WhyWork Podcast

S09 Trailer 06: Refugees

Trajce advance's a refugees claim of years of bullying, micromanagment, and discrimination. The team, Alan, Trajce, and Sara, wrangle with the 'ColdPlay'd-gate' escapades and the symbolic implications of workplace power relations.

Tune in to the release of Season 09 for a focus on workplace terminations for all manner of challenging reasons - coming soon!

S09 Trailer 05: Autopilot mode

"How many times have you done something silly but you've been in autopilot mode?" reflects Sara when considering human factors and relatable fallabilities. Humans also innovate and improve work systems. Season 09 is coming soon, talking about more whacky case law, relatable faux-pas, and dissection of human behaviour. Stay tuned for more coming your way.

S09 Trailer 04: PRAiSE - Psychosocial Risk Assessment and Integrated Solutions for Employers. The team reflect on "The best psychosocial instrument on the planet," as Trajce aludes, while Alan struggles with prosecutions of employees in Work Health Safety Legislation.

S09 Trailer 03: Nothing but dismissals - can't we all just get along?

Season 09 takes listeners down a workplace dismissal path. Alan, Trajce, and Sara explore workplace conflicts and government prosecutions in work health and safety law. Alan struggles... listen in for more on this with Season 09 releases - coming soon!

S09 Trailer 02: Bring it on - The kaleidoscope of workplace mishaps. Get ready for more humour and confronting tales - Season 09, coming soon.

S09 Trailer 01: Back in black - we're back... soon!

Back in black - we're coming back soon for Season 09. Great ready for more quips about contemporary events and controversial stories, laced with insights from diverse perspectives. We explore business strategy, work design, human factors, and work health safety case law. The more things change, the more things stay the same...!

S09 Trailer 06: Refugees

Trajce advance's a refugees claim of years of bullying, micromanagment, and discrimination. The team, Alan, Trajce, and Sara, wrangle with the 'ColdPlay'd-gate' escapades and the symbolic implications of workplace power relations.

Tune in to the release of Season 09 for a focus on workplace terminations for all manner of challenging reasons - coming soon!

S09 Trailer 05: Autopilot mode

"How many times have you done something silly but you've been in autopilot mode?" reflects Sara when considering human factors and relatable fallabilities. Humans also innovate and improve work systems. Season 09 is coming soon, talking about more whacky case law, relatable faux-pas, and dissection of human behaviour. Stay tuned for more coming your way.

S09 Trailer 04: PRAiSE - Psychosocial Risk Assessment and Integrated Solutions for Employers. The team reflect on "The best psychosocial instrument on the planet," as Trajce aludes, while Alan struggles with prosecutions of employees in Work Health Safety Legislation.

S09 Trailer 03: Nothing but dismissals - can't we all just get along?

Season 09 takes listeners down a workplace dismissal path. Alan, Trajce, and Sara explore workplace conflicts and government prosecutions in work health and safety law. Alan struggles... listen in for more on this with Season 09 releases - coming soon!

S09 Trailer 02: Bring it on - The kaleidoscope of workplace mishaps. Get ready for more humour and confronting tales - Season 09, coming soon.

Back in black - we're coming back soon for Season 09. Great ready for more quips about contemporary events and controversial stories, laced with insights from diverse perspectives. We explore business strategy, work design, human factors, and work health safety case law. The more things change, the more things stay the same...!

Season 08 Episode 13: Re-release Episode: Kozorov and the Need for Purpose

WARNING: This episode refers to traumas involving children - we advise listener discretion.

We re-release S01 E13 in the wake of growing concerns about psychosocial risk management in the workplace. This case is about vicarious trauma - the long-term psychological distress that can arise among workers arising from secondary exposures to traumatic events. In this case, it s about a lawyer who encounters real-world accounts of horrific circumstances - such as suicide and child pornography.

Exposure to secondary trauma is a reality of...

