A podcast to look at the experience of Australians in their workplaces. Sounds boring? Well, you'll hear about old mate "the cancer", video producers who make isolation tents in open plan offices, "huddles" and all kinds of names that disguise useless meetings, how you don't get paid doing some of the world's most important work, and more. But the whole aim is also to look at how we, as Aussies, make our work better!
Pay transparency sounds like a simple idea until you try to do it and realise it forces every hidden assumption about value, hierarchy, and fairness into the light. We’re joined by Alison Sharp, who’s spent close to a decade building transparent pay systems at both Meld Studios and The Australian Centre for Social Innovation (TACSI), and she breaks down why the “end goal” of open salaries only works when you first fix the structure underneath it. We talk about the practical core of a transpa...
19 Feb 2026
The Next Phase
I'm back from quite a hiaitus while I wrote my book. Now that's done, I'm pumped to preview what's on the way for the podcast in this short bonus episode. Thanks to Bensound for our jaunty intro and exit music, and to Fina Charleson for her production support.
22 May 2023
3 lessons in moving from mechanistic to magic, with Dan Murphy
In this episode I talk to Daniel Murphy (no, not the alcohol bloke!), owner of the very successful and growing Movement Therapy group. In a strange twist, I used to manage music festivals, and Dan is definitely a connoisseur. We use music festivals as a case study in the different between "operational excellence" and creating customer magic. We walk through: Unnecessary organisational (and literal) "fences"The gap that can often exist between "well run", efficient, and "good" customer ...
8 May 2023
'Bossing It' with Saffron Meade
Saffron Meade, founder of branding agency Saffron & Co. Creative, joins me to talk about her colourful ride experiencing "bosses", and then becoming "boss" herself. We unpick some lessons along the way including: How overwork cultures are often linked to fearHow important getting "stability" right is for the experience of your workers, including:the emotional stability and predictability of leadersthe basics, including pay and legal complianceHow we use "stories" to approach confli...
9 Apr 2023
What can work be? Origin stories with Meg and Dean from Human Systems Co.
Podcast host Dean Williamson and Megan Storey from Human Systems Co. get together to discuss their own work stories (for a change), and what led them into the world of self-management, Teal, New Ways of Working, org change and culture. Thanks to Bensound for our jaunty intro and exit music, and to Fina Charleson for her production support.
4 Apr 2023
Will your people work for free? Purpose, trust and trail running
In this episode I'm joined by Tom Landon-Smith and Abhinandan Willis, who built Ultra-Trail Australia from humble beginnings into the world's third-largest endurance and trail running festival. It might seem like a strange place to talk about work, but we walk through gathering a team of great humans around a purpose, self-transcendence, trust, autonomy and much more. There's a lot here for leaders around scaling and organising principles if you choose to listen. Thanks to Bensound for our ...
30 Nov 2022
Blokes, bosses and digging - self-management in construction
This episode we get into the concept of self-management, which is a step towards improving a lot of the issues we've heard about in previous episodes. We hear from Jess and Doug from Aquadec, a commercial irrigation company, about how they've approached self-management in working with us at Human Systems Co, We talk about how leaders often need to change to bring about change, about honesty and transparency, and about how changing how you approach finance can change how you run your co...
15 Sept 2022
The life of a rogue - work and freelance journalism
This episode I'm joined by the extremely talented (and famous!) international journalist Ann Deslandes. We hear about how the independent gig life stacks up as a survival strategy, and also what it's like trying to get paid when you're outside the system(s). I just loved this chat - she is witty and funny and hopeful, and I could've talked for so much longer!
14 Sept 2022
Beer and hermits - working in an advertising agency
This episode we get inside the often-spoofed (for good reason, we find out) world of creative agencies. Hear how a lack of clarity and purpose can turn them into laughable shambles - the conversation about "we don't have enough work/we have too much work" killed me. We';; also cover "disguised" meetings, how to NOT do staff engagement, and building tents in open plan offices. Thanks to this episode's guest, "Roger", for his story.
13 Sept 2022
Black markets, Wild Turkey infidelity and "the cancer" - working in manufacturing
This week we get up close and personal with bullying at work. It's not a fun one to start, but Mitch is sufficiently recovered to tell a story with wit and humour (how's the hidden Wild Turkey economy?) about how a workplace can condone or endorse bullying, and hear the toll it can take on you. I get into some of the costs and consequences of bullying, and why it's usually a good business idea to make sure you create a safe workplace. Thanks to this week's guest, Mitch, for his story.
12 Sept 2022
An introduction to Better Work Australia
A quick intro to the Better Work Australia podcast. Host Dean Williamson talks about why he's doing the podcast, and gives some sneak peeks into Season 1's episodes.
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