemic?

Want more?

Why 'quiet quitting' is nonsense:

https://www.ft.com/content/a09a2ade-4d14-47c2-9cca-599b3c25a33f

A tongue-in-cheek FT guide to ‘quiet quitting’:

https://www.ft.com/content/c5cddb3a-dcf8-4ef8-a1c2-ed866c214d2b

Has work become a four-letter word?

https://www.ft.com/content/93435e72-d05b-4061-b6ff-05b9cbd76f0a

Interviewing amid economic uncertainty:

https://www.ft.com/content/682b3062-8c78-4962-ac23-6fafe2af16f2

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next. One-click sign-up at www.ft.com/newsletters

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Taylor Nicole Rogers. Editorial direction from Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Produced by Novel.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Best of Working It: ‘Flight shame’ and the return of business travel

Tue, 06 Sep 2022 22:00:39 GMT

Given the climate crisis, can we still justify those quick jaunts to sit in airless conference rooms and sip bad cocktails with strangers? Isabel Berwick, Working It host and the FT’s Work and Careers editor, talks to Evan Konwiser, executive vice-president of product and strategy at American Express Global Business Travel. He paints a picture of how he sees business travel making a comeback, but FT columnist Pilita Clark wonders if companies have become used to doing without it during the pandemic.

Want to read more?

Pilita Clark on the future of business travel:

https://www.ft.com/content/75d096e5-a429-496b-a62d-f8f6b9b2fb35

More on the Swedish ‘flygskam’ or flight shaming:

https://www.ft.com/content/5c635430-1dbc-11ea-97df-cc63de1d73f4

Emma Jacobs on the rise of ‘bleisure’:

https://www.ft.com/content/8003a384-bc22-4ae9-b1c1-2c5452136cbe

EY sends new recruits on a trip to Disney:

https://www.ft.com/content/da797e20-85fe-4beb-a054-c611aebfdfd9

American Express business travel report outlining its view that business travel will become the centre ‘of the new company culture’:

https://explorer.amexglobalbusinesstravel.com/Why-Business-Travel-Is-the-Center-of-The-New-Company-Culture.html

Salesforce’s ‘trailblazer ranch’ for staff meetings in California:

https://www.salesforce.com/news/stories/introducing-trailblazer-ranch/

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — please listen, rate and subscribe!

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How trade unions got their mojo back

Tue, 30 Aug 2022 22:00:27 GMT

Taylor Nicole Rogers, the FT’s US labour and equality correspondent, stands in for regular host Isabel Berwick in this episode to ask what the resurgence of trade union activity in both the US and UK is doing to the relationship between employer and employee. We hear from Mick Lynch, general secretary of the UK’s National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers, and Taylor speaks to Dave Lee, the FT’s San Francisco correspondent, about attempts by US workers to form a union at Amazon and elsewhere, and the risks they face.

Want more?

FT editorial on the resurgence of unionism:

https://www.ft.com/content/70df32e8-7eec-472c-b0da-6eee7659b5bb

And https://www.ft.com/content/29005123-c397-4464-9970-81a5460e007d

For latest FT reporting on trade unions:

https://www.ft.com/stream/61b3414d-9e45-4962-a2d1-134453f5af02

For more on unionisation attempts at Amazon:

https://www.ft.com/content/80f77552-5b73-4e08-bcdb-bc1ab60f6630

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and

what’s coming next. One-click sign-up at www.ft.com/newsletters

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Taylor Nicole Rogers. Editorial direction from Renée Kaplan and Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Produced by Novel.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Managing introverts in your team: quiet voices in a loud world

Tue, 23 Aug 2022 22:00:00 GMT

Host Isabel Berwick describes herself as an extrovert but she has introverts in her team. So what should she bear in mind to ensure they perform at their best? Isabel gets advice from self-described ambitious, anxious introvert Morra Aarons-Mele, who hosts The Anxious Achiever podcast and is the author of an eponymous upcoming book, and hears from colleague Kesewa Hennessy, the FT’s head of audience diversity, who describes herself as an introvert.

Want more?

How working from home plays to the strengths of introverts: https://www.ft.com/content/f8ceffe7-cc89-4d95-975e-6142924a33b8

Why it’s OK to be quiet at meetings:

https://www.ft.com/content/6d5942a2-a13a-49ea-a833-a6d5ce780ae3

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and

what’s coming next. One-click sign-up at www.ft.com/newsletters

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Renée Kaplan and Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Produced by Novel.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Best of Working It: Is it time to be open about pay?

Tue, 16 Aug 2022 22:00:27 GMT

In this repeat of one of Working It’s most popular episodes, host Isabel Berwick tries to work out why people are so secretive about their pay. She talks to Joel Gascoigne, chief executive of social media business Buffer, which publishes its employees’ salaries on its website, and she speaks to Brooke Masters, the FT’s chief business commentator and an expert on CEO pay.

We love to hear from you: email us at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com.

Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter or Instagram.

Want more?

See how much everyone is paid at Buffer

https://buffer.com/salaries

Brooke Masters’ column on CEO pay in the pandemic

https://www.ft.com/content/0676c6f6-1ad2-490d-b8cf-d3bccdb76182

Want to get a pay rise? Here’s how to ask for one

https://www.ft.com/content/967db31f-f49b-4039-a295-23db588d2a1c

Listen to Claer Barrett’s MoneyClinic podcast on getting a pay rise

https://link.chtbl.com/K3vLw7lV

National Bureau of Economic Research - the wider effects of pay transparency

https://www.nber.org/papers/w28903

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Renée Kaplan. Assistant producer is Persis Love. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Produced by Novel.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to break up with your employer

Tue, 09 Aug 2022 22:00:16 GMT

With the quit rate in the US higher than it was before the Covid 19 pandemic, host Isabel Berwick looks at the do’s and don’ts of leaving an employer. Listeners and FT readers share their experiences, and communications expert Erica Dhawan explains why a ‘good exit’ matters, as well as recalling that time when, as an employer herself, she got it wrong.

For more on the state of the US jobs market: https://www.ft.com/us-labour-market

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and

what’s coming next. One-click sign-up at www.ft.com/newsletters

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Renée Kaplan and Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Produced by Novel.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How big a pay rise do you need right now?

Tue, 02 Aug 2022 22:00:37 GMT

Host Isabel Berwick talks to FT workplace experts Delphine Strauss, FT economics correspondent, and Emma Jacobs, FT features writer and Working It regular, about the cost of living crisis. Delphine explains why double-digit pay deals to match inflation are likely to be resisted by bosses - and how that is likely to lead to more industrial action in some sectors. The trio discuss the sorts of new support and perks that organisations are putting in place to help staff deal with rising costs, and question whether the great return to the office is going to be stalled by the high price of commuting. As winter approaches, many will face an unenviable trade off: freezing in our homes or paying large sums in rail fares or gas to travel to a warmer workplace.

Want more?

Cost of living crisis: employers step in to help - Dephine and Emma’s long read

https://www.ft.com/content/e6bd22e1-088f-492d-802a-1a7aecdc7fe7

Have we had enough of the ‘nanny’ employer?

https://www.ft.com/content/0506901f-d2a9-45bb-8a79-5ceb202e1675

Who really deserves a pay rise in the cost of living crisis?

https://www.ft.com/content/38378af9-6f55-4bde-8c04-d13ee35cac07

‘I earn £10.71 an hour. Here’s what the cost of living crisis has been like’

https://www.ft.com/content/af633a2e-3e46-4eaa-9173-167b87dc8c3e

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Renée Kaplan and Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Produced by Novel.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The great return to office standoff: bosses vs staff

Tue, 26 Jul 2022 22:00:43 GMT

An epic post-pandemic workplace culture clash is hotting up this summer, pitting bosses who want everyone back in the office against workers who have embraced autonomy and flexibility. Even if leaders won’t say so publicly, many of them want to see workers at their desks. Host Isabel Berwick talks to organisational behaviour expert Professor Anita Woolley about the reasons why CEOs won’t let go of control - and why staff are always likely to resist their demands.

Then the FT’s chief UK business correspondent, Dan Thomas, tells Isabel about the current state of office occupancy, and the secret frustrations of business leaders with staff who refuse to undertake (increasingly expensive) commutes. The pair discuss whether looming recessions and economic woes might give business leaders the upper hand.

Want more?