Season 08 Episode 12: Jumping Castles Part Two

WARNING: This episode includes discussion about fatal events impacting children and families – we advise listener discretion.

The WhyWork Podcast Team, Alan, Trajce, and Sara, discuss the complexities of a prosecutorial strategy when fatal events occur at a school: children who die as a result of a windstorm and out-of-control, airborne jumping castle. Those involved in the work design include a jumping castle supplier, the workplace host, a school, and an overseas manufacturer.

Alan shares his grief in retelling this tale and pays his respect to the families an...

Season 08 Episode 11: Toolbox Talk: Acknowledgement of Country

WARNING: This episode addresses cultural sensitivity issues in the workplace – we advise listener discretion.

Trajce challenges his podcast team, Alan, and Sara, with a claim about cultural sensitivities. He shares a tale about a street sweeper’s unfair dismissal by a local government city council after he raised his concerns about the Acknowledgement of Country before a toolbox session. To add probative value to the engineering of this dismissal, Trajce explains, the employer complained about the worker's failure to attend cultural sensitivity training. “The problem?” Trajce asks, “the employee w...

Season 08 Episode 10: Darth Vader and the handshake of death

Alan, Trajce, and Sara start this episode in discussion about the social etiquette of handshakes. Alan advocates for the politeness of the handshake in business negotiations, and Trajce explains his handshake aversions, and the origins of a handshake.

In this reverie, Trajce reflects on his support band, warming up big names in the 1980’s, like The Village People and Kim Wilde. Sara shares details bout her fun night out listening to Tyne James Organ and Jacob Fitzgerald & the Electric City live at a local venue.

...

Season 08 Bonus: WhyNOT? A Wisdom Shot: Creating joyful paths

This wisdom shot challenges workplaces to think about creating joyful paths in their workplace, versus hoping someone falls into a path of joy. It's about using service design combined with human factors approaches to construct manageable and meaningful work while managing psychosocial risks.

Season 08 Episode 09: Psychosocial Hazard Salad

In this episode, the team discusses the challenges in the contemporary workplace of managing the complexity of psychosocial risks that can cause mental health disorders among workers – disorders like anxiety, stress, low mood, and depression. Sara laments the literature and assessment approaches that reveal the “What?” without explaining the “SO What?” and “NOW What?” Alan loves that level of thinking, acknowledging that without this level of guidance, businesses can spin their wheels, directionless. Sara explains a research paper on necessary condition analysis describing four factors that, in their absence, preclude a diagnosis of depression...

Season 08 Episode 08: Levellin’ Up: Health Screening vs Human Rights

“It is my human right to grab a meat pie from the local pie cart,” Trajce defends his actions. “Everyone is stressed, so what is your stress level?” enquires Alan, in his effort to empathise and disarm a respondent. “What’s your level, not your age, but your level?” asks Sara, “We’re levelling up – that’s empowering!”

This episode extends discussion on the events surrounding S08 E02: Christmas Day Code Blue. In this episode, the WhyWork crew dig into the uncomfortable truth that many wellness initiatives are a shiny di...

Season 08 Episode 07: Danger, Design, and Digital Realities

WARNING: This episode discusses injuries caused by recreational fixed plan – we advise listener discretion.

“How do you design better work when the risks are invisible, intangible, or hard to map?" asks Trajce. In this forward-thinking episode, the WhyWork crew explores how Shared Virtual Presence (SVP) is transforming the way organisations approach risk, work design, and collaboration.

Trajce shares his perspective on the value of SVP in creating shared language and visible systems thinking, and Alan digs into how digitised assessments are finally bringing mental health into main...

Season 08 Episode 06: Rootin’ Tootin’ Wild Theme Park Rides: When Fun turns Fatal

WARNING: This episode discusses a serious injury to a child – we advise listener discretion.

“Theme parks are workplaces where serious harm could eventuate,” bemoans Trajce.

