WhyWork Podcast

WhyWork Podcast

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. Good stories are told. The WhyWork team throws shade on some of the stories and the people involved as they consider defensible and remarkable work design strategy. When you listen to the WhyWork Podcast, you realise that no skeleton in the workplace closet is too sacred to unearth. It’s like listening to the water cooler gossip but then shit gets real, and it all becomes serious – fast. This is a must-listen for executive and emerging managers, work design strategists, human factors specialists and ergonomists, work health safety and law specialists, organisational scientists, occupational health academics, and anyone humoured by office and workplace antics! Get ready to exclaim, “She said WHAT...?” and “He DIDN’T! OMG!”. Laugh along with us while you learn lots.

Episodes

July 14, 2025 28 mins

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...

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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.

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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...

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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, res...

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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 Trajc...

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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.

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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...

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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!).

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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.

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June 4, 2025 41 secs

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.

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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!

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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!

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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 gif...

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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 representat...

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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...

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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.

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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.

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Season 07 Trailer 04: Human Factors and Ergonomics Association of Australia (HFESA) Annual Conference 2024 workshop - Special Release Episode Part 1: Shiny things or shadowy motives? The dimininishing sparkle of blurred lines, crossed boundaries, gift giving, and unclear relationships forming in the workplace.

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Season 07 Episode 11: From ‘Command & Control’ to ‘Customer Service’ – Beyond ‘hazard salad’ in psychosocial risk management.

The team revel in debate about the new Queensland state and Commonwealth government literature on psychosocial risk management. Sara is relieved to see updates to regulations on psychosocial risks (Work Health and Safety [Psychosocial Risks] Amendment Regulation 2022) because of their focus on work design...

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Season 07 Episode 10: That old chestnut –Pets & work from home

Pets at home or in the office are a ‘thing’ in modern workplaces. Alan explains, “Some organisations host ‘dog for the day’ events.” Trajce shares his faith-based workplace perk, a ‘Blessing of the animals,’ whether the animal is a police horse, a guinea pig, a dog, or cat. In response, Sara dreams of being blessed which prompts the boys to imagine Sara in all kinds ...

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