Office returns stall as UK workers cling to flexible working - Dan Thomas and Ella Hollowood

https://www.ft.com/content/5ed49b8a-6c69-418c-9a26-7f43a99b1d1f

Why CEOs are so WTF about working from home - Gilliant Tett opinion column

https://www.ft.com/content/8a3f1fa7-8c0c-4068-b0d9-f12c84f0b8d6

Stanford professor Nick Bloom’s WFH Research - lots of useful data here

https://wfhresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/WFHResearch_updates_June2022.pdf

…and why asking for five days a week in the office means fewer workers comply

https://twitter.com/I_Am_NickBloom/status/1534535041702711296/photo/1

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and

what’s coming next. One-click sign-up at www.ft.com/newsletters

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Renée Kaplan and Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Produced by Novel.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sport’s leadership lessons: Machismo or real skills?

Tue, 19 Jul 2022 22:00:00 GMT

Host Isabel Berwick is on a quest to find out whether she - a middle-aged journalist who can just about manage a 5 kilometre run - can improve her performance and productivity by thinking like a sports star, and asks whether there’s an element of machismo in drawing leadership lessons from the sports world. Isabel speaks to Jeremy Snape, a former England cricketer and founder of Sporting Edge, a consultancy that teaches leaders to get ahead using an athlete’s mindset. And she talks to her ex-boss, the FT’s former editor Lionel Barber, about how sports managers inspired his leadership.

Want more?

Simon Kuper on the meritocracy of elite football

https://www.ft.com/content/4638ad2d-6609-4406-8fa3-f0c6055ef0ec

Why leading a business is not like leading a sports team

https://www.ft.com/content/d08bca4c-1bbe-11e3-94a3-00144feab7de?shareType=nongift

When sports leadership teaching goes wrong https://www.ft.com/content/3b107a4a-40fa-11ea-bdb5-169ba7be433d

Lunch with the FT: Lionel Barber and Andrew Strauss

https://www.ft.com/content/9c8064e8-cfe0-11de-a36d-00144feabdc0

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and

what’s coming next. One-click sign-up at www.ft.com/newsletters

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Renée Kaplan and Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Produced by Novel.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Friendship in the workplace: It’s lonely at the top

Tue, 12 Jul 2022 22:00:08 GMT

Want more?

What do friends bring to the workplace?

https://www.ft.com/content/f13bca30-45ea-11e2-b780-00144feabdc0

When your best workplace friend leaves:

https://www.ft.com/content/62b2db86-60e7-11e9-b285-3acd5d43599e

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and

what’s coming next. One-click sign-up at www.ft.com/newsletters

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is hybrid work a trap for women?

Tue, 05 Jul 2022 22:00:32 GMT

Is there something about hybrid work that inherently disadvantages women? According to Deloitte’s 2022 Women at Work survey, almost 60 per cent of women who work in hybrid environments say they have been excluded from important meetings and almost half say they do not have enough exposure to leaders, putting them at a disadvantage when it comes to career progression. Host Isabel Berwick is joined by the FT’s employment columnist Sarah O’Connor and US labour and equality correspondent Taylor Nicole Rogers to discuss what might be going wrong for women working in hybrid roles — and how it could be fixed.

FT subscriber? Check out the Working It newsletter: One-click sign-up at www.ft.com/newsletters

Want more?

It’s time to admit that hybrid is not working

https://www.ft.com/content/d0df2f1b-2f83-4188-b236-83ca3f0313df

The UK ‘back to the office budget’ does not add up for women

https://www.ft.com/content/143c2613-3e3a-48bb-8e2c-c7d479860f0f

The ‘no’ club - Emma Jacobs on how to refuse non-promotable tasks

https://www.ft.com/content/03117e7a-3c85-4af4-8c31-f34428af32c4

Is the underwired bra over?

https://www.ft.com/content/2b0b614a-ef83-4991-aabf-1dee87cb1da7

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Renée Kaplan and Manuela Saragosa. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Produced by Novel.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Imposter syndrome: Turning self-doubt into a positive

Tue, 28 Jun 2022 22:00:50 GMT

Want more?

Sian Beilock on how to banish self-doubt at work

https://www.ft.com/content/d154b5a0-287a-11e9-9222-7024d72222bc

… and on overcoming the ‘spotlight effect’

https://www.ft.com/content/5f5001aa-bde2-11e9-9381-78bab8a70848

Viv Groskop talks to the FT on how to overcome fear of public speaking

https://www.ft.com/content/ffb7b300-0441-11e9-99df-6183d3002ee1

Viv’s website https://vivgroskop.com/

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and

what’s coming next. One-click sign-up at www.ft.com/newsletters

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Regrets? We’ve all had a few but they can help your career

Tue, 21 Jun 2022 22:00:20 GMT

We all have plenty of regrets in both our personal lives and at work, but is there a way to reframe our past to show us the path to a better future? Daniel Pink, bestselling author of The Power of Regret, thinks that there is and he talks to Andrew Hill, the FT’s senior business writer, about the ways in which we can think differently about our workplace regrets. Then Andrew and Working It host Isabel Berwick discuss the takeaways for managers. Turns out we can all encourage our teams to be a bit bolder and minimise their regrets.

Want more?

Andrew Hill interviews Daniel Pink about The Power of Regret

https://www.ft.com/content/df661f84-9c77-4c01-b8fe-1b8508867313

Daniel Pink’s website

https://www.danpink.com/

A good Harvard Business Review article on making peace with your regrets

https://hbr.org/2021/06/its-time-to-make-peace-with-your-regrets

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and

what’s coming next. One-click sign-up at www.ft.com/newsletters

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How the pandemic has changed what we wear to work

Tue, 14 Jun 2022 22:00:00 GMT

Many of us got used to dressing in athleisure and comfort clothing while we were working from home during the pandemic, and it would seem we’re loath to shed that habit as we head back into the office. In this episode, host Isabel Berwick tries to disentangle the new workplace dress codes with the help of two experts: Adam Galinsky, a Columbia University business school professor, and Robert Armstrong, FT style columnist and author of the FT’s popular Unhedged newsletter. Galinsky has researched what sorts of clothes help us work – and feel – at our best, and the results may surprise you. Armstrong wants us to think differently about the idea of comfort, and wonders whether the tie is dead.

Want more?

Robert Armstrong on the end of the tie

https://www.ft.com/content/db8ac87f-0765-456b-994f-f66f8a140585

Why is Jeff Bezos such a terrible dresser?

https://www.ft.com/content/a6ce9a0b-d09a-4881-a712-4151465b3b78

Is the underwired bra over ?

https://www.ft.com/content/2b0b614a-ef83-4991-aabf-1dee87cb1da7

Professor Adam Galinsky’s workwear research

https://journals.aom.org/doi/10.5465/amd.2021.0081

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and

what’s coming next. One-click sign-up at www.ft.com/newsletters

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Has hybrid working made it harder to take time off sick?

Tue, 07 Jun 2022 22:00:30 GMT

This week, host Isabel Berwick is joined by Emma Jacobs, author of one of the Financial Times’s most read features on the workplace this year: “The end of sick days: has WFH made it harder to take time off?” Along with fellow Working It regular Brooke Masters, the FT’s US investment and industries editor, they discuss why we are taking fewer sick days than ever, with more of us choosing to work through sickness. Is it a practice managers should ever encourage? They also consider readers’ and listeners’ perspectives on sick leave – has WFH, and the prospect of missing a long commute, made us more likely to call in sick? And is the growing honesty in workplaces around mental health and wellbeing changing the way we think about our need to take time off work for rest and recovery?

Want more?

Emma Jacobs’ hit FT article on sick leave

https://www.ft.com/content/bc9e39ce-8762-4e70-8aa2-2e33b23b80fe

Results of a big FT reader survey on attitudes to work and return to the office, including sick leave

https://www.ft.com/content/b5b9af97-3193-4dd6-bcb8-894ba7846e0e

FT columnist Sarah O’Connor explores punitive sick leave rules https://www.ft.com/content/8a5bccb5-ba86-4a0c-9777-d1283945106d

US retailers under pressure to disclose sick leave policies

https://www.ft.com/content/b190494e-fa0c-4b52-9f18-cf838e15ab72

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and

what’s coming next. One-click sign-up at www.ft.com/newsletters

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — and do leave us a review!

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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Why do so many working-class people feel alienated at work?

Tue, 31 May 2022 22:00:13 GMT

Most of us cannot move for diversity, equity and inclusion strategies in our workplaces, but one thing is often missing: class. When you come from an economically disadvantaged background colleagues often can’t tell, yet the workplace can feel like a hostile environment. How can managers and companies help their colleagues and employees to thrive and advance, especially when many people may not want to be open about their backgrounds at work?

