Happier at Work

Welcome to the Happier at Work Podcast

The Happier at Work Podcast is a weekly business podcast for HR and business leaders who put their people first, who know that their people are their best asset, and who want to retain their top talent. Happier workers are more productive, more engaged, and stay in an organisation for longer. Through interesting guest interviews and solo episodes, the Happier at Work podcast episodes largely fall into one of four categories: leadership equity; engagement and belonging; productivity and performance; and the future of work.

What does being happier at work mean for you and your organisation?

You can listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Castbox or wherever you get your podcasts. Alternatively, you can listen directly by clicking into the episodes below. Sign up for the podcast.

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45: Helen Joy on First Time Managers

Helen Joy and Aoife O’Brien speak about first time managers, and answer the question: what makes a great manager? In this current Covid world, we cover the non-verbal cues and how to check in with people to make sure they’re doing ok. Traditionally the role of the manager has been to make sure that stuff gets done, now it is more focused on getting the best out of people. We talk about the key skills required to be an effective manager, such as communication, including setting clear expectations for the role of the manager, emotional intelligence (self-awareness, self-management in particular),…

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44: Katharine Slattery on Effective Mentoring

Katharine Slattery and Aoife O’Brien speak about mentoring: the difference between mentoring and coaching; the benefits of mentoring specifically; what makes an effective mentoring programme. We also talk about the preparation needed for both the mentor and the mentee when it comes to designing and delivering an effective mentoring programme. Katharine Slattery established Mentoring Resources in 2012, to design and deliver in-person and eLearning training programmes for mentors and mentees participating in mentoring programmes in professional, educational and community settings in Ireland. Katharine believes in the power of mentoring in providing an additional level of support for those going through…

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43: Garima Gupta on Self Care for HR

Garima Gupta and Aoife O’Brien speak about how HR can implement better self-care practices. HR tend to be the ones looking after everyone else, which can lead to increased levels of burnout within the team. We discuss how HR should be the ones to put on their own oxygen mask first and Garima shares some very practical tips on how to make that happen. The advice she shares is applicable not only to HR, but to anyone working in an organisation and who could do with learning ways to deal with burnout and overwhelm. Garima Gupta- People Geek & Continuous…

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42: Casey Ryals on Leading Yourself First

Casey Ryals and Aoife O’Brien speak about his new book Last to Least. Casey shares some wonderful insights about how we can lead ourselves better. Leadership books often cite the importance of leading ourselves before we can lead others, however they don’t address the way to do this. Casey wants to share with the world this new way of thinking and being. He encourages us to make decisions based on our character, or who we are (want to be!) rather than rash decisions and instant gratification. His framework starts by looking at the purpose (why), then the ‘who’ (identitity), before…

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41: Pattie Grimm on Empowering Women Leaders

Pattie Grimm and Aoife O’Brien speak about empowering women at work. Recent studies from McKinsey & Lean In and IBM show that one in four women is considering leaving or stepping back from work duties due to Covid-19. This particularly impacts on women in leadership positions. In this podcast, we discuss ways for women to empower themselves as well as others. Pattie Grimm shares her 5 step approach: 1 Be Strong; 2 Stand Up; 3 Stand Out; 4 Put Yourself First on your List; 5 Rise Up. We speak about supporting not sabotaging other women, business strategy, and returnship programs.…

Continue Reading 41: Pattie Grimm on Empowering Women Leaders

40: Chris Pinner on Wellbeing at Work

Chris Pinner and Aoife O’Brien speak about all things wellbeing at work. We speak about getting leadership buy-in to the wellness programmes in organisations, the basics of wellbeing at work and what that means, the importance of investing in addition to role modelling in an organisation, using statistics versus stories to share about wellbeing at work, e.g 90% of CEOs are investing in wellbeing initiatives, mental wellbeing declined during lockdown, how can senior leaders in your organisation share stories from their own wellbeing journey? How can you tailor your wellbeing approach? Focus on movement, nutrition and mental wellbeing. Set clear…

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39: Nate Regier on Seeing People Through

Nate Regier and Aoife O’Brien speak about his latest book, Seeing People Through. This is a fable-based book which focuses on the types in people (rather than types of people). We speak about compassion, the importance of diversity of personality, PCM – observable communication behaviours – hypocrisy; honesty; influence; self-deception; trust, the importance of leveraging diversity towards a shared goal, the importance of personality diversity in D&I, how ‘like attracts like’ creates an echo chamber, values vs belief systems, vs needs satisfaction – ‘so what, now what?’ leads to taking action. The 6 types are – thinker, harmoniser, promoter, persister,…

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Trailer

The podcast returns after an extended break, with lots of juicy content lined up for you well into the new year! You’ll find the survey at: https://www.happieratwork.ie/survey and connect with me on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/aoifemobrien

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38: Elysia Hegarty on the future of Wellness

