Truth, Lies and Work

Latest Episodes:

243. What if leadership didn't need a leader? With Psychologist and Author, Danny Wareham Oct 23, 2025

Show notes

Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work — the award-winning podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture, brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.

This week, Al and Leanne talk to Danny Wareham, organisational psychologist and author of Constellation Leadership: Reimagined for a Connected Age, about why leadership might not need a single leader at all.

From Navy SEALs to small business teams, Danny’s research explores what happens when you remove the leader from the room — and discover that, in the right conditions, performance can actually increase.

🔥 What We Cover

📘 What is Constellation Leadership?
Danny introduces his model — a flexible, culture-driven approach where leadership shifts based on context and capability, not hierarchy or titles.

🧭 Why culture can replace hierarchy
Learn why clear purpose, shared trust and behavioural norms can guide teams more effectively than top-down control.

💡 The North Star principle
Before defining roles, policies or perks, Danny says every organisation must answer one question: why do we exist? That North Star then becomes the anchor for every decision.

⚙️ How small organisations have a natural edge
Danny’s research shows that companies under 150 people — below Dunbar’s number — perform best when they keep teams small, autonomous and purpose-led.

💬 The Navy SEAL mindset
We unpack “mission command” — how elite teams rotate leadership fluidly, with the person best equipped for each situation taking charge in real time.

🧠 The psychology of trust and autonomy
From imposter syndrome to cultural alignment, Danny explains what it really takes to create teams that lead themselves.

🎧 Want more from Danny Wareham?

– Website: dannywareham.co.uk
– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-wareham/
– Constellation Leadership: https://dannywareham.co.uk/constellation-leadership/

🧠 Support with Mental Health and Well-being

– Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/
– Samaritans (UK): Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne

– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork
– Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott
– Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
– Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
– Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

242. Amazon sacks HR, bosses blame Gen Z and new-job red flags. PLUS! Does your vibe really attract your tribe? Oct 21, 2025

Show notes

Hosted by Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott and business owner Al Elliott, this week’s headlines dive into generational friction, AI disruption, and Amazon’s latest layoffs — plus the psychology behind “Your vibe attracts your tribe.”

🔥 This Week’s Stories

🧃 Gen Z vs Everyone Else
The Telegraph says Gen Z are ruining the workplace — dodging phone calls, dressing down, demanding safe spaces, and setting firm boundaries. But is this generational chaos or cultural evolution? Leanne breaks down what’s really going on when work expectations clash across age groups.

📰 Source: The Telegraph – Six ways Gen Z are “ruining” the workplace

🤖 40 Jobs AI Might Replace (and 40 It Can’t)
Microsoft analysed 200,000 Copilot conversations to rank which jobs are most at risk from AI. Translators top the list at 98%, coders at 90%, and even DJs at 74%. But the real story isn’t about job loss — it’s about job evolution. Al explores how automation could actually create more work, not less.

📰 Source: Sky News – The 40 jobs most at risk from AI

📦 Amazon’s AI-Fuelled Layoffs
Amazon is reportedly cutting up to 15% of its HR division as CEO Andy Jassy doubles down on AI investment. Fortune reports that the People Experience & Technology team (PXT) is bearing the brunt. We unpack what happens to trust, culture, and psychological safety when “learn AI or be left behind” becomes company policy.

📰 Source: Fortune – Amazon plans new round of layoffs

🧠 Truth or Lie: “Your Vibe Attracts Your Tribe”

Does your energy really shape the people around you — or is it just another social media myth? Leanne examines the science behind attraction, similarity, and social mirroring. From the “chameleon effect” to homophily, find out what really draws people together (and what pushes them apart).

💬 Workplace Surgery

A remote employee might secretly be working two full-time jobs — what should you do?
How do you motivate your team to actually upskill?
You’ve started a new job full of red flags — do you fix it or flee?

🧠 Support with Mental Health and Well-being

– Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/
– Samaritans (UK): Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne

241. What if meetings were the best part of your day? (Yes, really!). With Mamie Kanfer Stewart Oct 16, 2025

Show notes

Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture — brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.
Hosted by Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott and business owner Al Elliott, this episode is a masterclass on one of the most dreaded parts of working life: meetings.