This episode of Working It starts with Sophie, a young entrant to the TV industry, a sector once rife with nepotism and unpaid internships. She got her break via Creative Access, a UK non-profit that supports young people into internships and jobs in the creative industries. Host Isabel Berwick also hears from Annette King, who started out as a "working-class girl from Swindon" and is now UK chief executive of advertising group Publicis. What does her experience tell us?

Finally, Isabel talks to Naomi Rovnick, FT markets reporter, about her route into journalism from a non-traditional background, why "masking" socio-economic background is so common as a way to fit in with what Naomi calls "skiing and wine" chat, and why collecting better data will help us break the class ceiling.

Want more?

Lex assesses class diversity among UK professions, including efforts by the BBC to change things

https://www.ft.com/content/8ceff340-f679-49e4-a781-d7a1e4357aea

The FT's Emma Jacobs explores efforts to boost class diversity in acting

https://www.ft.com/content/bd4736aa-6d6d-11e8-852d-d8b934ff5ffa

FT columnist Simon Kuper on how Oxford university shaped the UK’s ruling elite

https://www.ft.com/content/2fa1e436-a5c7-43b1-9e5a-b1e1b43b8c3a

Useful employer toolkit on socio-economic diversity and inclusion, from the UK Social Mobility Commission

https://socialmobilityworks.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/SMC-Employers-Toolkit_WEB_updated_July2021.pdf

Advisory firm KPMG is publishing socio-economic pay gap data for its staff, based on parental occupation

https://home.kpmg/uk/en/home/media/press-releases/2021/09/kpmg-publishes-firmwide-socio-economic-background-pay-gaps.html

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and

what’s coming next. One-click sign-up at www.ft.com/newsletters

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — please listen, rate and subscribe!

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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Welcome to your office in the metaverse

Tue, 24 May 2022 22:00:33 GMT

Big tech companies such as Meta, which owns Facebook, are throwing billions of dollars into developing their version of the metaverse – virtual spaces where we are all represented by 3D avatars or holographic versions of ourselves. It’s a vision that includes offices in the metaverse, and companies including consultancy Accenture are already using VR headsets and virtual worlds to onboard and train new staff. Working It host Isabel Berwick talks to Lynn Wu, a Wharton Business School professor and an expert on emerging technologies, and Dave Lee, the FT’s San Francisco-based tech correspondent, to find out more about the workplace metaverse. What kinds of ethical questions are raised when working in a world beyond national and corporate borders? What rights will employees have?

Want more?

What are our employment rights in the metaverse?

https://www.ft.com/content/9463ed05-c847-425d-9051-482bd3a1e4b1

What do tech companies hope will be the wider potential of the metaverse?

https://www.ft.com/content/c47eb9fe-2606-4b7c-8527-53d993e84039

A look inside Accenture’s “virtual campus” called Nth Floor gives a good idea about how a workplace metaverse will function

https://www.accenture.com/us-en/about/going-beyond-extended-reality

FT Alphaville takes a sideways glance at what the metaverse hype really means

https://www.ft.com/content/40f545c1-178e-43ef-8bac-6010c7781a77

FT subscriber? Sign up for the weekly Working It newsletter. We cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and

what’s coming next. One-click sign up at www.ft.com/newsletters

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — please listen, rate and subscribe!

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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Behind the Money is back!

Thu, 19 May 2022 05:00:23 GMT

Behind the Money is back with all-new episodes! From hostile takeovers to C-suite intrigue, Behind the Money takes you inside the business and financial stories of the moment with reporting from Financial Times journalists around the world. The podcast returns May 25. You can follow the show now!

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How to ask for a pay rise – and when to give one

Tue, 17 May 2022 22:00:45 GMT

This week on Working It, we’ve joined forces with Claer Barrett, host of Money Clinic. Back in November, Money Clinic aired one of its most popular episodes: “How to ask for a pay rise – and get one!” Working It host Isabel Berwick was an expert on that show, and she’s invited Claer to talk about salaries again – now with added urgency, because rising inflation is pushing up the cost of living. We hear again from Max, the Money Clinic listener who featured on the November episode. Max followed the expert advice he was given and asked for a pay rise, and he tells us what happened next. Plus, what can managers do to help their teams asking for higher pay, especially if there is no budget for it? This episode will help you gather the tools and tips you need – and also tell you what not to do.

Want more?

Listen again to the advice from Claer, Isabel and Jonathan Black, the FT’s “Dear Jonathan” careers agony uncle, on the Money Clinic podcast from November

https://www.ft.com/content/04b1176f-b6c8-4488-971b-9ded3358a324

Two FT features by a behavioural economist on how to craft a case for a pay rise and how to use storytelling to make your argument

https://www.ft.com/content/09ce507b-914a-4988-9a56-cf5181e1678d

https://www.ft.com/content/967db31f-f49b-4039-a295-23db588d2a1c

How to ask for a raise: HBR tips and video

https://hbr.org/2021/11/christine-vs-work-how-to-ask-for-a-raise

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — please listen, rate and subscribe!

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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‘Flight shame’ and the return of business travel

Wed, 11 May 2022 04:00:32 GMT

US business travel is back to about 50 per cent of its 2019 levels. But post-pandemic and amid the climate crisis, can we justify those quick jaunts to sit in airless conference rooms and sip bad cocktails with strangers?

In this episode, Isabel Berwick, Working It host and the FT’s Work and Careers editor, talks to Evan Konwiser, executive vice-president of product and strategy at American Express Global Business Travel. As an advocate for business travel, Evan thinks the future is going to be about making meetings unusual or special. Meanwhile, FT columnist Pilita Clark questions whether we should really be encouraging our staff to get on planes given the climate crisis. Both Evan and Pilita look at near-future trends: the new practice of blending business travel with leisure time – or ‘bleisure’ as some call it – and why your employer may even be booking your vacation.

Want to read more?

Pilita Clark on the post-pandemic future of business travel

https://www.ft.com/content/75d096e5-a429-496b-a62d-f8f6b9b2fb35

More on the Swedish ‘flygskam’ or flight shaming

https://www.ft.com/content/5c635430-1dbc-11ea-97df-cc63de1d73f4

Emma Jacobs on the rise of ‘bleisure’

https://www.ft.com/content/8003a384-bc22-4ae9-b1c1-2c5452136cbe

EY sends new recruits on a trip to Disney

https://www.ft.com/content/da797e20-85fe-4beb-a054-c611aebfdfd9

American Express business travel report outlining its view that business travel will become the centre ‘of the new company culture’

https://explorer.amexglobalbusinesstravel.com/Why-Business-Travel-Is-the-Center-of-The-New-Company-Culture.html

Salesforce’s ‘trailblazer ranch’ for staff meetings in California

https://www.salesforce.com/news/stories/introducing-trailblazer-ranch/

FT subscriber? Sign up for the new weekly Working It newsletter. We’ll cover all things workplace and management — plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next. One-click sign up at www.ft.com/newsletters

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — please listen, rate and subscribe!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Help! How can I make the office more enticing for my staff?

Tue, 03 May 2022 22:00:00 GMT

Most of us enjoyed a lot more time outside in nature during the pandemic so could bringing nature into the office help lure workers back to their desks? In this episode, Isabel Berwick, Working It host and the FT’s Work and Careers editor, talks to architect Rick Cook about his ‘biophilic’ buildings. Rick creates buildings that don’t just look good, but stimulate us to smell, feel and touch the world around us, bringing beehives, greenery and even praying mantis into employees’ lives. Isabel also speaks to the FT’s New York correspondent and Working It regular, Josh Chaffin, about the cutting edge of US office design. There are hospitality groups contracted to make offices look and feel like cool private members’ clubs as well as ice-cream carts and new quiet spaces for introverts. Will it tempt back employees reluctant to give up working from home? What can managers do to make their offices even a little bit more alluring and healthy?

Want to read more?

Josh Chaffin on Rick Cook’s ‘biophilic’ architecture

https://www.ft.com/content/e032feee-6d3d-4773-b8b6-c0744bdadb49

How New York’s offices are getting a post pandemic shake up

https://www.ft.com/content/0fc60c68-7e8f-492d-ae4c-f66272793212

Pilita Clark on why commuting to an office is still offputting

https://www.ft.com/content/8d7e40da-0cf3-453e-9eb3-40036d4e2582

Hot desking in offices is coming back

https://www.ft.com/content/06f5e384-e278-4c30-8215-085512c6820d

How companies are luring staff back with restaurant-quality free food

https://www.ft.com/content/218e50fb-9bff-4589-bff2-7975ea354456

HBR on the power of getting away from your desk for a walk

https://hbr.org/2021/02/dont-underestimate-the-power-of-a-walk

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — please listen, rate and subscribe!

