This Working Life ABC listen

They’re usually the last step in the process, but reference checks are an important part of a job hire. And if you get them wrong, you can have a real situation on your hands.

What's best practice when it comes to reference checking: whether you’re hiring, trying to be hired, or giving a reference for someone else?

The junior person feels like they’re being micromanaged, but the manager feels like the job is not being done properly. When does good supervision tip into micromanagement?

Shona Ryan had such a difficult time being micromanaged as a millennial worker, that she decided to research the topic. 

We hear what she learned, and get advice from an expert on how to break the pattern of micromanagement.

You’ve probably got a focus music playlist but did you know being musically trained can help you in other jobs? And no, it’s not too late if you didn’t learn the piano when you were a child.




Guest: Dr Diana Tolmie - Musician and Senior Lecturer in Professional Practice at the Queensland Conservatorium

And thanks to Sophie, George, Mark and Deirdre for sharing their stories.




And if you liked this episode you’d enjoy our episode on the power of being a generalist at work - find it in our podcast feed from March 2023.

Our childhood phantasy careers (different to fantasy with an ‘f’) help uncover our unconscious motivations and can unlock job satisfaction in our careers. Here’s how to figure out yours.




Guest: Paul Harvey - Lecturer and Executive Coach at the INSEAD Business School

And thanks to Afrouz, Karen and Ryan for sharing their stories.

"Don't we all hold many things? We all have to work jobs often we don't fully politically or ethically agree with because we have to pay our rent."

When we have the privilege to choose what work we do, how do we ensure we're ethically aligned with that career choice? And once we’re working in a job, how can we ensure we’re behaving ethically day to day?




Guests:
Dr Tim Dean - Senior Philosopher, The Ethics Centre
Maryam Kouchaki - Professor of Management & Organizations, the Kellogg School of Management
Jess Shane - radio and podcast producer




If you enjoyed this episode, you'd like our episodes about values at work (from April) and why good people do bad things (from June 2023). Find them in our podcast feed.

“I can honestly say this is a question that I’ve never encountered before.”

New Yorker magazine reporter and author of Supercommunicators - How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection, Charles Duhigg answers your questions about how to navigate tricky conversations at work, sharing advice and skills to truly connect with colleagues.




Thank you to listeners Lorissa Garcia, Louise Thomson and Tanmay Vora for your questions.