Our guest is Mamie Kanfer Stewart — host of The Modern Manager podcast, author of Momentum, and founder of Meeteor — who has dedicated her career to transforming meetings from time-wasting nightmares into spaces for decision-making, creativity, and genuine collaboration.

🔥 What We Cover

📌 Why most meetings fail
Mamie shares how growing up in a culture that encouraged open, challenging conversations gave her a unique perspective — and why most organisations get the fundamentals of meetings wrong.

📌 Feedback conversations that don’t implode
Learn Mamie’s frameworks for difficult one-to-one meetings, including how to give feedback to someone more senior without tanking your reputation.

📌 Group decision-making without the chaos
From dominant voices to silent stakeholders, Mamie explains how to prepare for and run complex meetings that lead to real decisions instead of endless back-and-forth.

📌 The “zero to five” strategy
Mamie reveals a simple but powerful technique that turned a potentially hour-long battle into a 15-minute consensus — and how you can use it too.

📌 When meetings should be emails — and when they really shouldn’t
We tackle the internet’s favourite complaint. Mamie explains the real issue behind “this could’ve been an email” and why the answer isn’t fewer meetings, but better ones.

🎧 Want more from Mamie Kanfer Stewart?
– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mamiekanferstewart/
– Meeteor: https://www.meeteor.com/
– The Modern Manager: https://www.themodernmanager.com/
– Mamie KS: https://www.mamieks.com/

🧠 Support with Mental Health and Well-being
– Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/
– Samaritans (UK): Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne
– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork
– Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott
– Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
– Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com
– Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat

240. Starbucks’ CEO fail, toxic superstars and Dubai’s Wolf of Wall Street? PLUS! Is Maslow's hierarchy a myth? Oct 14, 2025

Show notes

Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work — the award-winning podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture, brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network. Hosted by Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott and business owner Al Elliott, every Tuesday we unpack the biggest workplace news stories, decode the psychology, and tackle real listener dilemmas.

🔥 This Week’s Stories

🍞 Breadcrumbing at Work
A new HR buzzword has arrived. Originally a dating term, “breadcrumbing” describes when managers hint at promotions, raises, or development opportunities but never follow through. In a shaky economy where pay rises and mobility are stalling, leaders may be tempted to keep talent with vague promises — but the psychology shows this kills trust and motivation.

Source: Cangrade, “2025 HR Buzzwords”
https://www.cangrade.com/blog/talent-management/24-hr-buzzwords-to-know-in-2025/

☕ Starbucks’ “Fabricated Empathy” Problem
New CEO Brian Nichol’s “Back to Starbucks” plan mandates scripted customer interactions — eye contact, cup messages, four-minute service times — alongside tighter dress codes and reduced remote work. The goal: revive sales. The risk: forcing fake connection and alienating both staff and customers.

Source: Minda Zetlin, Inc.com
https://www.inc.com/minda-zetlin/starbucks-just-announced-a-new-policy-its-a-failure-of-leadership/91243638
https://x.com/mindazetlin

📞 The Dubai Sales Machine
Would you make 100 calls a day for £24,000 a year? A London firm is hiring trainee wealth managers in Dubai with brutal daily quotas and little base pay. They call it “resilience.” We break down why high pressure without autonomy or purpose can wreck motivation.

Source: Louis Goss, The Telegraph
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/l/lk-lo/louis-goss/

🧠 Truth or Lie

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is on every business school slide, but is it actually true? We dig into the real history — including the missing “sixth level” Maslow added — and what modern psychology says about human motivation.

💬 Workplace Surgery

What do you do when your top performer is destroying team morale?
How can you keep remote teams genuinely connected?
And how do founders protect their wellbeing when the business never switches off?

🧠 Support with Mental Health and Well-being

– Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/
– Samaritans (UK): Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org

📬 Connect with Al & Leanne

239. Why your founder's culture dies at 50 employees (And what to do about it), with Work Futurist, Josh Levine Oct 09, 2025

Show notes

Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning podcast where behavioral science meets workplace culture.

Hosted by Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott and business owner Al Elliott, this episode features Josh Levine, work futurist, author of "Great Mondays," and culture consultant who's helped companies like Credit Karma navigate the treacherous waters of hypergrowth.

