Truth, Lies and Work

HubSpot Podcast Network
  • 5.0 (41)
  • Management
  • Updated Weekly

Truth, Lies & Work is the UK's #1 Management Podcast. Brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, this award-winning podcast is where behavioural science meets workplace culture. Hosted by Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott and business owner Al Elliott, the show has reached #2 in the UK Business Podcast Charts and consistently ranks as a Top 10 trending business podcast globally. With a unique blend of evidence-based insight and lived experience, Leanne and Al simplify the science of people and culture to help leaders attract, engage, and retain great talent. Episodes drop twice a week. Tuesdays feature a global people and culture news round-up, a hot take from an emerging or established voice, and the world-famous Workplace Surgery—where Leanne answers real listener questions with practical advice. Thursdays dive deeper with expert guests from across the business and psychology worlds, sharing fresh perspectives and actionable strategies. Whether you're scaling a startup or leading a large team, Truth, Lies & Work delivers the tools, thinking, and inspiration to build thriving, toxic-free workplaces that prioritise well-being and drive sustainable growth. Also, the hosts are married—so expect unfiltered honesty, occasional banter, and a real-life lens on work and life.

  1. 5d ago

    Why Nobody is Listening to You at Work, with Strategic PR Director, Ellie Glason

    Have you ever put together a perfectly logical, data-backed presentation or sent a highly detailed company-wide email, only to be met with complete silence? Meanwhile, a seemingly trivial update or a random piece of news gets everyone talking. In this episode of Truth, Lies & Work, we unlock the secret to getting people to actually listen to you. It isn’t about louder voices, longer emails, or bigger slide decks. It is entirely about storytelling. Our guest is Ellie Glason, a leading PR consultant for founders and former publishing specialist. Ellie explains why our brains are hardwired to ignore dry information dumps and how you can use the classic "Seven Basic Plots" of human storytelling to get instant buy-in from your team, your board, or the media. 🎧 In This Episode, We Discuss: The "Baby with Tall Hair" Phenomenon: Why Al's data-heavy, perfectly logical press release from 20 years ago was completely ignored in favor of a silly human-interest story—and what it teaches us about workplace communication. The Inverted Triangle of Communication: How to hook your audience in the first few seconds instead of burying the lead under a mountain of context. The Seven Basic Plots of Business: How legendary stories like The Quest, Overcoming the Monster, and Rebirth can be used to handle tough internal corporate messages—like return-to-office mandates, budget cuts, and major digital transformations. The Pub Test: The quick, foolproof metric to test if your business update or pitch is actually interesting to another human being. The Credibility Ladder for Introverts: How leaders who hate the spotlight can still build powerful thought leadership and authority without having to yell on social media. The Future of PR in the Age of AI: How AI search is changing the game, making niche trade publications and trusted third-party sites more valuable than ever. 📖 Resources Mentioned in This Episode Why Nobody is Listening to You at Work: https://ellieglasonpr.com/ The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories by Christopher Booker: https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Basic-Plots-Tell-Stories/dp/0826452094 Connect with Ellie Glason on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellie-glason/ 📬 Connect with Al & Leanne LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat 🧠 Mental Health Support If you or someone you work with is struggling, please reach out to one of the trusted support services below: UK & ROI: Samaritans — Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK: Mind — Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US: Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia: Lifeline — Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global Helplines: https://findahelpline.com

  2. Jul 14

    Toxic Founders, HR Rebels and Stalling Women’s Progress. PLUS! Is it good to have fun at work? With Rebecca Taylor

    Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning workplace podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture. Brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the ultimate audio destination for business professionals. In this episode of This Week in Work, hosts Al and Leanne Elliott are joined by a very special guest: Rebecca Taylor, host of the HR Voices podcast! Together, they unpack the hilarious reality of unhinged leadership conversations, dive deep into the newly stalling progress of women at work, put "forced fun" to the test under the psychological microscope, and answer some incredibly sticky workplace relationship questions. 🔥 Stories Covered 1. The HR Rebel Calling Out Unhinged Leaders You might not be surprised to hear that some of the conversations HR professionals have to have with leaders are… somewhat unhinged. But what happens when an HR professional calls them out on LinkedIn in the best, most direct way ever? We dive into the viral waves being made by the brilliant Emma Djemil (Founder of Be Unstoppable and The HR Club). Follow Emma on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/be-unstoppable/ Check out the post: https://lnkd.in/p/dHKzfSRe 2. Is the "Lean In" Generation Now Leaning Out? Women have made extraordinary gains in the past few decades across the world of work, but are things stalling? Sheryl Sandberg’s infamous 2013 book advised women to "lean in," but new data suggests women's progress at work appears to be stalling. Leanne and Rebecca dissect the learned behaviours—from over-apologising and avoiding conflict to taking on invisible "empathy tax" work—that are holding talented people back, and ask: Have workplaces actually changed enough? Read the original article in The Economist: https://archive.is/20260706073156/https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2026/07/05/womens-progress-at-work-appears-to-be-stalling 🧠 Truth or Lie: Does Fun at Work Undermine Performance? For generations, work has been treated as the serious part of life, while fun is something you earn once the job is done. If people are laughing or messing around, it must mean less work is getting done… right? Leanne dives deep into decades of organizational psychology to give you the ultimate verdict. The "For" Case: Research shows that forced, "managed fun"—like mandatory pajama days or awkward icebreakers—can cause employee cynicism, frustration, and emotional exhaustion. Additionally, blurring work and play too closely can encourage workaholism and make it harder for people to switch off. The "Against" Case: On the flip side, spontaneous humour and micro-breaks (even short personal internet breaks!) actually restore attention, boost mental energy, and increase productivity by up to 9% when done in moderation. The Verdict: Forced fun rarely works. True workplace fun isn't something managers can force; it’s a natural byproduct that emerges when organizations get the psychological safety, autonomy, and human elements right. 💬 Workplace Surgery❓ In this week's workplace surgery, we take on your real-life culture and management dilemmas: "I’ve been casually seeing someone at work for about a year. Until now we’ve worked in different departments, but I’ve just been promoted and will be managing their department. Should I tell my employer about the relationship, or keep it private unless it becomes an issue?" Plus we answer: Should a manager judge an employee’s private social media? What to do when a team member runs a public account following adult content but is otherwise an excellent employee. What do you do when the toxic person is the founder? How to handle senior leadership when the person destroying the culture owns the entire business and there is no board. 🎙️ Connect with Our Guest: Rebecca Taylor We are thrilled to be joined this week by Rebecca Taylor, host of HR Voices—the incredible scenario-based podcast for People Leaders who have to make the tough calls in real-time employee relations. Listen to the HR Voices podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hr-voices/id1833927442 Connect with Rebecca Taylor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebebeccataylor2/ Support for HR Professionals: Check out AllVoices, the ultimate platform to manage employee relations, documentation, and investigations in one secure place: https://www.allvoices.co 📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat Mental health support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines https://findahelpline.com

  3. Jul 9

    He built his company around happiness, but was he happy? With Richard Clarke

    Have you ever hit a massive milestone—like selling the business you spent a decade building—only to feel an unexpected wave of grief instead of pure joy? In this episode of Truth, Lies and Work, we sit down with Richard Clarke, founder of software company Secret Source. He did what every entrepreneur dreams of: he grew his business, put team happiness at the absolute center of his culture, and successfully exited. But instead of finding ultimate contentment, Richard fell face-first into the ultimate happiness trap: "I’ll be happy when..." Richard opens up about the bittersweet reality of exiting a business, the sudden loss of community, and how he had to use his own behavioral science background to climb out of the post-exit slump. Plus, he breaks down the 5 essential needs every human requires to be truly happy at work and thoroughly busts the famous myth surrounding Google's "20% time." Key Takeaways from This Episode The 5 Workplace Needs: Based on the US Surgeon General’s framework, everyone requires five core elements to thrive: Safety, Community, Autonomy, Growth, and Purpose. The Post-Exit Slump: Founders often find that while an exit checks off the "safety" and "autonomy" boxes, it completely strips away their daily sense of "community" and "belonging." Ask, Don't Guess: Richard shares a brilliant case study where simply mapping out his team's anonymous scores on these five needs revealed a massive, easily fixable issue with scheduling meetings. The Google 20% Myth: Think Google employees spend a fifth of their week working on passion projects? Richard talks to ex-Googlers who have a very different story to tell. Connect with Richard Clarke 📬 Grab Richard's short ebook outlining the fundamental science of workplace happiness, or reach out to him directly on social media: – Free Ebook: https://www.richardclarke.eu/ebook – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardmclarke/ – Website: https://www.richardclarke.eu/ 📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat Mental health support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines https://findahelpline.com Truth, Lies & Work is proud to be part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.

