Happier At Work

Welcome back to Happier at Work! In this week’s solo episode, Aoife turns her attention to the hot topic and rising business trends of remote and hybrid work, exploring how each working model differs.Throughout the discussion, Aoife unpacks what the future of work might look like and provides tips on maintaining productivity in a non-office environment and avoiding job burnout. Aoife also delves into the great debate of whether remote workers should be paid less. Key points throughout the episode include: - The difference between remote work and hybrid working. - Social interaction and collaboration: striking a balance when working from home. - How to connect, encourage and engage teams remotely. - Tax considerations when working remotely abroad. - Do you work best at home? - Managerial fears and trust issues linked to remote working. - The importance of setting boundaries at work to avoid burnout. - The wages debate: should remote workers be paid less? THE LISTENERS SAY:Do you have any feedback or thoughts

“To do philosophy is to explore one’s own temperament and yet at the same time to discover the truth.” – Iris Murdoch.Joining Aoife on the podcast this week is Dr Brennan Jacoby. Brennan is a philosopher and founder of Philosophy at Work, a collective of philosophers that ignite individuals, teams and organisations to think and perform their best through the help of their highly sought-after training workshops, thinking labs and keynote speaking sessions. Brennan has worked across multiple global industries, assisting giants including Facebook, Capital One Bank, Sony Music, Nike and Deloitte, to name a few. Get ready for a fascinating and insightful conversation as Aoife and Brennan discuss cultivating a mindset for success, the key to understanding your mindset, and how to overcome the fear of speaking up and asking questions. Brennan also explores the pathway to self-awareness and how our mindset is our worldview. Key points throughout the episode include:- An introduction to Brennan Jacoby.- The great reas

‘’In a research study that I conducted recently, 90% of people who took the survey were experiencing impostor syndrome or had experienced it in the past.’’ – Aoife O’Brien.Welcome back to Happier at Work. To continue the exploration of unhappiness at work, this week, Aoife unpacks a popular topic that arose on LinkedIn: getting your voice heard at work. Speaking up at work can be a challenge for many. To help shed some light, Aoife will discuss two contributing pillars to tackling this obstacle: psychological safety and imposter syndrome. Throughout the episode, Aoife discusses the benefits of working in a psychologically safe environment, building trust and overcoming fear at work, and shares valuable tips on overcoming imposter syndrome and self-limiting beliefs. Key points throughout include: - The importance of creating an environment of psychological safety in the workplace. - Managing change in the workplace. - Learning from setbacks: it’s okay to make mistakes at work.- Why leaders should seek and welc

‘’I think the role of the leader now is to create that environment where everyone can feel deeply connected and motivated, where they feel that they’re able to bring their full talent and potential to work under a clear organisational direction.’’ – Sharath Jeevan. Joining Aoife on the podcast this week is Sharath Jeevan, chairman, author and a world-leading expert on intrinsic motivation, direction and potential. Through his work and writing, Sharath is on a mission to solve motivational challenges, support leaders to build workplace cultures worth bottling up and celebrating, and help leaders navigate direction and unleash people’s fullest potential. In this episode, Sharath explores the journey to self-mastery and success, how the most powerful motivation comes from within and how organisations can stand out and create wonderfully unique cultures. We also learn the importance of creating emotional safety and showering kindness on ourselves and others. Listeners will receive valuable tips on establishing de

‘’When people are appreciated by the boss, they will appreciate the boss more as well.’’ – Aoife O’Brien. Welcome back to Happier at Work. To continue the unhappiness at work theme, this week’s solo episode focuses on employee recognition: the key to a happy workplace. Recognising your staff comes with many benefits; it drives development, builds trust and boosts employee job satisfaction, to name but a few.As businesses across the globe continue to navigate their way through the great resignation, Aoife discusses how recognising staff and effectively providing employee feedback can help retain talent and build a happy workplace. Aoife also reminds us that people tend to leave bosses more so than organisations, reveals the impact of a lack of recognition at work, and offers effective feedback strategies that you can implement straight away. The main points throughout the episode include:- Communicating effectively with employees. - The impact of lack of recognition at work. - Building trust in the workplace.