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Upskilling: Why it makes sense to retrain staff

Tue, 26 Apr 2022 22:00:58 GMT

The term ‘upskilling’ is suddenly everywhere. We might once have called it training and development, but the meaning is the same: organisations are spending vast sums to give their existing staff new tools to succeed at work - and, increasingly, to support their personal development. In this week’s episode, Isabel explores how training, or upskilling, has evolved as a way to retain staff in the post-pandemic workplace. She speaks to FT columnist and Working It regular Emma Jacobs about which aspects of upskilling are worth the time and investment, and also to Dan Bullock and Raul Sanchez, training and communications experts at New York University. Dan also works at the UN as a trainer, and both of them are convinced that teaching staff new language and communication skills is the key to a post-pandemic skills refocus - and better global understanding. Could upskilling staff actually help end the Great Resignation?

Want to read more?

What is needed to bridge the skills gap? Andrew Hill on the World Economic Forum’s research https://www.ft.com/content/c82a4096-f4fc-424e-bc74-6df52055640d

More investment in older workers will pay off - Camilla Cavendish on the short-sighted approach of employers who favour younger staff

https://www.ft.com/content/1a72ed42-6d96-4ed5-9528-fb4810b0dbd6

Emma Jacobs on using ‘‘stay’ interviews as a way to find out the training staff want

https://www.ft.com/content/57556b65-f8c8-41f1-9f07-c6c470777229

How the Japanese company Rakuten made English its global language

https://www.ft.com/content/2fdd6626-ba3b-11e7-8c12-5661783e5589

Dan Bullock and Raul Sanchez’s work on training staff to communicate globally

https://www.globallycommunicate.com/the-team

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — please listen, rate and subscribe!

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The Great Resignation: How to stop your staff from quitting

Tue, 19 Apr 2022 22:00:44 GMT

In the second of our ‘Most Read’ episodes on our changing relationship with work, we focus on The Great Resignation — one of the biggest workplace shifts of the pandemic. It’s a topic that deeply interests FT readers — and Isabel kicks off the episode by discussing readers’ thoughts with FT columnists and Working It regulars, Pilita Clark and Emma Jacobs.

Together, they then talk through some of the latest thinking on what leads people to leave workplaces. Triggers include burnout (particularly among middle managers), wanting to maintain autonomy gained during the pandemic and better pay on offer elsewhere. Emma and Pilita talk about what employers and managers can do to retain staff, including innovative ‘stay’ interviews to find out what motivates team members and what their ambitions are.

Want to read more?

Pilita Clark on the man who predicted The Great Resignation https://www.ft.com/content/3e561d41-0267-4d40-9c30-01e62fa9c10f

Pilita Clark on ‘the grey resignation’ of older workers https://www.ft.com/content/f4b64153-b7da-46d6-b882-415907bb77f1

How to run ‘stay’ interviews by Emma Jacobs https://www.ft.com/content/57556b65-f8c8-41f1-9f07-c6c470777229

Is this the end of work as we know it? Working It previous episodehttps://www.ft.com/content/0fc0cf76-d733-4f4c-85fd-51bdc023c63f

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — please listen, rate and subscribe!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Breaking the silence on disability in the workplace

Tue, 12 Apr 2022 22:00:56 GMT

We’ve heard a lot about diversity and inclusion in workplaces, but one group is often left behind: people with disabilities, visible and invisible. Given that millions of people were allowed to work flexibly during the pandemic, how can we extend that mindset shift to make permanent improvements for staff with disabilities?

In this episode Isabel Berwick talks to campaigner Caroline Casey, founder of the Valuable 500, an alliance of 500 global chief executives who are committed to disability inclusion. Caroline points out that the silence at the top of companies sets the tone for everything that happens - since CEOs aren’t coming out as having lived experiences of disability, that allows inertia further down in their organisations.

For an account of how it feels to be a neurodiverse employee, and the benefits that this difference brings to a team - Isabel talks to Naomi Rovnick, an FT markets reporter who was recently diagnosed with dyspraxia.

Caroline and Naomi offer some practical next steps for managers and leaders in any organisation: it’s time to be open about disability.

Want to read more?

How employers ‘ghosted’ one young journalist with a declared disability by Isabelle Jani-Friend https://www.ft.com/content/e91c8785-8517-4f1a-b471-c80e80d6d8e2

The hidden workplace skills of those with dyspraxia by Sarah Laitner https://www.ft.com/content/b4255c98-ca7a-11e5-a8ef-ea66e967dd44

FT special report on modern workplaces and disability https://www.ft.com/reports/modern-workplace-disability

Caroline Casey’s Valuable 500 survey on disability and inclusion reporting among FTSE 100 companies, run in partnership with British media group Tortoise https://www.tortoisemedia.com/disability100-report/

FT subscriber? Sign up for the new weekly Working It newsletter. We’ll cover all things workplace and management - plus exclusive reporting on trends, tips and what’s coming next. One click sign up at www.ft.com/newsletters

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is this the end of work as we know it?

Tue, 05 Apr 2022 22:00:06 GMT

In the first of a two-part series on the end of work as we know it, Isabel talks to two of the FT’s experts on employment and work trends - Sarah O’Connor in London and Taylor Nicole Rogers in New York. As record numbers of people quit their jobs, refuse to return to offices, or simply put a brake on their time-sucking ‘greedy jobs’ like corporate law and investment banking, this post-pandemic moment marks a profound shift in our relationship with work.

Have we really left the 9-5 behind to renegotiate how we feel about work and our employers? Taylor talks about the stunning success of the Reddit antiwork forums, and other ways in which workers are reclaiming their time and identities, while Sarah points out that there really are millions of people who have left our workforces. This is a topic FT readers can’t get enough of - and Isabel will be chewing over some of their spiciest comments.

Listen out for the next episode in the series focusing specifically on The Great Resignation

Want to read more?

Taylor Nicole Rogers on the anti-work movement https://www.ft.com/content/1270ee18-3ee0-4939-98a8-c4f40940e644

Sarah O’Connor interviews economist Claudia Goldin about the ‘greedy jobs’ phenomenon https://www.ft.com/content/92be2a2d-aee3-48c5-922b-84eea37072f8

Pilita Clark talks to the man who coined the phrase ‘The Great Resignation’ https://www.ft.com/content/3e561d41-0267-4d40-9c30-01e62fa9c10f

Sarah O’Connor on quitting your job https://www.ft.com/content/ad9f2346-19ef-4695-b6c9-c0983176eb23

More background on China’s ‘lying flat’ movement https://www.brookings.edu/techstream/the-lying-flat-movement-standing-in-the-way-of-chinas-innovation-drive/

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are dogs the key to workplace happiness?

Tue, 29 Mar 2022 22:00:45 GMT

This week we delve into perhaps the workplace's most divisive issue: should you bring your dog to the office? Isabel (a cat person) talks to Lindsay Bumps (dog person), from Ben & Jerry’s ‘K9 culture committee’. The ice-cream maker has had dogs in its offices since the 1970s, so it knows how to get the balance right for everyone: the animals, their owners and even the 10 to 20 per cent of the population who are allergic to dogs. What can Ben & Jerry's teach the managers who are just starting to allow pandemic pooches in the workplace?

Then, Isabel talks to Henry Mance, the FT’s chief feature writer and author of How to Love Animals: In a Human-Shaped World. Henry has written for the FT about the boom in office dogs — and he thinks there are many benefits to having pets in our workplaces. Can he win round Isabel and her fellow office-dog sceptics?

Want to read more?

Henry Mance on dogs in the office https://www.ft.com/content/b25d8001-3ca5-4927-a990-7027acc6e4cc

We love animals — why do we treat them so badly? Henry Mance in the FT https://www.ft.com/content/fdc7ae21-bd59-4887-8417-7905d57b67ba

Some cute photos of Ben & Jerry’s K9-5ers https://www.benjerry.com/about-us/our-k9-5ers

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts — please listen, rate and subscribe!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Renée Kaplan. Assistant producer is Persis Love. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Produced by Novel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Does office romance actually make you a better worker?