  4. Jul 7

    Botsitting, Microsoft's Xbox Layoffs and Finance Burnout. PLUS! Does Growth Mindset Really Work? With Rob Briner

    Is AI really making us more productive, or are we spending more time managing it than benefiting from it? Should employees pay the price when leadership gets strategy wrong? And is Growth Mindset really the performance booster it's often claimed to be? This week on Truth, Lies & Work, Leanne introduces a brand new Word of the Week: Botsitting – the hidden work of feeding AI context, checking its answers and correcting its mistakes. Drawing on new research from Glean's Work AI Index, we explore why AI may be creating a new form of invisible labour that's leaving employees exhausted rather than empowered. We also unpack Microsoft's decision to cut around 3,200 Xbox jobs after CEO Asha Sharma admitted the business had "lost focus", asking where accountability should lie when strategy fails. Plus, new UK research suggests many senior finance professionals are choosing better leadership, career opportunities and work-life balance over higher salaries, challenging long-held assumptions about what motivates top talent. In Truth or Lie, Leanne is joined by Professor Rob Briner, one of the UK's leading experts in evidence-based management, to separate the science from the hype around Growth Mindset. Together they explore what the research actually says, why fashionable workplace ideas often outpace the evidence, and why organisations should focus less on finding the next big trend and more on understanding the problems they're trying to solve. Finally, in Workplace Surgery, we answer your questions about rebuilding team energy, supporting employees who don't want promotion, and whether exit interviews really reveal why people leave. Resources & Links Lincolnshire's unusual place names:https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/local-news/strange-place-names-lincolnshire-list-438323 Rebecca Hinds' LinkedIn post:https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rebecca-hinds_we-recently-published-our-first-work-ai-index-share-7478531898693066752-jv9u/ Glean Work AI Index:https://www.glean.com/work-ai-institute/reports/work-ai-index HR Director:https://www.thehrdirector.com/business-news/remuneration/finance-candidates-no-longer-choosing-roles-salary-alone-report-finds/ Full Croft&Co Finance Professionals Report: www.croftandco.com/report Fortune:https://fortune.com/2026/07/06/exclusive-xbox-ceo-asha-sharma-job-cuts-studios-axed-layoffs/ More from Rob Briner Rob Briner on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-briner/ Rob Briner’s Is That Really a Thing LinkedIn posts (including one on Growth Mindset): https://tinyurl.com/2rzzzus3 Corporate Research Forum’s Work Psychology Network: https://tinyurl.com/4s4pmz9e Work Psychology Network report on behaviour change in organizations: https://tinyurl.com/3p3rwerb Connect with Truth, Lies & Work – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork  – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott  – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne  – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com  – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat 🧠 Mental Health Support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org  UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk  US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org  Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au  Global helplines https://findahelpline.com Truth, Lies & Work is proud to be part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.