Episode Summary

Picture this: You've built something special. Your team of 15 feels like family. Everyone knows everyone. The culture just works. But now you're staring down growth - maybe to 50, maybe to 100 employees. And there's this gnawing fear: what if scaling breaks everything we've built?

What We Cover

The 50-Employee Breaking Point

Why founder's culture has an expiration date and the physics behind cultural breakdown

From Implicit to Explicit

How to transform unspoken behaviours into values that actually scale beyond personal influence

The Three-Step Framework

Identify, codify, and communicate the most important decisions that move the needle

Why Most Values Fail

The difference between values as wall decorations versus business tools that drive decisions

Recognition Done Right

How Wells Fargo's outcome-focused rewards destroyed trust and what to do instead

Trust as Infrastructure

Why relational infrastructure matters more than physical infrastructure in distributed work

The WD-40 Case Study

How Gary Ridge reframed failure as learning and invested in humans, not just outputs

Measuring Culture at Scale

Why Employee Net Promoter Score captures what matters as you grow

Resources

Connect with Josh Levine on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akajoshlevine

Follow Josh on Instagram: @greatmondays_culturedesign
Great Mondays website: https://greatmondays.com
Great Mondays Radio: https://radio.greatmondays.com
Great Mondays YouTube: https://youtube.com/@GreatMondays
Get the book "Great Mondays" at greatmondays.com

Mental Health Support

This episode discusses workplace stress, burnout, and the challenges of scaling culture. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health:

UK:

Samaritans: 116 123 (24/7 helpline) - https://www.samaritans.org/
Mind: 0300 123 3393 or text 86463 - https://www.mind.org.uk/

US:

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 (24/7) - https://988lifeline.org/
NAMI Helpline: 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) - https://www.nami.org/

International:

Befrienders Worldwide: https://www.befrienders.org/ (directory of crisis helplines worldwide)
International Association for Suicide Prevention: https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/ (global crisis center directory)

Connect with Your Hosts

Connect with Al on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott/
Connect with Leanne on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
Join the discussion about this episode on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork/
Email: podcast@TruthLiesandWork.com
Follow us on Instagram: @truthlieswork
Chat with us on X: @truthlieswork
YouTube channel: @TruthLiesWork
Check us out on TikTok: @truthlieswork

Want a chat about your workplace culture? hi@TruthLiesandWork.com

Got feedback/questions/guest suggestions? Email podcast@TruthLiesandWork.com

238. Mr Beast on hiring A-players, digital hangovers and risky workplace humour. PLUS! Are tall people really more successful? Oct 07, 2025

Show notes

Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning podcast where behavioral science meets workplace culture.

Hosted by Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott and business owner Al Elliott, bringing you the latest workplace stories that actually matter.

News Round Up

Digital Hangover - The New Workplace Epidemic That feeling when you've been on your laptop all day, mindlessly scroll Instagram, and suddenly feel wired but weirdly drained? That's a digital hangover.

Psychologies Magazine article: https://pocketmags.com/us/psychologies-magazine/oct-25/articles/the-science-of-wellbeing-how-to-shake-off-a-digital-hangover?srsltid=AfmBOorVwGPxFvEpTNB5EZru-bMQUVahEMrR_Nk5KLVp4daxRgI7CV3W

Is Workplace Humour Too Risky? New research from Peter McGraw, Adam Barsky, and Caleb Warren suggests workplace humour might be too risky to attempt.

Research article: https://phys.org/news/2025-09-funny.html

MrBeast's Vibe Check: Smart Hiring or Commitment Avoidance? The world's biggest YouTuber has introduced 90-day trial periods for all new hires, complete with temporary housing and rental cars. The goal is testing whether someone can adapt to high-speed, high-stakes production work.

Business Insider article: https://www.businessinsider.com/why-mrbeast-vibe-checks-new-hires-2025-10

Truth or Lie?

Are Tall People Really More Successfully The verdict: TRUE, but with massive caveats. Research shows height correlates with career success - each inch predicts about £600 more in annual earnings. Since 1900, the taller US presidential candidate has won 81% of elections. But height explains only 7% of earning variation, leaving 93% to actual skills, education, and other factors. The effect operates through perceptual bias (we see tall people as more leader-like), modest correlations with intelligence and health, and self-fulfilling prophecies from being treated like a leader from childhood.