In this gripping episode, the WhyWork crew dive into the devastating case of a child who suffered a traumatic scalping injury while on a Wile E. Coyote-themed amusement ride

Alan walks us through the case, unpacking the sequence of mechanical and human errors. Trajce brings his classic bluntness and empathy, highlighting how poor design choices...

Season 08 Episode 05: Is it a crime? The syrupy sweetness of criminal recovery, comebacks, and swearing in the workplace

WARNING: This episode discusses human rights breaches - we advise listener discretion.

Does a criminal record mean a life sentence of unemployment? This episode dives into how past convictions keep people locked out of work. Alan reflects, “Inclusive hiring isn’t charity. It’s good business sense. We should not define skills and character by a past conviction.” Alan recounts a case of a government employee hampered by a past criminal investigation. Listen in to learn about the resu...

Season 08 Episode 04: Nipple Tweaks & Bottom Taps: The border between play and predatory assault

WARNING: This episode includes discussion on sexual harassment - we advise listener discretion.

Ever wondered when ‘just joking’ becomes sexual harassment? In this eye-opening episode, we unpack real stories of workplace encounters that cross the line—like unwanted bottom taps or nipple tweaks (Are these ever really okay?!) . Alan, Trajce, and Sara discuss why dismissing these actions as both banter and play lets disrespect thrive. Sara says, “We need to normalise calling out these moments, not laugh them off.” Trajce adds, “People think it’s h...

Season 08 Episode 03: Too much to carry: The case that alters the landscape of mining prosecutions

WARNING: In this episode, the podcasters discuss extreme mental health duress - we advise listener discretion.

Noone died. But two workers were emotionally broken by the weight of their jobs – this time, the system noticed.

In this episode of WhyWork, we explore a landmark $1.2M enforceable undertaking in mining. Not for a collision, Not for a fire. Not for an explosion. And not for a fatality, but for two finance staff affected by their crushing workloads, bl...

Season 08 Trailer 06: Profiling workers: Who is most at risk? Season 08 probes these contemporary work design strategies - from construction workers bitten by a spider while they visit the loo to healthcare professionals prone to work stressors and cardiovascular events.

Season 08 Episode 02: Christmas Day Code Blue: A Tassie healthcare system wake-up call

WARNING: This episode describes a fatality – we urge listening discretion.

In this episode, the WhyWork team debate the issues surrounding a senior hospital doctor who, for years, carried the weight of a health system on his back. His widow’s lawyer claimed he worked seven days a week and was on call 24/7. He shielded his staff from the bureaucracy and advocated for better staffing care ratios. He managed increasingly complex client care presentations. This is a story of duty, care, and silence.

On...

Season 08 Bonus: WhyNOT? A Wisdom Shot: Work, rest, and play

Should employees be permitted to disconnect from their workplace during their 'downtime'? Alan discusses The Fair Work Ammendment Right to Disconnect Bill 2023 which makes it legislatively clear that the provisions in work health safety laws intend to support workers. Alan contends that workers need to recharge and replenish versus always being 'ON' at work. "... Work, rest, and play," croons Trajce, citing the candybar jingle.

For more on this, listen to:

S06 E07: We revisit the right to disconnect, &

S05 E03: Grab...

Season 08 Episode 01: Flora, Fauna, and the ‘Port-a-Loo’: Beware the arachnids

In this season opener of WhyWork Podcast, we forgo the spreadsheets and the performance statistics – we go straight to storytelling. A toilet. A spider. And a young worker’s unforgettable encounter with risk realities interrupting his routines – when faced with an arachnoid phenom, it was up close and highly personal. “Not once, but TWICE!” exclaims Trajce.

“Sometimes, work gets weird,” Alan laments, as he shares disarmingly intimate conversational snippets from his men’s group. Sara chimes, “And that is where the truth lives!”

This episode is about th...

Season 08 Trailer 05: 'Feasibility and foreseeability of becoming a croc sandwich for a day' toys with the season's examination of exposure to wild critters during both work and tourist play. Coming soon.