  5. Jul 2

    How to Handle Crisis in the Workplace, with Andrew Blotky, Facebook's first Director of Global Internal Communications

    Welcome to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning workplace podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture. How do you steady your team and maintain trust when everything around you is chaotic? This week, we are joined by Andrew Blotky, an executive coach, author, and the founder of Azure Leadership Group. Andrew has managed internal communications at global scales, building Facebook’s first global employee communications function during a period of intense growth and scrutiny, and leading HR communications at Johnson & Johnson. In this episode, Andrew shares practical wisdom on leading with integrity through periods of change, crisis, and uncertainty. Moving past standard PR templates, he dives deep into the human side of leadership, discussing how authenticity, self-reflection, and mindfulness can help you stay grounded when you are under fire. 💡 Key Takeaways From This Episode The First 24 Hours: Why speaking early—even without all the answers—is critical to preventing people from creating their own negative narratives. Honesty vs. Oversharing: Navigating the boundaries of what you can say, what you can't, and how to admit uncertainty without losing your credibility. The Power of Pre-Work: Why the best crisis management happens long before the crisis hits by grounding your organisation in true core values. Compassion in Commercial Decisions: Dealing with the fallout of modern workplace challenges, like mass layoffs and the anxiety surrounding generative AI. Level 2 Listening: How to move out of a reactive "fight-or-flight" state and practice deep, curious listening to understand what your team truly needs. 👤 About the Guest Guest Name: Andrew Blotky Job Title: Executive Coach, Founder/CEO Organisation: Azure Leadership Group Website: https://www.azureleadership.com LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewblotky/ Instagram: @blotblot Andrew’s Book: Honestly Speaking: How the Way We Communicate Transforms Leadership, Love, and Life Get the book here: https://www.azureleadership.com/honestlyspeaking 📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat Mental health support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines https://findahelpline.com 🎧 Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.

  6. Jun 30

    Why do we all love an underdog? PLUS! Responsible A.I., Ford's human rehiring spree and the psychology of disagreements.

    Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning workplace podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture. This week, we are breaking down major shifts in the AI landscape, the science behind how we handle workplace friction, and a deep dive into why we naturally root for the underdog. 🔥 Stories Covered NatWest Group Commits to Responsible AI Training for All 60,000 Staff While many companies are rushing into AI deployment, NatWest is taking a human-centric approach by prioritizing data ethics. They have announced mandatory AI and data ethics training for all 60,000 employees, rolling out principles previously built in partnership with the University of Edinburgh's Edinburgh Futures Institute. The most fascinating takeaway? Over 50% of staff actively opted into extra training completely off their own back. With formal regulation still lagging behind, the bank is actively setting its own standard for corporate judgment and digital responsibility. NatWest Case Study: https://www.business-school.ed.ac.uk/executive-education/case-studies/ai-data-ethics-programme-natwest-group-leaders-colleagues NatWest Insights Article: https://www.natwestgroup.com/news-and-insights/latest-stories/ai-and-data/2025/may/upholding-ethical-use-of-ai-and-data-management.html 2. Ford’s AI Rollback: Rehiring 300 Human Engineers In a major corporate pivot, Ford has confirmed it is rehiring more than 300 veteran quality inspectors after its automated, AI-driven quality checks failed to match human engineering expertise. Ford learned the hard way that automation cannot replicate decades of tacit institutional knowledge. These veteran engineers are returning to factory floors not just to inspect vehicles, but to mentor the next generation and properly train the AI systems moving forward. BBC News Coverage: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgrkd41n2v9o 3. Talk or Type? The Psychological Reality of Disagreements When friction arises at work, our immediate instinct is often to hide behind a carefully drafted email or Slack message. However, new research featured by the British Psychological Society highlights that talking it out outperforms typing every single time. Spoken conversations naturally foster more active listening language, lower conflict, and build better mutual understanding. Despite this, 84% of people still choose text over talk. Al and Leanne discuss why it's time to pick up the phone. BPS Research Digest: https://www.bps.org.uk/research-digest/better-disagreement-use-your-voice 🧠 Truth or Lie: Do We All Love an Underdog? From global sports tournaments to workplace dynamics, there is an assumption that humans are universally wired to root for the underdog. Leanne dives into the behavioural science behind this phenomenon, looking at the "effort heuristic" and why we value struggle over raw talent. However, this preference comes with a massive catch: the moment the stakes get high or personal risk is involved, our support for the underdog evaporates. 💬 Workplace Surgery This week, Al and Leanne tackle three real-world questions from the listener mailbag: The Accidental Manager: "Nobody prepared me for management. I got promoted because I was good at my job, but managing people is a completely different skill. What is the one thing you wish someone had taught you before you took the role?" The Workplace Drain: How do you handle watching a line manager slowly drain the happiness out of a stellar colleague when it's happening outside your department? Pre-Meeting Chit Chat: Is a leader being a misery for wanting to skip the weekend catch-up and get straight to business, or is casual social time a vital team-building tool? 📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat 🧠 Mental Health Support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines https://findahelpline.com Truth, Lies & Work is proud to be part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the ultimate audio destination for business professionals

