My Pocket Psych: The Psychology of the Workplace

Dr. Richard A. MacKinnon
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  • SOCIAL SCIENCES
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My Pocket Psych: The Psychology of the Workplace

My Pocket Psych is all about the psychology of the workplace. Each episode, we'll examine the world of work and explore a topic through the lens of psychology. We'll aim to give listeners tips to help improve their experience of work - moving from surviving to thriving! My Pocket Psych is brought to you by WorkLifePsych Ltd and hosted by Dr. Richard MacKinnon and Pilar Orti.

  1. MAR 20

    Ep 182: Dealing with challenges at work using Psychological Flexibility

    I recently spoke at the Health and Wellbeing at Work conference in Birmingham on supporting employees to overcome challenges and setbacks. On the back of lots of positive feedback, I decided to record an episode outlining the main points I shared with delegates on the day, to share with a wider audience. And hopefully improve on my delivery! In this episode, I explain what Psychological Flexibility is, how psychological rigidity shows up, why flexibility helps us deal with the everyday challenges and setbacks we can expect to encounter at work, and how the skills that comprise the psychological flexibility skill set contribute. Do get in touch with your questions and comments (podcast at worklifepsych dot com) and let me know how this topic resonates with you.  As ever, thanks for listening.  Resources for this episode Lots of psychological flexibility resources on our online hub: https://www.worklifepsych.com/psychologicalflexibility Learn how to cultivate your own psychological flexibility on our course: https://www.worklifepsych.com/thrivingwithpsychflex/  Check out our upcoming free webinars here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/worklifepsych-ltd-14905781162  Health and Wellbeing at Work 2025: https://healthwellbeingwork.co.uk  You can watch the video of this episode on YouTube via this link: https://youtu.be/7GgMsx2Dh2U

    36 min

  2. MAR 6

    Ep 181: Wellbeing - it starts with values

    In this episode, we look at why it's so important to be clear on our values when making changes to improve our wellbeing.  Values help us make authentic changes, help us persist when we don't feel like it, and give us an opportunity to take values-based action on a daily basis. Values remind us of the person we want to be, an incredibly useful touchstone as we progress on our change journey.  Don't forget you can get in touch with your questions and comments by emailing 'podcast at worklifepsych dot com'.  Thanks for listening!  Resources for this episode Use this online tool to get clarity of your own values: https://www.valuescardsort.com  Check out our Thriving at Work hub here: https://www.worklifepsych.com/thrivingatwork Listen to this (much longer) episode all about values: https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/159/  The video version of this episode is available on our YouTube channel at worklifepsych.tv

    7 min

  3. FEB 20

    Ep 180: So you want to make a change?

    Change is at the very heart of the work that I do with my clients. Changing behaviour, changing attitudes. Changing in response to changes in the environment. In this episode, I take a look at some of the different levels at which change can take place - from daily habits all the way through to identity. This enables us to get nice and specific about what it is we actually want to change, and do so in an authentic and realistic way.  Do get in touch with your questions and comments. You can always email the show: 'podcast at worklifepsych dot com'. We love to hear from our listeners.  Thanks for listening! Resources for this episode Find out more about our 'Thriving with Psychological Flexibility' wellbeing course here: https://www.worklifepsych.com/thrivingwithpsychflex  Find out more about the skills of psychological flexibility here: https://www.worklifepsych.com/psychologicalflexibility  Ep 164: A flexible self-concept: https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/164/ Ep 153: Why can't I stick to my habits? https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/153/  Ep 152: The dark side of goals https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/152/  How do values and goals differ? https://www.worklifepsych.com/how-do-values-and-goals-differ/ How to use values and goals together https://www.worklifepsych.com/how-to-use-values-and-goals-together/

    18 min

  4. FEB 6

    Ep 179: What have I seen you in?