Season 08 Trailer 04: 'Stress, and more stress,' warns Trajce, "Ai-O, Ai-O, It's off to work we go..." Get ready to listen to Season 08 releases coming soon...

Season 08 WhyNOT? A Wisdom Shot: Botty Botch Botox - Trajce is excited by Botox at work as his incentive to get back to the office. Sara is dismayed, and Alan is humoured (we recommend that you use your own discretion in this debate!).

Season 08 Trailer 03 Teases stories about healthcare, male-on-male workmate attention, Darth Vader, mining prosecutions, and so much more. "It's extraordinary!" exclaims Alan. "Watch this audio space," invites Trajce.

Season 08 Trailer 02: Secret handshakes

Criminal work, health, and safety law convictions, children injured on theme rides, and secret handshakes - do you have one? Tune in, more coming on these topics in Season 08.

Season 08 Bonus: WhyNOT? A Wisdom Shot: To sink or to SWMS?!

The Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) debate is hot and Trajce summarises his research while giving it to us straight: SWMS or no, they have made little difference in organisations, and with or without one, fatalities may still arise in organisations. Listen to Season 06 E12: It's going SWM'ingly to learn more about this finding!

Season 08 Trailer 01: Faux Paus and Flummoxes: life is like a maze, listen to the WhyWork Podcasters recording mishaps as they prepare to release Season 08 - we're back!

Season 07 Bonus 05: Mock Podcast: "Diamonds were her best friend... until carats became complaints - Part 3

Listen to this Part 3, final in a series of 3 Parts, of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Association of Australia (HFESA) 2024 Annual Conference, Brisbane, Queensland special-episode interactive workshop on work design and case law. This episode encourages workshop delegates to examine a case of a jeweller, his magnanimous gift giving to a sales representative, and their mutual workplace experiences.

This Part 3 episode provides the platform for delegates of the HFESA 2024 Annual Conference WhyWork Podcast to debate the industrial relations and work...

Season 07 Bonus 02: Mock Podcast: "Diamonds were her best friend... until carats became complaints - Part 2

Listen to this Part 2 of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Association of Australia (HFESA) 2024 Annual Conference, Brisbane, Queensland special-episode interactive workshop on work design and case law. This episode encourages workshop delegates to examine a case of a jeweller, his magnanimous gift giving to a sales representative, and their mutual workplace experiences. The episode discusses workplace relations, fairness, gift-giving, psychosocial hazards, and organisational management. Listen in as the delegates apply design tools, like personas, empathy mapping, journey mapping, focussed recall, and interactive...

Season 07 Bonus 03: Mock Podcast: "Diamonds were her best friend... until carats became complaints" - Part 1.

This episode was presented during the Human Factors and Ergonomics Association of Australia (HFESA) 2024 Annual Conference, Brisbane, Queensland. The episode outlines the details of workplace affairs when too much bling and not enough boundaries become fodder for a workplace complaint. The dissection of the case of workplace relations between a jeweller and a store shop worker that eroded and resulted in a landmark payout under the Australian Sex Discrimination Act (Refer Taylor v August and Pemberton Pty Ltd - [2023] FCA 1313). "Love makes...

Season 07 Trailer 06: Special Release Episode Part 3: Shiny things or shadowy motives?

Human Factors and Ergonomics Association of Australia (HFESA) Annual Conference 2024 workshop - Special Release Episode Part 3: Shiny things or shadowy motives? On the road and on tour: Listeners become podcasters for a day - Serious learning done playfully.

Season 07 Trailer 05: Special Release Episode Part 2: Shiny things or shadowy motives?

Human Factors and Ergonomics Association of Australia (HFESA) Annual Conference 2024 workshop - Special Release Episode Part 2: Shiny things or shadowy motives? This could be a part of your workplace, listen in, and enjoy. If you attended the workshop, you might hear yourself on air - part of the story.