Blog
Keep up to date with Tanya’s latest blogs on change, workload management, workplace culture,
leadership development & more!
The dual benefits of scanning for R.O.T. in your team
R.O.T. is an acronym of tech origin that stands for redundant, obsolete, or trivial. Timothy R Clark, social scientist, researcher, and author tells us it's important to look for R.O.T. as 'everything we do eventually becomes obsolete'. Clark talks about this...
It didn’t take long for Julie to realise something was truly amiss
Julie's Story - A Case Study Julie was a senior manager attending her first management team meeting in her new workplace. Twenty other managers were in the room, plus the executive members and the chief executive officer (CEO). What surprised Julie the most was the...
The most expensive words in business…
Want to know what the eight most expensive words in business are? They might surprise you. I suspect you've heard them often, perhaps you've even uttered them yourself. They are: "But we have always done it this way."It's a phrase guaranteed to get my...
What systems do you have in place for mitigating psychosocial hazards?
Psychosocial hazards are the things in the design, application and management of work that contribute to work-related stress. Work-related stress in itself is not necessarily a problem. But when the stress is severe, prolonged or unmanaged, you increase the...
From 0 – Me in 60 Seconds
What's your default change response? Do you move from 0 - Me in 60 seconds? You're not alone. As part of our threat detection response during any perceived threat our amygdala kicks in and spirals us into a reactive state, rather than a constructive state. Put simply,...
If people are our greatest assets, why then do we treat them like consumables?
If people are our greatest assets, why then do we treat them like consumables? Under the Financial Management Act, public sector entities are required to develop comprehensive asset management plans for each of the significant assets used in the operation of...
Psychological Safety – The Foxes Trap
Psychological Safety – The Foxes Trap Ever been lured into the foxes trap only to get your head bitten off? A common workplace scenario is a Boss who says "it's a safe space to speak up" when in fact it's a wicked trap and those who are courageous enough to speak up...
Workload Management – The New Black
Unmanageable workload continues to be a major work-related stress risk. I refer to this chronic problem as 'normalised work overload' and whilst managing this is not on-trend yet, I propose it absolutely should be. Workplace mental injury claims are skyrocketing - in...
Creating a Mentally Healthy Workplace – Barriers to Maturity
In my work across organisations, I have identified six distinct barriers to organisations progressing this transformation work or maturing in line with the mentally healthy workplace maturity model below. To succeed, you must understand and address these barriers...
Are you Leading or Managing?
Are you Leading or Managing? I recall (with horror) my early management career. I had an outdated view of what it was to be a manager and felt my job was to manage the people. Make sure they were doing the right thing, checking in on them and trying to make them work...
Dentistry, Workplace Conflict and Courage
Dentistry, Workplace Conflict and Courage I have a rational fear of going to the dentist. No, that’s not a typo - I believe my fear is completely rational. I mean honestly, who likes having people stick their fists in their mouth and apply all sorts of...
Why Mandatory Training Programs Aren’t the Answer
In organisations of low maturity (see maturity model below), most psychological harm prevention activity tends to centre around an annual mandatory training program that is transactional and compliance-focused.Bullying, harassment, discrimination are generally the...