‘’I no longer care about my own individual success because I’ve realised that the only way I grow and feel satisfaction is if I grow with other people. And it’s super important for me to be part of a group that cares about each other’s growth rather than their own individual success.’’ – Yogesh Soni.Joining Aoife on the podcast this week is Yogesh Soni. Born and raised in India and currently based in Silicon Valley, Yogesh is a tech mastermind who has worked with the world’s top tech companies for two decades and has built products that millions have used globally. After soul-searching and experiencing a lack of fulfilment at work and a sense of living for the weekend, Yogesh turned to writing and released his debut book ‘’Digital Belonging’’. Through his writing, Yogesh is on a mission to bring the human element into the workplace, focusing on employee well-being.In this episode, Yogesh shares his calling to Europe and his love of Switzerland and takes us on the journey of finding the missing piece from his

This week's solo episode focuses on workload and burnout to continue with Aoife's exploration of the widespread issue of unhappiness at work. Did you know that up to 80% of people are currently tackling burnout!? These statistics are shocking but not surprising. This week, Aoife dives into the toll that stress and heavy workloads have on our bodies and shares valuable tips on how to avoid burnout by working smarter. The main points covered in this episode include:- Listening to your body and being proactive to avoid burnout.- Setting work boundaries remotely.- Workvivo study: HR breakdown.- Ways to master time management at work and avoid unnecessary meetings.- Understanding the RACI model.- How to manage a heavy workload. - Learning when to say no at work.- How to cope with stressful periods and consistent urgency at work.- Taking care of yourself when under stress.- The key to working smarter. THE LISTENERS SAY:Do you have any feedback or thoughts on this discussion? If so, please connect with Aoife via the

‘’Doing good by people is also good business.’’ – Kevin Campbell.Are you looking to create a positive space for employees but don’t know where to begin? If so, this episode focused on data analytics and people experience is a must-listen! Joining Aoife on the show this week is special guest Kevin Campbell. Kevin is the founder of Lifted Leadership LLC and is an employee experience scientist at Qualtrics, where he helps people fall in love with their work. In this episode, Kevin dives into how you can boost your business with data analytics and enhance employee experiences to create a happier working environment for people to thrive in. Throughout, we learn about the multiplier effect, the outcome of putting people first and how data can help solve business problems and achieve business goals. Kevin also shares his effective ABC 123 approach to cultivating greater employee engagement. Further points discussed include:- An introduction to Kevin Campbell.- Identifying and closing gaps in the employee experience.

Welcome to this week’s solo episode of Happier at Work. This week in the midst of a rare thunderstorm in Dublin, Aoife answers a listener’s burning question regarding leaping into leadership. From having a boss who made decisions and called the shouts to now being in command – Aoife dives into the transition into leadership and offers valuable advice on how to lead effectively and strategically. So if you are making big moves in business, this episode is for you as Aoife discusses the importance of gaining clarity and asking questions in the workplace. We also learn how companies can be enhanced through the power of listening and observing. The main points covered in this episode include:- Preparation is vital: questions to ask as a business leader.- Understanding the business: do your core values and the organisational values align? - Resources for imposter syndrome. - The impact of collecting employee feedback. - Building and maintaining business relationships.- Setting a vision and team development plan. -

In this week’s podcast, Aoife focuses on a topic very close to her heart - data and the impact of a data-driven workplace culture. Joining Aoife to explore this topic further is special guest Natalie Cramp. Natalie is the proud CEO of London-based data agency, Profusion, which specialises in helping businesses become more efficient, effective and profitable by embracing data science. In this episode, Natalie discusses the path to transforming organisations with data, how transparency is a confidence builder and how data is a key ingredient to creating happier work environments. Key points throughout the episode include:- An introduction to Natalie Cramp. - Decision-making processes in the workplace.- Employee performance management: Identifying your organisation’s top talent. - The starting point of organisational transformation.- Using data to drive your business strategy. - The power within aligning HR and Marketing teams.- Why it’s time to embrace data-driven decisions.- The importance of asking the right