  7. Jun 25

    "I told Jimmy Carr to quit his job", with Mike Harle, Jimmy Carr's (last ever) manager

    What do you do when a brilliant, Oxford- or Cambridge-educated graduate walks into your office, chronically late, completely uncommitted to the business, but undeniably sharp? If you’re Mike Harle, you don’t fire them—you tell them to follow their heart and join the circus. This week, we sit down for an exclusive, world-first public interview with Mike Harle, the former UK Chief Marketing Officer of Shell. In a legendary two-minute conversation around the year 2000, Mike looked past the corporate KPI metrics of a young, nervous junior executive named Jimmy Carr and gave him the ultimate piece of career advice: Do give up your day job. In this episode, Mike shares the fascinating backstory behind one of comedy’s most famous career pivots, why he turned down an exclusive UK deal with a struggling new startup called Red Bull, and what it truly means to manage potential over performance. 🎧 What We Cover in This Episode: The "Event" That Changed British Comedy: The real story behind Mike's office chat with a 24-year-old Jimmy Carr, who was torn between a high-octane job offer at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and performing stand-up in local pubs. The Fine Line Between Managing and Leading: Why management is about resources and objectives, but true leadership is about helping people find deep, individual meaning in their work. Managing Vulnerability and Breaking Corporate Boundaries: How personal tragedy and a shared love for the entertainment world fostered an unconventional mentorship between a top-tier CMO and a junior exec. Saying Yes to Jimmy, Saying No to Red Bull: Mike openly shares his corporate "bad decision"—turning down exclusive UK distribution rights for Red Bull back when the energy drink category didn't even exist. Life Beyond the Corner Office: Mike's incredible pivot from Shell executive to serving as a Church of England priest for 10 years, supporting asylum seekers, and starting a fresh career lecturing in the Czech Republic. "If you can't take a chance at 24 or 25 on your future, you're sunk. My job wasn't just to manage a pipeline; it was to do the best by a human being." — Mike Harle 📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork⁠ – Al Elliott: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott⁠ – Leanne Elliott: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne⁠ – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: ⁠https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat⁠ Mental health support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit ⁠https://www.samaritans.org⁠ UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit ⁠https://www.mind.org.uk⁠ US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit ⁠https://988lifeline.org⁠ Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit ⁠https://www.lifeline.org.au⁠ Global helplines: ⁠https://findahelpline.com⁠ Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.

  8. Jun 23

    Remote Work Makes You Lonely, Should You Trust Your Gut or the Data, PLUS workplace surgery with Dr Jake Tuber

