Interchange Bench Blog
HomeBuzzwords in the workplace – make it stop!
We started with Quiet Quitting. Then we had The Great Resignation. This was followed by Bare-minimum Monday, not to mention Quiet Firing and Quiet Hiring. Now I’ve just gotten myself up to speed with the latest buzzword, Quittok. It’s when you film yourself on the sly...
The blurry eyed adventure of first-time fatherhood.
As I sit down to pen these words, I must remind myself that my glasses are in fact on, it is not a foggy night, and the blur is nothing but my new everlasting desire to reacquaint myself with my beloved pillow. The sleep-deprived haze that envelopes my world is,...
“I’m Here to Hear” – Promoting Mental Health and Connection in the Workplace and Beyond
In the fast-paced world of recruitment, where we're constantly connecting with people, it's easy to forget to pause and look beneath the surface when it comes to the wellbeing of others. Today, on R U OKAY Day, it's a timely reminder that taking a moment to check in...
Navigating the Shifting Landscape of Workplace Relations: A Look at Flexible Working Hours, Award Changes, and Uncertainty
The modern workplace is undergoing significant changes, driven by evolving employee expectations, legal reforms, and economic conditions. In this blog post, we explore some recent industry developments, including: the rise of flexible working hours; the...
A Roadmap to Resolution: 10 Strategies for Successfully Managing Staff Conflict
As I reflect on over twenty years as a principal in four schools, staff matters consumed a significant amount of time and effort and at times nearly caused major grief. Staff relationships, performance, managing conflict, ensuring engagement and alignment with the...
Our Great Slade Bake Off for the Biggest Morning Tea
This week we did our official Biggest Morning Tea, and it was a great success! Hosting it at the end of May, we got everyone involved in a Great Slade Bake Off, with our teams bringing in their own baked goods. Although there was some trepidation about what would be...
What do I stand to lose? Reflecting on the Voice to Parliament.
If those who most resist change typically have the most to lose, then I’m wondering what it is that ‘No’ voters stand to lose? I listen to the news over Easter and hear that King Charles has given his support for research into the British monarchy’s (aka his own...
Shh, I have a secret to tell you…
This is how we used to speak about our salaries, especially if you had a pay secrecy clause written into your contract. Well, these taboo conversations are about to become a thing of the past, with the recent Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Secure Jobs, Better Pay)...
Why I love the Cultural Diversity in our workplace.
Did you know that one in two people in Australia are either born overseas or have a parent born overseas? The state of Victoria alone has around 290 different languages spoken, with over 300 ancestries (note, these stats are not including indigenous languages and...
IWD – letting the light bulb moment settle
Have you ever experienced a switch that turned on a light bulb moment, and then for that moment to restlessly buzz around your mind until it settles? For me, that happened in early March when I explored the International Women’s Day website, and was able to...
9 things to know to succeed as a Temp
What’s the difference between Temporary work and Contracting?
People often use the words Temporary and Contractor interchangeably, but they are two different employment arrangements…
Whatever the news media reports is always right. Right?
In recent months the media has been full of news about global job cuts. All the big tech employers have been at it – Twitter, Google, Meta and Amazon. These market darlings, which enjoyed massive growth throughout the pandemic, suddenly found that as the world got...