Welcome to Happier at Work’s brand-new solo series, where Aoife will be shaking things up a little as she focuses on the widespread issue of unhappiness at work. At some point throughout your professional career, you may have encountered challenges and hardships at work dealing with a tricky manager, which can drive a great sense of job dissatisfaction. In this week’s episode, Aoife hone’s in on one of the root causes of feeling unhappy at work: having a bad boss. Aoife highlights poor managerial attributes, shares valuable tips on handling a bad boss and discusses her personal experiences and learnings of dealing with weak bosses and empowering leaders. To ensure you always feel happier at work, Aoife also advises how you can avoid terrible bosses in the future. The main points covered in this episode include:- No one wants to be micro-managed.- The impact of employee comparison. - Dealing with broken promises at work. - The key to understanding your boss. - Knowing when to leave your job. - A distant boss:

“Doubt keeps us humble and curious. If you didn’t experience this healthy and normal emotion of doubt, it means that you wouldn’t care about your audience. It means you wouldn’t care about doing good work.” – Kelli Thompson. Joining Aoife on the podcast this week is special guest Kelli Thompson. Kelli is an inspirational women’s leadership coach, speaker and author who made the brave leap of leaving a secure job with Corporate America to start her own practice to help empower women across the globe. Kelli’s mission is to help women create a career they love and advance and make an impact in the rooms where decisions are made. In this jam-packed episode, Kelli shares how to ignite your confidence and create a career you love. We learn about workplace issues faced by women, how imposter syndrome is self-sabotage and why we need to normalise feelings of doubt and trust our bodies. Kelli also asks how you would like to be described when you’re not in the room? Key points throughout the episode include:- An introd

This week, Aoife is serving up a challenging and thought-provoking solo episode focused on talent management, inspired by a college lecture-discussion she took part in a couple of years ago. In this episode, Aoife explores organisational performance and the measurements of talent in the workplace, unlocking our fullest potential and excelling in our career, and probes the question; is everyone good at something? The main points covered include: - The bell curve: measuring employee performance.- Favourable treatment and equality at work. - Unlocking your key strengths and finding your career purpose.- The importance of giving people the chance to excel. - The damages a lack of employee recognition can cause. - The concept of the Peter principle. - Bluffing your way in business. - How to identify your strengths and potential. - Managing high performers and underperformers. THE LISTENERS SAY:Do you have any feedback or thoughts on this discussion? If so, please connect with Aoife via the links below and let her

Did you know there is a parallel link between human psychology and animal behaviour? Here to break it down for us is this week's special guest Beth Anstandig who will be discussing the animal within and awakening our natural leadership. Beth is a licensed psychotherapist, lifelong cowgirl and author with over 25 years of experience working with human herds offering leadership, corporate culture and well-being programs through The Circle Up Experience. Get ready for a truly fascinating discussion as Beth unleashes our mammal instincts, explains the heart of psychological safety, explores supportive leadership and how to embrace collaboration in a remote world and much more. Key points throughout the discussion include: - An introduction to Beth Anstandig.- Transforming a team into a community. - Activating autopilot and ignoring our body's needs.- Is psychological needs the same as physical needs?- Overcoming conflict at work. - The culture of you and how to avoid wasted energy. - Questioning your purpose and

This week’s solo episode focuses on the rising concept of toxic productivity and the busyness badge of honour. We can all strive to be productive, but do we recognise the detrimental impact of busyness on our mental health and bodies, and is it a badge of honour worth wearing? In this episode, Aoife discusses the link between busyness and success, the need for setting personal boundaries and the importance of self-reviewing to reflect and identify where time is being spent in order to create a more manageable workload. The main points covered in the discussion include:- The impact of toxic productivity and the busyness badge of honour.- The link between busyness and success. - Time management and self-evaluation: where is your time being spent?- Conducting business meetings: are they necessary? - Are you doing the right work?- The importance of setting self boundaries and goals. - Reactive VS proactive behaviour. - The blurred line between work and home. - The danger of unclear work objectives.- Managing perf