Tue, 22 Mar 2022 23:00:40 GMT

Michele Romanow and Andrew D’Souza are the co-founders of Clearco, a $2bn lender to ecommerce start-ups - and they shared a romance before sharing assets. They’ve now split up as a couple, and in this episode, they go public with what happened - and why they think they still make a good team.

Then Isabel talks to FT colleague and Working It regular Emma Jacobs about the different ways organisations try to police office relationships, and why that is never going to succeed in stopping people from falling in love or having a messy break-up.

Want to read more?

Emma Jacobs on workplace handbooks - a new twist on the old rules of the office https://www.ft.com/content/b69d4fb7-9b6b-4507-bb0e-ac9a02de37ba

The rise of office romances - the stats https://www.shrm.org/about-shrm/press-room/press-releases/pages/new-shrm-survey-the-rise-of-workplace-romance.aspx

Successful co-founders who are couples https://sifted.eu/articles/married-cofounders/

ClearCo’s Michele Romanow and Andrew D’Souza https://clear.co/en-uk/about-us/

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Renée Kaplan. Assistant producer is Persis Love. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Produced by Novel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How influential are influencers at work?

Tue, 15 Mar 2022 23:00:06 GMT

A new generation of young professionals are becoming online stars in their own right through their social media channels. But what happens when personal brands meet the old-fashioned big corporate workplace? In this week’s episode of Working It, Isabel talks to Eve Cornwell, an English ‘lawfluencer’ who has been online for the past five years, blogging about her journey to becoming a young lawyer - before reinventing herself in the tech sector.

Eve believes that ‘lawfluencers’ like her, are helping to build a more diverse pipeline of applicants by making a career in the law seem accessible to all. She also posts videos about her personal life - and challenges. But the line between our personal and work selves can become ‘blurred’. And working alongside very successful young stars can be difficult for less famous colleagues.

Isabel discusses the fast-evolving dilemmas around influencers at work with FT graduate trainee Akila Quinio. She’s Gen Z - but doesn’t have a big social media presence. Are we all going to have to have personal brands in future?

Want to read more?

The ‘lawfluencers’ who blog about their lives at top law firms, by Akila Quinio https://www.ft.com/content/94f50e66-7c6b-48d3-a277-4d4fa7f00662

Eve Cornwell’s YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/EveCornwellChannel

Emma Jacobs on the employees who take to TikTok https://www.ft.com/content/c7f8fb0e-8f1a-4829-b818-cb9fe90352fa

FT editorial on the perils of using staff as influencers https://www.ft.com/content/2a72dc23-0926-4c84-b026-a139b0a56d7e

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Renée Kaplan. Assistant producer is Persis Love. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Produced by Novel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why menopause is such a hot topic at work

Tue, 08 Mar 2022 23:00:14 GMT

In a tight global labour market, older women are having a moment. Employers are offering more leadership and promotion opportunities, as well as practical policies to help manage the hormonal upheavals that hit half the population in their forties and fifties.

In this episode Isabel talks to Navene Alim and Landy Slattery from the UK’s Channel 4 television network, who pioneered the workplace menopause policy in the UK several years ago. They talk about how it has benefited everyone in their workplace - and the silence and misdiagnosis that until very recently often accompanied women’s symptoms of brain fog, sleeplessness and anxiety.

Many big companies are putting together policies to support and promote older women - the fastest-growing segment of the workforce. But, as Isabel discusses with Working It regular and FT columnist Brooke Masters, there are downsides to being open about our health status. Sexism and ageism are still rife - might there be a cost to sharing too much?

Want to read more?

Channel 4’s pioneering menopause policy is free for other organisations to download and adapt https://assets-corporate.channel4.com/_flysystem/s3/2020-10/Channel%204%20Menopause%20Policy%202020.pdf

An FT feature on the stigma around menopause fading in workplaces https://www.ft.com/content/311504fa-04a2-11ea-a958-5e9b7282cbd1

Almost 1mn women have left the UK workforce because of menopause symptoms

https://www.hrreview.co.uk/hr-news/almost-a-million-women-have-left-the-workplace-due-to-menopausal-symptoms/135691

FT columnist Elizabeth Uviebinene on femtech investment https://www.ft.com/content/5ed48a73-a75c-44d7-924d-b65eec28c64f

Companies supporting older women into leadership

https://www.ft.com/content/162a607c-4072-4706-91fd-5a7fb252be91

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Renée Kaplan. Assistant producer is Persis Love. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Produced by Novel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is paternity leave the key to workplace equality?

Wed, 02 Mar 2022 10:24:52 GMT

It’s traditionally been mothers who have had to take time off work to look after children. But in the past two years, the pandemic has accelerated a huge shift towards many more fathers wanting to play an active role in family life. In this episode of Working It, we look at the fast-moving changes in workplace parental leave trends - and what that means for mothers, fathers - and the co-workers who pick up the slack.

Isabel talks to Matt Schneider, co-founder of the US-based City Dads Group, about why paternity leave matters - and the barriers that still stand in men’s way. Are we really still hard-wired to think about men as breadwinners and women as caregivers?

Then she discusses why paternity leave matters more than ever in the current hot labour market, with FT management editor and Working It regular Andrew Hill. If the older, male, leaders in organisations take a dim view of younger colleagues taking paternity leave, do they risk losing them to other companies with a more forward-thinking culture?

And we find out that equality for men in this area might just be the key to women’s advancement - and even help to close the gender pay gap.

Want to read more?

Join a City Dads Group in the US https://citydadsgroup.com/

The FT’s Emma Jacobs on family leave policies as the key to staff retention https://www.ft.com/content/b14b4e7a-e87d-4aee-a267-8100661e4b57

France doubles paternity leave https://www.ft.com/content/36efc7ea-9deb-489a-ac82-97138b7b34f5

McKinsey survey on paternity leave and why it matters https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/a-fresh-look-at-paternity-leave-why-the-benefits-extend-beyond-the-personal

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle in 2022? Email the team at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Renée Kaplan. Assistant producer is Persis Love. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Produced by Novel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why does my boss write such rude emails?

Tue, 22 Feb 2022 23:00:00 GMT

The last two years have made us all experts in digital communications at work - or so we think. In fact, many of us are unwittingly upsetting colleagues, or even jinxing our own careers, by not practising good email etiquette and Zoom hygiene.

In this episode Isabel talks to Erica Dhawan, who really is an expert on digital communication, about the common pitfalls and generational differences [be careful how you use those ‘thumbs up’ emojis, everyone]. We relive some of the best/worst digital fails of the pandemic, including the Netflix staff sacked for dissing colleagues on a public Slack channel and the infamous case of the Texas attorney stuck in the Zoom kitten filter. Erica shares some of the strangest things she has to do as a workplace communication consultant - including teaching Gen Z staff how to get over their fear of voicemail and landlines.

Isabel and Erica discuss practical things we can do to improve the way we talk to colleagues online. Including a definitive ruling on the vexed subject of whether or not it is rude to put a period on the end of texts, emails and DMs…

Want to read more?

Pilita Clark on email etiquette https://www.ft.com/content/3bb151b5-e785-4305-a1f0-6eb71a9dd327

Tim Harford on making email work for you https://www.ft.com/content/e32ea720-be03-4264-95a2-21696e530e84

Erica Dhawan’s website https://ericadhawan.com/

Erica’s advice in Harvard Business Review https://hbr.org/2021/05/did-you-get-my-slack-email-text

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Renée Kaplan. Assistant producer is Persis Love. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Produced by Novel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are companies walking their diversity talk?

Tue, 15 Feb 2022 23:00:00 GMT

After the murder of George Floyd in 2020 and the worldwide social justice protests that followed, businesses acted swiftly to pledge change for their BAME workers. Nearly everyone wanted to post a black square on their corporate Instagram feed - but what real action has been taken? And is there anything you can do to speed up change in your own workplace?

In this episode Isabel talks to Taylor Nicole Rogers, the FT’s US labour and equality correspondent, and Working It regular, to get a snapshot of where corporate America stands on diversity, equity and inclusion. She talks about her own workplace experience as a Black woman - and the toll of ‘code switching’ - changing the way you talk, act or dress - to fit in with white corporate culture.

Plus, Nela Richardson, chief economist at ADP, a huge human capital management company, on what US payroll and employment data can tell us about progress on diversity at work.

Want to read more?

