The WhyWork Podcast invites you to explore the unusual but possible and confronting human experience of work to craft a better world.
Workplace boundaries have been tested in phenomenal legal ways, and this is increasingly important to consider in a changing world of work as we emerge from a pandemic. Dr Trajce Cvetkovski Senior Lecturer at ACU, barrister and a former WHS Principal Legal Officer (prosecutions), and Alan Girle, an esteemed work health safety lawyer, present caselaw like never before: with in-depth analysis laced with humour to help people from all walks of life engage, learn, and challenge their way of thinking when it comes to productivity and health matters. Coupled by this, Dr Sara Pazell, a self-proclaimed work design strategist and certified professional ergonomist, advances the emerging business agenda of design to influence the future of work while she, too, laughs along with some of the antics of people who push the legal boundaries in their working lives. “There is constructive social movement”, says Sara, “to design work for health and productivity as never before. Without these systems, Australian workplaces will be less prosperous, subject to catastrophes, fatalities, disablement, injuries, and capital loss, or they will not meet the needs of their customers or fulfill company values. With these systems, workplaces can meet their agenda of providing a healthy work (or ‘work-from-anywhere’) environment while remaining fiercely competitive. They can leverage emerging technologies to innovate. This is about human-centeredness and sustainability”. Sara is no stranger to the juggle of work: she has operated a niche consultancy business in human-centred design that is approaching its 20-year anniversary, she works across all industries (from heavy industry to finance, education, and architecture and design), she teaches and researches through her affiliation with five Australian universities, and she is a sole parent of a pre-teen. She is also a yoga and fitness instructor in her “joy work” or her “unwork-work,” as she calls it.
The WhyWork Podcasts also invite debate about some emerging issues like technology innovations in extended reality, artificial intelligence, and robotics, and the impact of these technologies on work. The podcasts presents some confronting issues, like workplace fatalities and suicide. A unique take on compelling scenarios is shared when something that should be routine, like work-related travel, intersects with sex and injury management. Diversity and inclusivity are issues addressed. Jovial topics are included, like pets and air fryers, and the inevitable discussion about work-from-anywhere in a changing world of work is debated numerous times. This is a must listen for anyone affected by the impact of workplace health and safety law, organisational strategy and governance, emerging technologies, industry productivity, and the health and wellbeing characteristics of work. Trajce
Trajce explains, “I have prosecuted workplace matters intersecting several aspects of work life, and have provided to the Court, victim impact statements that tell a story of irretrievable sadness and struggle; yet the facts are so simple that these tragedies could have easily been avoided. This podcast aims to promote the human condition. After all ‘we are human – all too human’.”
Alan remarks, “As a defending lawyer, I see firsthand the enormous emotional toll placed on business owners following a workplace accident. That trauma is often exacerbated by the legal process that follows. However, as professionals we need to put aside that emotional overlay and learn from these incidents. A little levity can free us to focus on the issues surrounding workplace incidents and hopefully our podcasts will assist professionals in thinking more broadly about those all-important issues”.
The WhyWork Podcast launches 1st March 2023. The website: www.whywork.com.au and LinkedIn site will announce the release of episodes. Trajce, Sara, and Alan, will offer occasional video conference drop-in sessions and run workshops during the year to help unpack case law and consider the how to redesign better work. The podcast can point workers to issues pertaining to their legal workplace rights, and can inform organisations about new models of working and the future of work. Also, there are explanations about precedents that have been set by workplace health and safety law so that protections can be in place when designing better work. These are important global economy and health and wellbeing issues.