Elysia Hegarty from CPL’s Future of Work institute and I speak about the future of wellness. We speak about work-related stress and burnout, the causes (time pressure, work overload, job insecurity, poor leadership, long hours, lack of progression, not feeling valued). The eight dimensions of wellness are: spiritual, environmental, physical, mental, intellectual, occupational, social, financial. How can our approach to wellness change for the better? With over 15 years’ experience in Human Resource Management and the Wellness Industry Elysia has combined her expertise to partner with businesses to help develop strategies to attract, engage and retain employees. Working within multiple…

Continue Reading 38: Elysia Hegarty on the future of Wellness

37: Enrique Rubio from Hacking HR

Enrique Rubio from Hacking HR and I speak about the future of work and the opportunity presented to us during this difficult time. We cover topics such as creativity at work, how there is an opportunity to allow people to be more curious and innovative. Trust featured highly in the podcast – could it be that you are not hiring the right people (because you don’t trust them to do their job) or you don’t have the right people in the right roles? Companies are not taking advantage of their talent. Your job as a leader is to not unmotivate…

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36: Henry Stewart from Happy

Henry Stewart (from Happy) and I talk about the future of work. We talk about the three fundamentals of what makes a happier workplace, as outlined by Daniel Pink’s book Drive: Mastery; Autonomy; Purpose. Mastery is about playing to your strengths – imagine spending most of your time doing something you love, and not having to do the things you really hate?! Managers should act as coaches, and be good as spotting talent and getting the most from employees. What if you could choose your own manager? Or do we really need managers at all? Autonomy is about providing clear…

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35: Mike Vacanti from Humans First

Mike Vacanti (from Humans First) and I talk about the future of work. Let’s start with what’s wrong: we don’t treat people very well at work! Most organisations are set up for competition rather than collaboration, and most of what we see and read is about “getting ahead” – but what if we took a different approach? Giving employees a choice in what they do and how they do it will really drive their motivation. Regarding management: allowing the best people to rise based on their ability to help others around them rise. When it comes to change, start with…

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34: Andrew Barnes & Charlotte Lockhart from 4 Day Week

This is an exciting episode on the Future of Work series, I speak with Andrew Barnes (for the second time) and Charlotte Lockhart – first time with two guests! Andrew and Charlotte are from 4 Day Week Global. We talk about the impact of COVID-19 on how we currently work, what this means for the future of work – remote working, flexible working and the positive impacts of this global pandemic. We also cover productivity, and the time versus outcomes trap. We speak about the challenges of flexible working – no water cooler chat, inequality when it comes to access,…

Continue Reading 34: Andrew Barnes & Charlotte Lockhart from 4 Day Week

33: Kelly Monahan Future of Work series

In this 3rd episode of the Future of Work series, I speak with Dr Kelly Monahan. We talk about the impact of COVID-19 on how we work; how the impact of accelerating technology, and the shift away from maximising shareholder wealth towards purpose-driven business will separate the great companies from the rest. Leaders who show compassion and confidence during this crisis will thrive. Ask yourself, how is my business adding value? with a focus on the improvements you make for customers. If you don’t know what the purpose is, just ask! Ask yourself: “how do I make others around me…

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32: Future Of Work Special – COVID-19

This is a special episode featuring 5 guests, plus my own perspective on the future of work, given the current global pandemic we find ourselves in with COVID-19, the coronavirus. Fiona English shares in sights on the impact of this trauma which leads to a shift in perspective and a desire for change “how things are versus how we think they should be”. Acceptance and choice is key here. Bernard Jackman talks about virtual meetings, how we have adapted quickly, and will continue to use these forms of communication. However, the importance of human interaction cannot be understate Louise Goss…

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31: Stephen Dargan on the Future of Work

This is the first episode in the “Future of Work” series. I speak with Stephen Dargan from Wake Up. Stephen and I talk about how work is going to change in the immediate future as well as further down the line. It’s time to question the way we worked – where we work from, and the time spent at work. We talk about the importance of autonomy at work, as well as meaning and purpose. Stephen Dargan wants your organisation to feel happier. Stephen has worked with managing teams for 10 years to now enabling leaders of organisations in Ireland…

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30: Special Episode! Leadership Series Roundup

This is a roundup of all of the conversations from the past 9 episodes. Use it as a reminder if you have already listened, or a taster if you have yet to listen! Bernard Jackman – the essence of true leadership is having a clear purpose, setting clear expectations around that purpose in terms of the “what” (strategy and goals) and the “how” (culture and behaviours). This is underpinned by a strong feedback culture – being open to giving and receiving feedback in a timely and constructive fashion. Fiona English – meaning and purpose – how we make sense of…

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29: Aoife Lenox on Introverts