Workplace Surgery

Real listener questions this week:

How do you build a reliable team when you're used to doing everything yourself without losing quality control?
What do you do when you have to let someone go even though they're trying their best and improving?
How do you keep great people when you can't compete on pay with bigger companies?

Mental Health Support

This episode discusses workplace stress, burnout, and the impact of digital overload on mental wellbeing. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health:

UK:

Samaritans: 116 123 (24/7 helpline) - https://www.samaritans.org/
Mind: 0300 123 3393 or text 86463 - https://www.mind.org.uk/

US:

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 (24/7) - https://988lifeline.org/
NAMI Helpline: 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) - https://www.nami.org/

International:

Befrienders Worldwide: https://www.befrienders.org/ (directory of crisis helplines worldwide)
International Association for Suicide Prevention: https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/ (global crisis center directory)

Connect with Your Hosts

Connect with Al on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott/
Connect with Leanne on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
Join the discussion about this episode on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork/
Email: podcast@TruthLiesandWork.com
Follow us on Instagram: @truthlieswork
Chat with us on X: @truthlieswork
YouTube channel: @TruthLiesWork
Check us out on TikTok: @truthlieswork

Want a chat about your workplace culture? hi@TruthLiesandWork.com

Got feedback/questions/guest suggestions? Email podcast@TruthLiesandWork.com

237. Is hybrid the worst of all worlds? With Professors Ina Purvanova and Alanah Mitchell, authors of The New Workplace" Oct 02, 2025

Show notes

Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning podcast where behavioral science meets workplace culture.

Hosted by Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott and business owner Al Elliott, this episode features Professors Ina Purvanova and Alanah Mitchell, authors of "The New Workplace" and experts who've spent years studying remote, hybrid, and in-office work arrangements.

Episode Summary

What if hybrid working isn't the best of both worlds, but actually the worst? Professors Ina Purvanova and Alanah Mitchell have mapped nine different work personas - from "officers" who never want to leave the office, to "avatars" who live entirely online, to "integrators" trying to bridge both worlds. Their research reveals that 65% of workers are now aligned with their company's workplace strategy, but that still leaves 35% struggling with misalignment that affects engagement, commitment, and ultimately performance.

This conversation explores what happens when work personas collide, why hybrid can create more conflict than clarity, and how leaders can move their teams from misaligned to at least half-aligned without losing their best people. You'll hear heartbreaking stories of young workers describing themselves as "soulless husks" when forced to work remotely, and female executives who prefer office work for unexpected reasons.

What We Cover

The Nine Work Personas

How people fall into categories like "officers," "avatars," and "integrators" based on their workplace preferences

Why Hybrid Creates Conflict

How hybrid workplaces can become battlegrounds between opposing preferences, with officers and avatars both wanting companies to go fully their way

The Alignment Problem

Why 65% alignment isn't enough and what happens to the misaligned 35% who stay in jobs that don't suit them

Task-Location Fit

Moving from "dress for your day" to "locate for your day" based on what tasks you need to accomplish

Who Decides the Strategy

Whether leaders should set workplace policies or listen to what teams actually want

Personas Change Over Time

How life stages, from early career to parenthood to late career, can shift your workplace preferences

Recruitment Reality

Why honest job previews about work arrangements are crucial for avoiding misalignment from day one

The Future of Work

Predictions for 2050 and why hybrid might win by default

Resources

The New Workplace book website: https://thenewworkplacebook.com/

Connect with Ina Purvanova on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ina-purvanova/
Connect with Alanah Mitchell on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanah-mitchell/

Mental Health Support

The episode discusses some difficult workplace experiences, including feelings of isolation, loneliness, and depression. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health:

UK:

Samaritans: 116 123 (24/7 helpline) - https://www.samaritans.org/
Mind: 0300 123 3393 or text 86463 - https://www.mind.org.uk/

US:

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 (24/7) - https://988lifeline.org/
NAMI Helpline: 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) - https://www.nami.org/

International:

Befrienders Worldwide: https://www.befrienders.org/ (directory of crisis helplines worldwide)
International Association for Suicide Prevention: https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/ (global crisis center directory)

Connect with Your Hosts

Connect with Al on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott/
Connect with Leanne on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
Join the discussion about this episode on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork/
Email: podcast@TruthLiesandWork.com
Follow us on Instagram: @truthlieswork
Chat with us on X: @truthlieswork
YouTube channel: @TruthLiesWork
Check us out on TikTok: @truthlieswork

236. Office frogging, A.I. workslop and Deloitte's awkward pay gap. PLUS! Are lefties really more creative?" - This Week in Work, 30th September 2025 Sep 30, 2025

Show notes

Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning podcast where behavioral science meets workplace culture.

Hosted by Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott and business owner Al Elliott, bringing you the latest workplace stories that actually matter.

News Round Up

Office Frogging - Gen Z's Job-Hopping Trend Gen Z workers are hopping from job to job like frogs on lily pads, chasing better pay and growth. But here's the thing - this isn't new. Millennials did this too, they just didn't have a catchy name for it. The real question: are you giving people a reason to stay?

Forbes article on Office Frogging: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2025/09/18/office-frogging-gen-zs-career-trend-disrupts-employer-expectations/

Workslop - AI's Productivity Problem AI-generated content that looks polished but has no real substance. Research from BetterUp Labs and Stanford found 41% of workers have been on the receiving end, costing almost two hours of rework each time. AI use at work has doubled since 2023, but 95% of organizations see no measurable ROI.

Harvard Business Review article: https://hbr.org/2025/09/ai-generated-workslop-is-destroying-productivity

Deloitte's £4.9m Pay Rise Problem Deloitte UK's chief executive Richard Houston received a 17% pay rise to £4.9 million while staff got 2.9% and revenues actually fell by 1%. He's now paid 65 times the median Deloitte salary. When staff see the boss's pay racing away from their own, fairness goes, then trust, then loyalty.

The Times article: https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/companies/article/deloitte-uks-chief-executive-receives-17-percent-pay-rise-to-49m-kshc08cqr

Truth or Lie?

Left-Handed People Are More Creative Because They Use the Right Side of Their Brain

The verdict: LIE. While Roger Sperry's Nobel Prize-winning split-brain research showed the hemispheres have distinct strengths, creativity doesn't belong to one hemisphere. Both sides work together constantly in healthy brains. Left-handers may have language spread across both hemispheres and larger corpus callosums, but that doesn't make them automatically more creative.

Workplace Surgery

Real listener questions this week:

Is DISC profiling actually useful for leadership or just another personality tool with slick marketing?
How do senior leaders answer tough questions without actually committing to anything? (Featuring the SCARF model)
What do you call the role when you're ready to step back from day-to-day running of your business?

Connect with Your Hosts

Connect with Al on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott/
Connect with Leanne on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
Join the discussion about this episode on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork/
Email: podcast@TruthLiesandWork.com
Follow us on Instagram: @truthlieswork
Chat with us on X: @truthlieswork
YouTube channel: @TruthLiesWork
Check us out on TikTok: @truthlieswork

Want a chat about your workplace culture? hi@TruthLiesandWork.com

Got feedback/questions/guest suggestions? Email podcast@TruthLiesandWork.com

235. How to make work work for you, with Isabel Berwick, best-selling author of The Future-Proof Career Sep 25, 2025

Show notes

Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning podcast where behavioral science meets workplace culture.

Hosted by Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott and business owner Al Elliott, this episode celebrates friend of the show Isabel Berwick and the paperback release of her bestselling book "The Future-Proof Career."

Episode Summary

We're thrilled to welcome back Isabel Berwick, the Financial Times' work and careers editor and host of the "Working It" podcast. With her bestselling book "The Future-Proof Career" now available in paperback, Isabel shares her insights on making working work for you in our post-pandemic world.

This conversation covers everything from the characteristics that make managers truly effective to emerging workplace trends like "greedy jobs" and workplace polarisation. Isabel also tackles some of our toughest listener questions about managing difficult relationships, career development for younger workers, and finding balance in an increasingly demanding work environment.