‘’We're fighting in this war of talent. Google are coming in and knocking on the door of our people, Microsoft and Amazon too. We're losing our people to huge organisations and I don't have the weapons to keep them but I do have one great weapon, which is belonging.’’ – Stephanie Brady. Welcome back to Happier at Work. This week, Aoife is delighted to be joined by HR expert and enthusiast Stephanie Brady. Stephanie is an experienced HR leader with seven years of experience steering the HR agenda in Retail inMotion (IT/ Retail/ Aviation). But that’s not all; Stephanie also runs StephBe – a safe haven where she shares her passion and ideas, and helps people transform their lives and businesses through her coaching services. For Stephanie, when it comes to self-development and tapping into self-potential – the sky’s the limit! In this episode, Aoife and Stephanie discuss belonging: the secret weapon of business, how Covid-19 shook the travel industry overnight, Stephanie’s fertitlity journey, supportive work e

‘’People will leave managers rather than leaving organisations because the managers are the touchpoint for individuals within the organisation, especially now with most people working remotely or in a hybrid situation.’’ – Aoife O’Brien. Welcome back to Happier at Work! This week’s solo episode is inspired by a statistic that Aoife recently came across on LinkedIn, stating that only 28% of organisations have any leadership development programs in place. With the revelation of this shockingly low statistic, Aoife is dedicating this episode to discussing why investment in leadership development is vital and shares thoughts and actions on what companies should be doing to enhance their leadership training to encourage the organisation’s performance. Throughout the discussion, Aoife shares personal experiences throughout her professional journey of receiving development investment at the perfect timing, working with undertrained and inexperienced managers, and receiving delayed managerial training. The main point

‘I always say if you don't have a plan yourself, you will become part of somebody else's.’’ – Katrin Sturm. Welcome back to Happier at Work. This week, Aoife is delighted to welcome German-born, Dublin based renowned personal growth mentor, CEO and founder of Scale & Shine, Katrin Sturm. Katrin is passionate and devoted to empowering female leaders to reach new career heights in male-dominated industries and helps organisations close the gender gap through the incredible work of her business. So many avenues get explored in this jam-packed session with many golden nuggets peppered throughout. Aoife and Katrin discuss how the time to scale & shine is now, unconscious bias, gender stereotype language in the workplace, your own definition of success, and so much more. The main points throughout include: - An introduction to Katrin Sturm.- Transitioning into a managerial role. - The link between career progression and loneliness. - Supporting women in business and bridging the gap of workplace gender bia

Welcome back to Happier at Work! To celebrate the recent milestone of reaching 100 episodes, Aoife has put together a selection of unique episodes. For today’s solo special, Aoife opened the floor to the listeners for any questions or topics of interest that they wished to get covered. Today’s episode will be focused on maintaining employee satisfaction during the great reshuffle as a brilliant question came in from an anonymous listener wondering how to manage an ambitious team when there are limited opportunities for career progression during these challenging times of change. Aoife will discuss the key to motivating employees and sustaining employee engagement, the power of open communication in the workplace and will share prevention techniques for employee turnover so you can retain your top talent. Key points covered include: - Work progression: are you ready to move into management? - The importance of understanding employee motivation. - Introducing opportunities for lateral moves in the workplace.- E

"I've actually never come across an organisation that doesn't value and doesn't require the skill of problem-solving." – Irial O'Farrell. Returning to the podcast this week is special guest Irial O'Farrell. Last July, Irial joined Aoife on the podcast to discuss The Values of Business. If you missed that in-depth discussion, fear not, as you can listen back here. This week, Irial returns to discuss the topic of the manager's dilemma to celebrate the release of her third and latest book. Throughout the episode, Irial explores the managerial mindset and differentiates between a manager VS an expert. Irial also uncovers problem-solving techniques and why we should focus on performance development rather than performance management. Listeners will also learn valuable tips on how to work smarter! Key points throughout the discussion include:- The concept of the manager's dilemma. - The difference between managers -VS- experts. - How role dimensions can enhance clarity in the workplace. - The benefits of mapping ma