Taylor Nicole Rogers on why Black American workers need economic reform https://www.ft.com/content/377a163d-fdbf-4f11-bb4a-e26465f8c2aa

Pilita Clark on why minority staff want to spend more time working from home https://www.ft.com/content/0049bea8-2d5a-42f4-9ac6-cc79402a7bb9

The evolution of the chief diversity officer - and the problems of embedding diversity right across workplaces, by Emma Jacobs https://www.ft.com/content/6eac296d-acf6-4b41-9349-dc9723212914

ADP’s Nela Richardson on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/nela-richardson-59813613/

Employers shift focus from education to skills - featuring LinkedIn’s programmes https://www.ft.com/content/4e610474-9c93-4e47-a042-915d2222cc4b

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Renée Kaplan. Assistant producer is Persis Love. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Produced by Novel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Get ready for the four-day working week

Tue, 08 Feb 2022 23:00:00 GMT

Who wouldn’t want to have a regular paid day off to go surfing, take a long walk - or to care for family members?

During the pandemic a growing number of companies have been experimenting with four-day weeks and in this episode Isabel talks to Andrew Barnes, founder of 4 Day Week Global, a non-profit organisation that helps companies switch to a more flexible working week.

Andrew first brought in four-day working weeks at his own company in New Zealand, and found productivity and staff happiness rocketed. Isabel also talks to the FT’s Emma Jacobs, who has written about the benefits - and drawbacks–of four-day working. There are many reasons why corporate leaders don’t like the idea - not least because some of them confuse presenteeism with productivity. But are these objections valid? Or could a shortened working week on full pay even be a way for bosses to hold on to staff - and halt the Great Resignation?

Want to read more?

Pilita Clark’s FT column ‘Get ready for the four-day working week’ https://www.ft.com/content/c5d83853-682e-4076-81c1-813b246309f8

Emma Jacobs’ feature on shorter working weeks during the pandemic https://www.ft.com/content/2973bdb4-aef7-4766-b4a5-3f83dd0d667f

Emma’s interview with Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, an expert on shorter working weeks https://www.ft.com/content/7bb06122-57d0-11ea-abe5-8e03987b7b20

Andrew Barnes’ organisation 4 Day Week Global has lots of resources https://www.4dayweek.com/

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Renée Kaplan. Assistant producer is Persis Love. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Produced by Novel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The reality of whistleblowing at work

Tue, 01 Feb 2022 23:00:00 GMT

This week on Working It we take a step back from day-to-day workplace life and explore the issue of whistleblowing. What drives people to speak up against their employers - and what happens to those staff? Does it necessarily end your career in that company?

Isabel talks to Siri Nelson, executive director of the US National Whistleblower Center. Siri has devoted her professional life to protecting the rights of those who speak up. She offers advice for listeners who have seen something wrong and want to report it (first step: get a lawyer).

Siri and Isabel discuss some of the whistleblowers who have changed history - including Sherron Watkins. In 2001 she was a popular member of staff at US energy giant Enron, but when she spoke out about corruption in the company, it made her an outcast at work. Her efforts were not in vain, though - and Watkins ended up testifying at government hearings.

Plus, Isabel gets some insights from the FT’s whistleblowing expert, Brooke Masters, our chief business columnist. What sorts of staff decide to report wrongdoing? And how can managers ensure that our corporate cultures encourage honesty - and can deal with internal problems before it is too late?

Want to read more?

National Whistleblower Center [US] - lots of advice and resources https://www.whistleblowers.org/

Whistleblowers UK -British campaigning group https://www.wbuk.org/

Brooke Masters on why whistleblowers deserve our thanks - and protection https://www.ft.com/content/7e89bfa8-25d5-11e8-b27e-cc62a39d57a0

The corruption of cronyism in workplaces - and a whistleblower's experience of calling it out https://www.ft.com/content/98fdcde8-eba1-45b3-98a6-eceb5269e07c

Andrew Hill on the business lessons learned from Enron, 20 years after its collapse https://www.ft.com/content/4676e3e2-bdaa-4c78-8011-49508279c9ea

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Renée Kaplan. Assistant producer is Persis Love. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Produced by Novel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is it time to put an end to working from home?

Tue, 25 Jan 2022 23:00:00 GMT

This week, Working It is a bit different. It turns out our most read stories so far this year have been about hybrid working, a term that describes working weeks split between the office and working from home. Not only do readers binge on the topic, they also have very strong views, so we thought we’d open up the debate here, too. Isabel talks to FT experts Camilla Cavendish and Pilita Clark, who have both written columns on hybrid work that went viral.

Camilla and Pilita point out that the progressive view on hybrid work is that employers need to be flexible and allow more homeworking, even after the pandemic ends. But the reality is that many business leaders are afraid to say to their staff that there are many benefits to being in the office. We talk about loneliness, mental health, collaboration and what the future of hybrid work will look like.

Isabel also shares what some of the FT readers think. Why is hybrid so polarising? Because it’s so personal.

Want to read more?

These are the columns we discuss in this podcast:

Camilla Cavendish - ‘It’s Time to Admit That Hybrid is Not Working’

https://www.ft.com/content/d0df2f1b-2f83-4188-b236-83ca3f0313df

Pilita Clark - ‘If You Thought Hybrid Working was Hard, Wait Until 2022’

https://www.ft.com/content/006e0751-21ee-4ab0-8bd2-0b954c7132df

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Help, my team have all got side hustles!

Tue, 18 Jan 2022 23:00:00 GMT

This week, we are stepping outside the 9 to 5. Side hustles, second jobs, crafting and more have boomed as millions of workers embraced working from home during the pandemic. Isabel talks to Tim Fung, co-founder of Airtasker, a platform for buying and selling services and skills, used by many as a way to earn extra cash. How does he cope with his own staff’s side hustles?

Taylor Nicole Rogers, the FT’s US labour and equality correspondent, explains that many people have two jobs because of shortfalls in pay. But during the pandemic many of us lost touch with our workplaces and focused on developing a sense of personal purpose and identity. Building an Etsy business or sock-selling empire is one expression of that - and having tasted freedom, it’s easier to walk away from a main job.

Isabel and Taylor come up with strategies for managers dealing with staff side hustles.

Want to read more?

Follow Taylor Nicole Rogers on FT.com for her reporting on employment trends https://www.ft.com/taylor-nicole-rogers

The banker turned bamboo socks seller https://www.ft.com/content/5f0e6c76-7cda-4b62-bb2f-36fd4771efaa

Financial influencer Ken Okoroafor on how his side hustle TheHumblePenny.com became a big business https://www.ft.com/content/27eff0d1-e2d0-4e41-afaf-c2aadf437873

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Renée Kaplan. Assistant producer is Persis Love. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Produced by Novel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From Gen X to Gen Z: bridging the workplace generation gap

Tue, 11 Jan 2022 23:00:00 GMT

Many of us work with - and manage - people 30 years older or younger than we are. And sometimes it can feel like there's a bit of dissonance between the "wisdom and experience" that Gen X and Boomers can bring, and the "innovative energy" of those in their twenties and thirties. So what, and how, can both learn from each other?

Isabel (Gen X) explores how reverse mentoring programmes are bridging the generation gaps in a growing number of organisations. She talks to Alvaro Romero Artigas, a (Gen X) senior manager at Santander, the bank, and to his mentor, Philippa Whelan (a young Millennial) who have been in a reverse mentoring partnership since 2018.

Josh Chaffin, the FT’s New York correspondent (Gen X), talks about the different expectations of younger colleagues and the importance of making an effort to know colleagues with different cultural reference points - and that’s not just an age thing.

Plus, Josh challenges Isabel’s fixed ideas about corporate culture. He says that younger staff and new staff can help change culture from the bottom up - it’s not just about older people passing on their institutional knowledge.

Want to read more ?

Tips for managers in a multi-generational workplace, by former Google executive Sarah Drinkwater https://www.ft.com/content/f56d6a1b-9d64-4380-ac84-a44cb1bebb0f

The return of the corporate handbook, helping to create workplace culture for everyone. By Emma Jacobs https://www.ft.com/content/b69d4fb7-9b6b-4507-bb0e-ac9a02de37ba

Why reverse mentoring works and how to get it right - from Harvard Business Review https://hbr.org/2019/10/why-reverse-mentoring-works-and-how-to-do-it-right

What younger staff expect from their managers - tl;dr - they want a LOT of information and feedback. This is a really useful survey from IMD business school https://www.imd.org/research-knowledge/articles/making-generational-differences-work-what-empirical-research-reveals-about-leading-millennials/

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Renée Kaplan. Assistant producer is Persis Love. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Produced by Novel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Driving diggers and other corporate awaydays

Tue, 04 Jan 2022 23:00:00 GMT

Team building sessions and awaydays have always been a part of office culture. But in a post-pandemic world, where we meet our colleagues IRL, or even in the virtual metaverse, will the awayday survive?

