S08 E10: Darth Vader and the handshake of death

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.

On the serious side, Trajce tells a sensation story about a claimant and her award from the Employment Tribunal in the UK, National Health Service. The claimant was awarded money to recover financial loss and punitive costs because of injury, especially to cover her upset feelings, resulting in her mental health disorders. Her grievances included her allegations of the management’s poor grievance processes a lack of support through tailored training or engagement, and she was given little control and agency over her work. Sara interprets the concerns in context to psychosocial risk factors. “The kicker,” explains Trajce, and much to Alan’s surprise, “is the concern about her colleague labelling her ‘Darth Vader’ in a workplace personality typography test.”

For more on Psychosocial Risk Management, check out: PRAiSE (Psychosocial Risk Assessment and Integrated Solutions for Employers) – Certified Assessor and Manager programs - and PRA, the new task-based Psychosocial Risk Analyser feature within the ErgoAnalyst software platform. These tools are helping teams visualise, quantify, qualify, and respond to both contextualised physical and psychosocial workplace risks, merging technical rigour with empathy-driven co-design.