    And now for something completely different! Richard is joined by coach and actor, Lena Kaur for a discussion about coaching actors.  We try to keep our definition of work and the workplace as broad as possible and in this episode, Richard and Lena explore the particular challenges faced by actors and how increasing their psychological flexibility can make all the difference.  Lena explains how being can actor can help when coaching other actors, but also when it can get in the way. And we take a look at the wellbeing challenges that actors frequently face.  Thanks for listening!  Resources for this episode  Lena's online profile: https://lenakaur.com/  Our Psychological Flexibility hub: https://www.worklifepsych.com/psychologicalflexibility 'Thriving with Psychological Flexibility' course details: https://www.worklifepsych.com/thrivingwithpsychflex  Our Thriving at Work information hub: https://www.worklifepsych.com/ThrivingAtWork  Self-care - what is it and why does it matter? https://www.worklifepsych.com/self-care-what-is-it-and-why-does-it-matter/  Self-care: 5 mistakes to avoid https://www.worklifepsych.com/self-care-5-mistakes-to-avoid/ Self-care - an intentional approach https://www.worklifepsych.com/self-care-an-intentional-approach/

    53 min

  5. JAN 23

    Ep 178: Wellbeing - Is 'new' always better?

    In another of our 'Thriving at Work' episodes, Richard is joined by fellow workplace psychologist  Jane Stewart. They look at some of the challenges with addressing workplace wellbeing and the common traps organisations can fall into.  While it's so easy to get caught up with new wellbeing fads and fashions, these are often disruptive and fail to deliver results. Simiarly, even evidence-based approaches may not be right for your organisation right now. So, a more thoughtful and deliberate approach is what's required.  We love to hear from listeners, so please do get in touch with your questions and feedback. Email us at podcast@worklifepsych.com  Thanks for listening! Resources for this episode Jane's business - 'Mint Decisions' https://www.mintdecisions.com/ Our 'Thriving at Work' hub - https://www.worklifepsych.com/thrivingatwork Our 'Thriving with Psychological Flexibility' course - https://www.worklifepsych.com/thrivingwithpsychflex  Blog post: Workplace wellbeing - it's about getting the essentials right https://www.worklifepsych.com/workplace-wellbeing-its-about-getting-the-essentials-right/  Blog post: Can coaching improve your wellbeing? https://www.worklifepsych.com/can-coaching-improve-your-wellbeing/  Ep 083: Workplace wellbeing - can we start again please? https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/ep-083-workplace-wellbeing-can-we-start-again-please/

    39 min

  6. JAN 10

    Ep 177: Avoiding burnout

    In this episode in our 'Thriving at Work' series, Richard is joined by Hazel Anderson-Turner for a discussion all about burnout. Hazel describes what prompted her to write a book on the topic, as well as her significant experience coaching and training professionals on how to avoid burnout in the UK's National Health Service (NHS). Richard and Hazel discuss the benefits of using Acceptance and Commitment Coaching methods, the futility of self-blame when it comes to burnout, the key role that organisational context plays and what Hazel hopes readers will take away from her book. Do get in touch with your questions and comments - you can email us at 'podcast at worklifepsych dot com' or join the online discussion on our Community at worklifepsych.club. As ever, thanks for listening! Resources for this episode Our Psychological Flexibility hub, where you can learn all about ACT: https://www.worklifepsych.com/psychologicalflexibility Hazel's book is called 'Coaching through Burnout' and you can order it here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/coaching-through-burnout/hazel-anderson-turner/joe-oliver/9781916529380  Hazel's LinkedIn profile is here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hazel-anderson-turner/ Our 'Thriving at Work' hub: https://www.worklifepsych.com/thrivingatwork

    37 min

  7. 12/12/2024

    Ep 176: Workplace wellbeing - the power of difficult questions

    What does it mean to be evidence-based when it comes to wellbeing at work? How do we know what works when it comes to wellbeing interventions? And does doing 'something' always beat doing nothing? In this episode, Richard is joined by James Carrier for a chat about the benefits of being more evidence-based when it comes to wellbeing and the importance of asking difficult questions.  Full show notes for this episode can be found at https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/176  Thanks for listening!

    51 min

  8. 12/05/2024

    Ep 175: Leadership, identity and thriving

    We continue our 'Thriving at Work' series with a look at leadership and leaders. Richard is joined by Leadership Development expert and executive coach, Dr. Wayne Mullen. They have a look at what it means to be a leader, why it's beneficial to challenge leadership stereotypes and explore some of the many challenges contemporary organisational leaders face. You can find full show notes for this episode at https://www.worklifepsych.com/podcast/175 Thanks for listening!

    36 min
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    About

    My Pocket Psych is all about the psychology of the workplace. Each episode, we'll examine the world of work and explore a topic through the lens of psychology. We'll aim to give listeners tips to help improve their experience of work - moving from surviving to thriving! My Pocket Psych is brought to you by WorkLifePsych Ltd and hosted by Dr. Richard MacKinnon and Pilar Orti.

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