#84 Messy Workplaces, Bad Bosses & Office Politics: Navigate the Workplace w/ Isabel Berwick Host of Working It Podcast

Help us grow - check out Fountain fountain.fm This week’s guest is Isabel Berwick, an expert in helping people navigate post-pandemic careers and understand workplace cultures, in order for them to thrive at work. The workplace has long been a site of drama - dealing with bad bosses, navigating office politics, salary negotiations, and the dreary 9-to-5 routine, not to mention sexist comments in the boardroom. But, as the workforce evolves with the entry of Gen Z, current workplace cultures are being questioned, as they no longer align with contemporary work expectations. If this is something you’re interested in, then this episode is for you! Timestamps: 00:00 - The Messiness of Workplaces and Human Drama 04:09 - Workplace Emotions and Handling Polarisation Within Companies 09:18 - Workplace Anger and Factors Driving Employee Departures 10:37 - Main Reasons People Leave Their Jobs and the Role of Managers 12:13 - Challenges in Recruitment and Making Placements Work 14:21 - Questions to Ask Your Potential New Boss in an Interview 17:35 - Boomerang Employees 19:26 - Gen Z’s Perspective on Bad Bosses and Evolving Mentorship 21:06 - Gender Pay Gap and Transparency Measures in the Workplace 23:45 - Salaries and Negotiation: To Ask or Not to Ask? 25:53 - Closing the Gender Pay Gap: Strategies for Pay Equality and Diverse Leadership 26:49 - Shifting from Token Diversity to Inclusive Leadership 28:11 - Charisma in Leadership: Inspiring or Dangerous? 31:16 - Messy Workplaces: The Impact of Fear, Avoidance, and Communication Gaps 33:07 - The Problem with Feedback 38:11 - Accepting Your Blind Spots 40:52 - Why Radical Transparency is Unhelpful 41:58 - Learning from Younger Generations 42:48 - Isabel’s New Book: The Future-Proof Career 45:03 - AI, Pandemic, and the Future of Work 48:42 - Office Pros and the Notion of Belonging 52:34 - The Biggest Changes in Employee Expectations 55:55 - Matching Personal Strengths with Company Needs: Neurodiversity and Skills Alignment 01:01:41 - New Year’s Resolutions for Professional Growth 01:07:53 - Books that Shaped Isabel’s Thinking in the Past Year 01:11:07 - Exploring Failure and Its Role in Success 01:12:31 - Becoming Better Followers and Leadership Loneliness Isabel is the host of the Financial Times Working It podcast and author of its namesake newsletter. She moderates FT events, serves as the editorial lead for the FT Women in Business Forum, and is author of an upcoming book about thriving in the workplace - The Future-Proof Career. Isabel Berwick: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isabel-berwick-8b4922167/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/isabelberwick/?hl=en-gb X: https://twitter.com/IsabelBerwick Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/working-it/id1591925469 FT: https://www.ft.com/working-it Maria Hvorostovsky: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariahvo/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariahvo/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@maria_hvo X: https://twitter.com/mhvorostovsky HVO Search: https://www.hvosearch.com Buy the Books: The Future Proof Career by Isabel Berwick - https://amzn.to/3NRirpm From Strength to Strength by Arthur C. Brooks - https://amzn.to/3tzaa2E The 100-Year Life by Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott - https://amzn.to/48nVVgd Right Kind of Wrong by Amy Edmondson - https://amzn.to/3TNBjcN Playing Big by Tara Mohr - https://amzn.to/3TS5wrg Podcast filmed, edited and produced by: https://www.londonbeautyphotographer.com Need help HIRING – http://www.hirewithmaria.com Check out the podcast on Fountain - https://fountain.fm/show/ba3uVmwxVRvOXgEzBs4e LEAVE A REVIEW: If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts make sure to Follow, Rate, and leave a REVIEW.