Aoife Lenox, found of Inside Strategies provides coaching and training services centred on introverts in business. She also consults with organisations to promote quiet leadership and communication strategies in preparation for the future of work. Aoife and I talk about introvert leaders. Aoife shares insights on what makes introverts and extraverts different, the importance of self-awareness, different types of introverts, quiet leadership, the introvert entrepreneur, the strengths and pitfalls of being an introvert and how to manage them. https://www.insidestrategies.ie The Introvert Entrepreneur Bookhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Introvert-Entrepreneur-Beth-Buelow-ebook/dp/B011H1J7OK/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= The Introvert Entrepeneur Podcasthttps://itunes.apple.com/ie/podcast/the-introvert-entrepreneur/id387593948?mt=2 Aoife’s links:https://www.linkedin.com/in/aoifelenox/https://twitter.com/AoifeLenoxhttps://www.instagram.com/insidestrategies/ My links:https://www.linkedin.com/in/aoifemobrienhttps://twitter.com/Empowerment_IEhttps://www.instagram.com/empowermentcoaching.ie

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28: Jonny Cooper on Teams

Jonny Cooper can be described as an elite performer with a strong desire to lead, influence and inspire people and teams with his actions. Jonny has a strong desire to continuously learn and develop. Currently he is completing his MSc in Organisational Behaviour and Psychology and previously completing an executive coaching diploma in the Irish Management Institute, a leadership programme from Maynooth University, and holding an undergraduate degree in Sports Science and Health from Dublin City University. Along with his academic and professional background, his practical elite sport experiences to date makes him authentic with his presence, natural in his…

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27: Saskia Kremer on Personal Leadership

This 7th episode in the Leadership Series features Saskia Kremer. We speak personal leadership and what you need to do in order to manage yourself. We cover things like being proactive rather than reactive, reflecting on your day “if you don’t run the day, the day runs you” but in a non-judgemental way, chunking your vision down to smaller pieces, and celebrating the wins. Saskia helps successful, time challenged high level management, directors and business owners, who can’t find the bandwidth to pursue more profitable projects and increase their performance, without the overwhelm. Saskia, once a Missionary, worked alongside Mother…

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26: Timen Baart on Trust

This 6th episode in the Leadership Series features Timen Baart from TrustXP. We speak about all things trust in the workplace, with a specific focus on employee trust and what as leaders we can do to drive trust. We answer questions like: What is trust? Why is it important? What drives trust? Timen shares his insights on this elusive topic, and delves into the key drivers: fairness; competence; identification; reciprocity; transparency. It all starts with leadership! Timen Baart is the author of Win With Trust. Timen presents why an empathetic approach to trust is the key to success in business.…

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25: Asumpta Gallagher on Leadership

This episode features Asumpta Gallagher, the owner and founder of Best Practice. She launched her business in early 2018 to provide supports to GP’s, their Practices and their Staff. The services that Best Practice provide, enables GPs to spend more time being the Doctors they want to be. Best Practice helps to standardise processes, implement systems as well as providing tailored training to staff inhouse, remotely and through external workshops. A well managed Practice empowers and motivates the entire Practice Team, and results in a better work life balance for everyone as well as improved Patient Care. A full list…

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24: Tim Kidd on Putting People First

This episode features Tim Kidd, the Europanel Managing Director for Kantar’s Worldpanel division, with responsibility for the UK, France, Spain, Ireland, Portugal, Greece plus the US. Kantar Worldpanel is centred on the creation of data and insight to help clients understand people better (specifically what they buy and consume) and to inspire growth. Tim has been in the business for 27 years and is retiring at the end of March, which will be a sad and happy day in equal measure. He believes strongly that if we get the people part of business “right”, then clients will get more value…

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23: Stephen Naughton on What makes a Good Leader

This episode features Stephen Naughton, an experienced leadership coach and consultant with unique skills in operational leadership and team coaching. He has over 16 years’ experience in leading teams in financial services and developing the Operations Performance Centres of Excellence. Stephen covering a wide variety of topics such as leadership, emotional intelligence, diversity awareness, virtual communications and resilience. He continues to coach executives and also coaches college students on a pro bono basis. He’s also the host of the Good Boss Bad Boss Podcast and has a passionate belief in the potential of every human being! Stephen and I discuss…

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21: Leadership Series Bernard Jackman – lessons from sport

This episode features Bernard Jackman, former Irish international and Leinster rugby player whose story of success and failure – of bouncing back – makes him an engaging and entertaining speaker who can talk with authority, ease and humour about what success looks like and how to take responsibility for, and create, your own success. Bernard and I discuss what leadership means, what makes a good leader, and recipes for success. Leadership starts with purpose, clear communication of that purpose, a strategy and plan in place to achieve that, and a clear culture of behaviours to enable the strategy. This is…

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20: Special Episode on Imposter Syndrome

In this special episode of the podcast, I speak with a range of people about their experience of imposter syndrome. Louise Goss is founder of Homeworker magazine, Adrian Whelan is a Senior Vice President and Head of Regulatory Intelligence for Investor Services at Brown Brothers Harriman (BBH), Andrea Mara is a crime fiction author, Peter Hill works in analytics in the fast moving consumer goods industry in Sydney, Korina Duffy has her own business Korina Duffy Fitness. All of them share their own experience of imposter syndrome: how it shows up and what we can do about it. Imposter syndrome…

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