WhyWork Podcast

by Alan Girle, Trajce Cvetkovski, & Sara Pazell

The WhyWork Podcast is an organisational strategy session and legal dissection of workplace events that are laced with humour. Your bloggers, Alan, Trajce, and Sara, explore the contemporary and uncomfortable realities of work and the boundaries that are tested. Alan and Trajce dismantle case law and Sara pushes all to consider how to redesign the world of work so that business objectives are realised and that people thrive. ... 

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Podcast episodes

  • Season 5

  • S05 E12: Awww. Stay. Louder! The Big Bang

    Explicit

    S05 E12: Awww. Stay. Louder! The Big Bang

    Explicit

    WARNING – This episode presents content on workplace fatalities – listener discretion is advised. With a word play on cosmetics branding, Trajce frames the scenario explained by Sara: A naturally curious 14 y/o, an electric display vehicle, a shopping centre, and the make up counter. “This is like a red bull, a caged beast,” Trajce makes the analogy, “An ‘Awww. Stay. Louder!’“ moment, much to Alan's pained laughter. “No monkeying about,” leads Alan, as Sara describes another news story about work in the zoo when a worker gets caught inside the enclosure of a silver back gorilla, Elmo. Sara talks about communication and human-information processing using visual storyboarding to improve work practice, a design strategy that differs from convention risk and compliance measures.

  • S05 E11: German Work

    Explicit

    S05 E11: German Work

    Explicit

    Season 05 Episode 11: German Work Warning: This episode discusses Anti-Semitic work behaviours. “Is ‘German work’ a standard of work?” Trajce asks as he recounts a story on a manager who berates his Aussie teams, “’You’re F’n stupid!’ “ the manager tells his staff. Even mid-employment dispute, this manager showed no contrition. “He believed that he was forced to speak in this manner,” Trajce elaborates, “because the culture of work in Australia was far too lazy and lackadaisical for him.” Sara shares a story of a New York firm with whom she was once associated. In this firm, the manager tried to compel an Australian team member to sign their proposed work contract, “It’s not like I am making them wear concrete shoes and putting a gun to their head!” the New York representative lamented. “I don’t think that is going to work in Australia…,” Sara sweetly acknowledges.. Alan encourages the team to “unplug from it all’,” remembering life at age 22…

  • S05 E10: Stubble stash and mug mats

    S05 E10: Stubble stash and mug mats

    Season 05 Episode 10: Stubble stash and mug mats To fit or not to fit? This episode discusses a WhyWork Podcast subscriber’s concern on managing the scenario when a bearded worker must wear a mask for their health protections at work. “Get better equipment,” is not the easiest mandate in this complex situation, says Count van Count, aka Trajce. He is expressive while displaying his well-groomed goatee. Alan agrees, recounting reasons why some people find this an emotive issue: cultural, religious, or industrial events. Sara confirms that Alan and Trajce often speak on the complexity of real-world events that can trigger reviews on employment; industrial; civil, and work health, and safety laws. She recalls the story, ‘The Best of Enemies,’ made into a movie, about the relationship between the American Civil Rights Activist, Ann Atwater, and the Klu Klux Klan member, C.P. Ellis. In this story, a lawyer navigated complex community race relations using a mediation process called a ‘charrette.’ The lawyer skilfully implemented this process, the characters achieved consensus and, surprisingly, formed a lifelong friendship thereafter. The crew, Alan, Trajce, and Sara, continue to debate the need to articulate purpose and context before determining solutions in work design. Trajce likens this to incident investigation and event analysis methods versus chasing any on-trend tool that might not suit organisational purpose.

  • S05 E09: A prism party and colour cascade

    Explicit

    S05 E09: A prism party and colour cascade

    Explicit

    Season 05 Episode 09: A prism party and colour cascade WARNING: This episode presents topics on workplace fatalities and suicide - Listener discretion is advised. Sara announces the publication of a new book of which she is a co-editor, “Healthcare Insights: The voice of the consumer, the practitioner, and the work design strategist.” “The intent,” she explains, “is to empathise and to understand situations from many points of view. It’s like holding a crystal to the sky, and seeing different colours refract when you spin it around,” says Sara. Trace concurs, “Storytelling and narratives are prisms to view a different world.” Tracie elaborates on his contribution to a chapter in another book in the Workplace Insights series on Good Work Design, using empathy maps to articulate victim impact statement. “That’s golden,” Sara exclaims, “That’s from working with me! I love that a past state prosecutor is using empathy maps in storytelling.” Trajce recalls, “We used empathy maps in our safety conference presentation on distributed work emerging from the pandemic”. Alan retorts, “I remember that conference. I think there was some trivialisation of alcohol at that event!” Alan and Trajce reflect on their careers in work health and safety law, and on some critical cases. “The downside of workplace criminal law,” Alan deducts, “is that everyone suffers.” Trajce adds, “This is unintentional crime.” Sara shares a subscriber’s, Craig McDonald’s, concerns about causational chains of responsibility, especially when governments constrain capital expenditure in transport infrastructure. Conversely, the podcast crew debate the notion of spurious injury claims and the weaponisation of alleged psychosocial harm. Full disclosure: gremlins invaded the studio ghost in the machine, faculty cables during recording caselaw discussion, we know, we know, but the content was too good to omit. Enjoy!

  • S05 E08: Smooth Criminal: The sociology of industrial crime

    Explicit

    S05 E08: Smooth Criminal: The sociology of industrial crime

    Explicit

    Season 05 Episode 08: Smooth Criminal: The sociology of industrial crime WARNING: This episode discusses fatalities in the workplace. Listener discretion is advised. In this episode, Alan broaches the topic of industrial manslaughter by describing a case involving a forklift operation fatal incident in a stonemasonry company in New South Wales. This prompts Trajce to reflect on a case where a prosecuted employer ritualistically honoured the anniversary of the death of their worker by paying for an ode of remembrance in the bereavement section of the local newspaper to acknowledge how much the apprentice was missed. “This shows how these events take a huge emotional toll on all parties involved in a fatal incident,” explain Trajce, “These are not crimes rationalising a standard criminological lens. These are crimes involving unintentional harm. It fascinates me because of the sociology of crime – the industrial criminal who commits crimes unintentionally. “These deterrents, the fees, no matter the cost, will never cure the hurt. In the court of public opinion, it will never be enough,” Alan empathises. Sara dreams of a world that balances the punishment with reward to motivate people to exhibit desired social behaviours. "It's basic neuroscience," she says.