Isabel explores the appeal of the awayday with Ed Mumm, who owns Dig This, a ‘super sized sandbox’ for adults in Las Vegas. Driving Ed’s giant diggers is a popular team day out, giving staff the chance to let loose and compete for prizes.

Andrew Hill, FT management editor, talks about more ‘out there’ awaydays - including geese herding and Hunger Games reenactments - and what staff get out of them. Research on the topic is scant, but it’s likely that the impact is short-term and focuses [can an impact focus on?] on improved interpersonal relations.

The serious version of the awayday is the corporate offsite, where leaders gather to discuss strategy or do a course. There’s a long history of big companies having their own ‘campuses’ for training and retreats - famously GE’s Crotonville in New York State. That might be coming back into vogue - Salesforce’s Marc Benioff has talked about buying a ranch for his employees.

Finally, Andrew and Isabel discuss what might be next for team building and strategy days. Aside from ayahuasca journeys - favoured by some out-there start-ups - the metaverse offers a lot of potential for remote teams to gather in one place, joined via headsets.

Want to read more ?

Andrew Hill on working in the metaverse ttps://www.ft.com/content/61ce8588-5233-44d0-aa12-ce9ed60fb314 ... and on strategy awaydays ttps://www.ft.com/content/4aa19b24-6935-11e6-a0b1-d87a9fea034f

GE’s own fascinating history of Crotonville - established in the ‘Mad Men’ era, and still going strong https://www.ge.com/news/reports/inside-crotonville-ges-corporate-vault-unlocked

Ed Mumm’s Dig This in Las Vegas, where you can watch your boss drive a giant digger https://digthisvegas.com/

From our colleagues at the tech news site Sifted, strange stories of taking psychedelics on team awaydays https://sifted.eu/articles/psychedelic-retreat/

We love to hear from you. What do you like (or not)? What topics should we tackle in 2022? Email us at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter or Instagram.

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe!

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Renée Kaplan. Assistant producer is Persis Love. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Produced by Novel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can you be too kind to your colleagues?

Tue, 21 Dec 2021 23:00:00 GMT

Empathy has been one of the buzzwords of the pandemic, with managers under pressure to listen to employees’ woes and understand what they are going through. But what do we mean by empathy at work, and how much is too much when it comes to caring?

Isabel talks to Belinda Parmar, founder of consultancy The Empathy Business, about small changes that can make a workplace more empathetic, and why that’s often a good thing. She finds that more empathy leads to higher productivity and engagement.

The downside to empathy is that it’s easy for senior staff to burn out when they give too much of themselves to others. Isabel and Brooke Masters, the FT’s chief business commentator, find some possible solutions [like listening to - but not crying with - your staff].

Finally, Belinda gives tips on how to support team members and colleagues, and the power of having a best friend at work. Isabel and Brooke talk about their experiences of friendship at work - it might even stop you burning out.

Want to read more?

Brooke Masters on the long hours culture and burnout in Wall Street

https://www.ft.com/content/19a14cad-b5fc-4fc3-aa5a-ca306af5b831

Isabel’s column on the importance of friendship at work https://www.ft.com/content/62b2db86-60e7-11e9-b285-3acd5d43599e

McKinsey’s in-depth report on burnout in the pandemic - tl;dr? It’s still under-reported and burnt out people are … less likely to respond to surveys about burnout.

https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/coronavirus-leading-through-the-crisis/charting-the-path-to-the-next-normal/employee-burnout-is-ubiquitous-alarming-and-still-underreported

Belinda Parmar’s consultancy The Empathy Business, including the Empathy Index she mentions in the podcast [published in 2016 in the Harvard Business Review]

https://theempathybusiness.com/

https://hbr.org/2016/12/the-most-and-least-empathetic-companies-2016

Subscribe to Working It wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe !

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Renée Kaplan. Assistant producer is Persis Love. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Produced by Novel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Say goodbye to the weekend

Tue, 14 Dec 2021 23:00:00 GMT

Spreading your working hours over five, six or seven days is now an option for thousands of employees at Arup, a global design and engineering company, based in London. In this episode, Isabel talks to Diane Thornhill, Arup's director of people for UK, India, Middle East and Africa, about the company’s “Work Unbound” seven-day work week experiment in Australia and the UK. Diane talks about the importance of senior leaders ‘leaving loudly’ themselves. That means signalling publicly that it’s OK to step away from the desk and take flexible time off.

But how does a seven-day work week affect teams’ communication and collaboration? And do people really want to be able to work all the time? Isabel chats to the FT’s Emma Jacobs, who has written on Arup, about the perks and pitfalls of an always-on work week. Plus, the importance of transparency - in a flexible workplace, it’s vital to be open with our teams about where and when we are working. Is that always a good thing?

We love to hear from you: email us at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter or Instagram.

Mentioned in the podcast:

Emma’s article on Arup’s seven-day work week

https://www.ft.com/content/1405cb93-6625-4834-ac07-09e4062e7aa7

Arup’s own website https://www.arup.com/news-and-events/arups-new-hybrid-work-model-allows-6000-uk-employees-to-choose-their-working-days

The FT’s Sarah O’ Connor on the mysterious decline of our leisure time

https://www.ft.com/content/9df289b9-d425-49e6-899f-c963b458625f

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Renée Kaplan. Assistant producer is Persis Love. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Produced by Novel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Getting personal on LinkedIn

Tue, 07 Dec 2021 23:00:00 GMT

Using social media for work is blurring the boundaries between our professional and personal lives. Do employers really want us to bring ‘our whole selves’ to a job or is there a chance that being very open in public might impact on our careers?

When Jonathan Frostick had a heart attack, he posted his thoughts about how he planned to change his life on LinkedIn. That post went viral - and Jonathan heard from people all over the world who said his inspiring words had helped them re-assess their work/life balance.

Isabel talks to him about what happened next. She is also joined by the FT’s Emma Jacobs who has written a lot about the ways we use LinkedIn, TikTok and other social media to talk about our work, our lives - and even call out bad employers, and how this is all evolving.

We would love to hear from you - email us at workingit@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter or email her direct at isabel.berwick@ft.com

Mentioned in the podcast:

Emma Jacobs on Jonathan Frostick and how LinkedIn got personal

https://www.ft.com/content/8d910754-3568-412c-8a10-9e4806a83b11

And Emma on staff who shine on TikTok

https://www.ft.com/content/c7f8fb0e-8f1a-4829-b818-cb9fe90352fa

A first-person account from a lawyer about how he came out to his network on LinkedIn

https://www.ft.com/content/624efffd-acb5-400d-ae9e-ee207840fa34

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Renée Kaplan. Assistant producer is Persis Love. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Produced by Novel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can you run a company without managers?

Tue, 30 Nov 2021 23:00:00 GMT

But what about other ways that companies knock down workplace hierarchies? Isabel chats to Andrew Hill, the FT’s management editor, about a consultancy that abolished job titles (cue: confusion all round) and US company WL Gore (makers of Gore-Tex), where leaders are appointed through acquiring skills and followers - not just because someone higher up gives them a job.

Plus, the dark side of boss-less workplaces. Do they give toxic colleagues a free pass to behave even more badly?

We love to hear from you: email us at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter or Instagram.

Mentioned in the podcast:

Alexis Gonzales-Black on Zappos’ experiment with Holacracy:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/insights-holacracy-interview-alexis-gonzales-black-usha-gubbala/

More on what happened to Tony Hsieh, Zappos’ late CEO

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-death-of-zappos-tony-hsieh-a-spiral-of-alcohol-drugs-and-extreme-behavior-11607264719

FT article by Alicia Clegg -’ Boss-less business is No Workers’ Paradise’

https://www.ft.com/content/34a86220-d639-11e9-8d46-8def889b4137

Andrew Hill on innovative management ideas

https://www.ft.com/content/f14b3205-f140-4e74-8743-04b881b63134

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Renée Kaplan. Assistant producer is Persis Love. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Produced by Novel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is it time to be open about pay?