What We Cover

The Accidental Manager Crisis

How people end up in management roles without proper training or preparation

Social Media's Workplace Impact

The way platforms like TikTok are influencing professional expectations and behaviors

What Makes Managers Actually Effective

Why listening, empathy, and trust matter more than traditional leadership traits

2024's Biggest Workplace Trends

From workplace polarization to "greedy jobs" and the ongoing quiet quitting conversation

Career Advice for Younger Workers

Strategies for getting heard and developing your career in today's workplace

The Power of Reverse Mentoring

How cross-generational learning benefits both mentors and mentees

Managing People You Don't Like

Practical tips for navigating difficult professional relationships

Listener Q&A

Isabel tackles real questions about work-life balance and career progression

Resources

Follow Isabel on X: https://twitter.com/isabelberwick

Connect with Isabel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isabel-berwick-8b4922167
Listen to Working It podcast: https://www.ft.com/working-it
Subscribe to Isabel's newsletter: https://ep.ft.com/newsletters/subscribe?newsletterIds=62039b7ea31d6577a31f70df
Get "The Future-Proof Career" on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0008607729?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_75RYWXR355NMVKX71SCC

Connect with Your Hosts

Connect with Al on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott/
Connect with Leanne on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
Join the discussion about this episode on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork/
Email: podcast@TruthLiesandWork.com
Follow us on Instagram: @truthlieswork
Chat with us on X: @truthlieswork
YouTube channel: @TruthLiesWork
Check us out on TikTok: @truthlieswork

Want a chat about your workplace culture? hi@TruthLiesandWork.com

Got feedback/questions/guest suggestions? Email podcast@TruthLiesandWork.com

234. Job hugging, Microsoft meltdowns and career regrets. PLUS! The truth about white noise and your brain - This Week in Work, 23rd September 2025 Sep 23, 2025

Show notes

Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning podcast where behavioral science meets workplace culture.

Hosted by Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott and business owner Al Elliott, bringing you the latest workplace stories that actually matter.

This week we explore "job hugging" - the new workplace trend where people stay in roles they don't love out of fear rather than engagement. Plus troubling reports from inside Microsoft suggest a cultural shift leaving employees feeling powerless, and we launch our new "Truth or Lie?" segment examining whether white noise actually helps concentration.

News Roundup:

Job Hugging - The New Workplace Trend The flip side of quiet quitting where people stay in jobs they don't love due to market uncertainty. Affects younger workers choosing security over progression.

Nicole Williamson's LinkedIn post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/nicolewilliamsorganisationalpsychology_first-we-had-quiet-quitting-now-its-activity-7373611657425559552-NZL-?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAPpxk8B1ivB8GiszIgdppDkaIkcd6hBmOo

Microsoft Culture Crisis Reports from a 7-year employee describing managers who look "like pinballs, completely powerless" and colleagues "jumping ship." Shows how culture frays slowly before collapse.

Microsoft story: https://www.financialexpress.com/trending/its-scaring-me-microsoft-employee-of-7-years-says-current-work-culture-has-changed-for-the-worse/3982230/

Arthur Brooks on Career Risk Research shows the biggest workplace risk isn't failing - it's living with regret because you never tried. Fear of regret makes us play it safe and avoid growth opportunities.

Simon Sinek article: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/18/simon-sinek-backwards-career-moves-can-make-you-happier-more-successful.html

Truth or Lie?!

This week's question: does white noise help you concentrate? The answer: true, but only for some people. Research shows it helps those with ADHD or attention difficulties, but actually harms performance in people with strong focus.

Workplace Surgery:

Real listener questions this week:

Dealing with unfulfilling work when your team and manager are great
Managing a brilliant employee who's struggling after promotion to management
Building genuine passion in your team as a young entrepreneur

Get in touch:

Connect with Al on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott/
Connect with Leanne on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne
Join the discussion about this episode on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork/
Email: podcast@TruthLiesandWork.com
Follow us on Instagram: @truthlieswork
Chat with us on X: @truthlieswork
YouTube channel: @TruthLiesWork
Check us out on TikTok: @truthlieswork

Want a chat about your workplace culture? hi@TruthLiesandWork.com

Got feedback/questions/guest suggestions? Email podcast@TruthLiesandWork.com

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