    Welcome to Truth, Lies and Work, the award-winning podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture, brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network. In this episode of This Week in Work, Al is joined by guest co-host Dr Jake Tuber as they dig into a landmark report on youth unemployment, a blockbuster NYT piece on remote work and loneliness, and whether you should ever trust your gut over the data. Connect with Dr Jake Tuber: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaketuber Subscribe to his newsletter: https://workwise.substack.com 📰 The News Round-Up One Million Young People Locked Out of Work — The UK's NEET Crisis A major government-commissioned report from former Labour health secretary Alan Milburn lays bare a structural failure in the UK's approach to youth employment. Around one million 16–24 year-olds are currently NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) — roughly one in eight — and that figure could hit 1.25 million by the early 2030s. Perhaps most striking: six in ten young NEETs have never held a single job, up from four in ten twenty years ago. The report also reveals that for every £25 spent on benefits for young people, just £1 is spent helping them back into work. Read the Milburn report coverage: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/may/28/a-record-of-failure-whats-in-the-first-part-of-alan-milburns-neet-report https://www.theguardian.com/money/2026/may/27/neets-could-hit-125m-by-early-2030s-milburn-review-young-people-employment-uk Is Remote Work Making Us Lonelier? A NYT Deep Dive A new study published in Science tracked workers in remote-eligible roles — finance, software engineering and the like — and found they're working from home three times more than five years ago, and reporting significantly higher loneliness. But Stanford remote work researcher Nick Bloom urges caution: does remote work cause distress, or do people already under stress seek out remote work to cope? Dr Jake unpacks why the headline conclusions may be overstated. Read the NYT piece: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/17/opinion/remote-work-depression.html Read the original study: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aec7671 🧠 Truth or Lie: Is Gut Instinct Better Than Data? Dr Jake takes on one of the oldest debates in decision-making — and delivers a verdict with a twist. The case for data: Decades of research, including a seminal 1954 study by Meehl and two major meta-analyses (Grove et al., 2000; Ægisdóttir et al., 2006), consistently show that analytical, statistical approaches outperform gut instinct on important decisions. The case for gut: When someone is a genuine expert in a stable, predictable environment with good feedback loops, intuition can reflect deep tacit knowledge — not guesswork. The verdict: It's a false binary. Your gut is partly made of data — years of pattern recognition your brain has processed unconsciously. The best decisions let intuition generate hypotheses and evidence test them. 🏥 The Workplace Surgery "My star player has become my biggest headache" — A brilliant employee has started missing deadlines, pushing back on everything, and dismissing feedback. She says she's been carrying the team for years. Do you owe her more patience, or have you already been too patient? "Why does returning to work feel harder than the work itself?" — Every time this listener takes time off, re-entry feels brutal — even though they actually enjoy their job. Is this psychological, or just a "them" problem? "Why is my team working hours I never asked for?" — Fully flexible, no core hours, work gets done. So why are people sending emails at 7am and Slack messages on weekends — and should their manager be more worried than they are? 🎙️ Coming Thursday We're joined by Mike Harle — the man who told Jimmy Carr to quit his corporate job and pursue comedy. He managed Jimmy at Shell, had the conversation that changed everything, and has some brilliant management stories to share. Don't miss it. 📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork⁠ – Al Elliott: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott⁠ – Leanne Elliott: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne⁠ – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: ⁠https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat⁠ Mental health support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit ⁠https://www.samaritans.org⁠ UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit ⁠https://www.mind.org.uk⁠ US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit ⁠https://988lifeline.org⁠ Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit ⁠https://www.lifeline.org.au⁠ Global helplines ⁠https://findahelpline.com⁠

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5
out of 5
41 Ratings

About

Truth, Lies & Work is the UK's #1 Management Podcast. Brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, this award-winning podcast is where behavioural science meets workplace culture. Hosted by Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott and business owner Al Elliott, the show has reached #2 in the UK Business Podcast Charts and consistently ranks as a Top 10 trending business podcast globally. With a unique blend of evidence-based insight and lived experience, Leanne and Al simplify the science of people and culture to help leaders attract, engage, and retain great talent. Episodes drop twice a week. Tuesdays feature a global people and culture news round-up, a hot take from an emerging or established voice, and the world-famous Workplace Surgery—where Leanne answers real listener questions with practical advice. Thursdays dive deeper with expert guests from across the business and psychology worlds, sharing fresh perspectives and actionable strategies. Whether you're scaling a startup or leading a large team, Truth, Lies & Work delivers the tools, thinking, and inspiration to build thriving, toxic-free workplaces that prioritise well-being and drive sustainable growth. Also, the hosts are married—so expect unfiltered honesty, occasional banter, and a real-life lens on work and life.

Information

  • Creator
    HubSpot Podcast Network
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    323
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2022-2026
  • Show Website
    Truth, Lies and Work

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