Tue, 23 Nov 2021 23:00:00 GMT

Chances are, not even your best friend knows how much you earn at work. In this episode, Isabel tries to work out what we are worried about - surely salary secrecy only helps our bosses? She talks to Joel Gascoigne, chief executive of social media business Buffer, which publishes its employees’ salaries on its website - including that of Joel himself [$290k]. He thinks radical transparency helps with all sorts of potentially difficult issues at work. Isabel also talks to Brooke Masters, the FT’s chief business commentator and an expert on CEO pay. Brooke thinks there are often good reasons for secrecy: when companies are forced to be open about top leaders’ pay, CEOs can compare themselves to people leading other organisations and demand even higher salaries.

Isabel and Brooke also talk about how the rest of us can negotiate a pay rise. To do that, it may help to know what your colleagues are paid ...

We love to hear from you: email us at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter or Instagram.

Mentioned in the podcast:

See how much everyone is paid at Buffer https://buffer.com/salaries

Brooke Masters’ column on CEO pay in the pandemic https://www.ft.com/content/0676c6f6-1ad2-490d-b8cf-d3bccdb76182

Want to get a pay rise? Here’s how https://www.ft.com/content/967db31f-f49b-4039-a295-23db588d2a1c

Listen to Claer Barrett’s #MoneyClinic podcast on getting a pay rise https://link.chtbl.com/K3vLw7lV

National Bureau of Economic Research - the wider effects of pay transparency https://www.nber.org/papers/w28903

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Renée Kaplan. Assistant producer is Persis Love. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Produced by Novel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What working from home companies can teach the rest of us

Tue, 16 Nov 2021 23:00:00 GMT

Almost two years into the pandemic, we’ve become used to hybrid working but it’s often hit and miss in terms of how well it works. In this episode, Isabel talks to Sacha Labourey, co-founder and chief strategy officer of all-remote tech company CloudBees, about what keeps his staff engaged and happy. One tip for managers is that overcommunicating with your team is the key to making things better when you are often - or always - apart. Isabel also speaks to the FT’s New York correspondent Joshua Chaffin about the return to the office in NYC. The insider view? Turns out it is lonely at the top for CEOs holed up in their corner offices while the employees stay at home.

We would love to hear from you: email us at workingit@ft.com or Isabel directly at isabel.berwick@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter or Instagram.

Mentioned in the podcast:

Find out more about CloudBees and its ‘distributed work’ https://www.cloudbees.com/careers

Joshua’s story on lonely CEOs in New York https://www.ft.com/content/4743268e-e903-4822-acba-c22495367bbf

Joshua’s article on why commuters won’t be lured back to offices https://www.ft.com/content/d17d6e2b-c29b-4505-81f4-b3a416f55ca2

And… What went wrong at all-remote company Basecamp https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/05/banning-political-discussions-at-work-isnt-that-simple-experts-say.html

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Renée Kaplan. Assistant producer is Persis Love. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Produced by Novel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The radical unlimited vacation experiment

Tue, 09 Nov 2021 23:00:58 GMT

Trusting your staff to take as much time off as they need to rest and avoid burnout sounds like the ultimate post-pandemic workplace reset, but what would it be like in reality?In this episode, Isabel talks to Amy Cowpe of Charlie HR, a human resources software company based in the UK, about its radical unlimited vacation experiment. What happens when you give people the freedom to make their own choices? The experiment (spoiler alert) didn’t work - but not for the reasons you might expect. Even so, some big-name companies, including Netflix, have long had a ‘no vacation’ policy. How do they make it work? Isabel also talks about the history of paid holidays - her own grandmother had just one day off a month as a live-in maid for a rich English family in the 1930s (yes, it was a bit like Downton Abbey).

We would love to hear from you: email us at workingit@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter or email her direct at isabel.berwick@ft.com

Mentioned in the podcast:

Charlie HR’s blog about its unlimited vacation experiment: https://www.charliehr.com/blog/we-tried-unlimited-holiday-heres-everything-that-went-wrong/

Pilita Clark in the FT on why unlimited time off means more time at work: https://www.ft.com/content/ca935b70-bf14-11e7-9836-b25f8adaa111

Psychoanalyst Josh Cohen’s long read in FT Magazine on how to avoid burnout (feat. Herbert Freudenberger’s work that coined the term ‘burnout’ in 1974): https://www.ft.com/content/ea0ea4cc-0320-11e9-9d01-cd4d49afbbe3

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Renée Kaplan. Assistant producer is Persis Love. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Produced by Novel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Staff perks - the good, the bad and the out there

Tue, 02 Nov 2021 23:00:00 GMT

Puppy party anyone? That’s what one employer is offering its staff to lure them back into work. Perks have always been a part of employment packages but, during the pandemic, employers have become a lot more imaginative in a bid to keep their people engaged remotely - and then get them back in the office. What is the point of these perks, do they work - and what do managers need to know to offer staff what they really want?

Isabel talks to Alicia Ries, director of communications for Emea at Steelcase, a US-based furniture company that brought in a welcome programme including barbecues and its own bagpipe band when its employees returned to work. Alicia discusses what really motivates staff and how employers can help them thrive. We also speak to FT management editor Andrew Hill about the weirdest workplace incentives and what the research says will really keep us engaged at work.

We would love to hear from you - email us at workingit@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter or email her direct at isabel.berwick@ft.com

Mentioned in the podcast and further reading:

Andrew Hill’s article on back to work perks, including Steelcase

What are the most in demand new perks? Charlotte Middlehurst’s FT article: https://www.ft.com/content/6f34b761-aa03-42e7-b5f2-0b128102e33b

Frederick Herzberg’s research into what really motivates employees [tl;dr - make the job more interesting] from Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/2003/01/one-more-time-how-do-you-motivate-employees

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Renée Kaplan. Assistant producer is Persis Love. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Produced by Novel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can wellness apps fix us and beat staff burnout?

Wed, 27 Oct 2021 04:00:00 GMT

The wellness industry is a trillion-dollar business, and the pandemic has turbo-charged it. One of the biggest trends has been the rise in employers buying their staff access to meditation and fitness apps. But does this ‘quick fix’ approach work? And are there better ways to boost wellbeing?

Isabel talks to Lorna Borenstein, chief executive of Grokker, a corporate wellness app about the reasons why she set up the platform and how clients and her own staff use it. It’s all part of a culture of taking care of employees — a topic Lorna has explored more deeply in her book It’s Personal, offering advice to other managers on how to help staff feel better [tl;dr: talk less, listen more]. We also speak to FT colleague Emma Jacobs, about the corporate care culture. She is a little more sceptical.

We would love to hear from you - email us at workingit@ft.com. You can also follow @isabelberwick on Twitter and Instagram or reach out via email: isabel.berwick@ft.com. Thanks.

Mentioned in the podcast and other interesting reading:

-Emma Jacobs’ prophetic pre-pandemic guide to workplace wellness by app: https://www.ft.com/content/d1d58aae-437c-11ea-abea-0c7a29cd66fe

-FT series, Burnout: https://www.ft.com/burnout

- Deloitte report [2020] on employee mental health showing £5 benefit for every £1 spent https://www2.deloitte.com/uk/en/pages/consulting/articles/mental-health-and-employers-refreshing-the-case-for-investment.html

-Video: Emma Jacobs on how to detox from your smartphone: https://www-ft-com.newman.richmond.edu/video/b4115321-b915-3a42-9814-ad0be4c0e7f5?playlist-name=section-0b83bc44-4a55-4958-882e-73ba6b2b0aa6&playlist-offset=206

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Renée Kaplan. Assistant producer is Persis Love. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music. Produced by Novel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trailer: Introducing Working It from the Financial Times

Tue, 26 Oct 2021 11:09:22 GMT

Welcome to Working It, the new show from the Financial Times. Every Wednesday, from October 27, join host Isabel Berwick for expert analysis and watercooler chat about ahead-of-the-curve workplace trends, the big ideas shaping work today - and the old habits we need to leave behind.

Whether you’re the boss, the deputy or on your way up, we’re shaking up the way the world works. This is the podcast about doing work differently.

We hope you’ll enjoy it and we’d really like to make it as interesting and useful to you as possible, so please do let us know what you think or like or don’t. Email us at workingit@ft.com. Follow @isabelberwick on Twitter and Instagram or reach out via email: isabel.berwick@ft.com

Presented by Isabel Berwick. Editorial direction from Renée Kaplan. Assistant producer is Persis Love. Sound design is by Breen Turner, with original music from Metaphor Music.

Produced by Novel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.