Interchange Bench Blog
HomeMachine learning fires up the importance of creativity in the workplace
How are you so relaxed on a Friday afternoon when you’re still to write that 21st birthday speech for Saturday night, review the company’s hybrid working policy for Monday, edit the Position Description for the new CPO, and start thinking about the eulogy for...
What Chūnjié (Spring Festival) means to our Chinese expats
We asked Karen Yang and Maggie Zhang from our Payroll team what Chinese New Year, which falls on 22 January in 2023, means to them… Karen: The celebration of Spring Festival (or Chūnjié in pinyin) has more than 4000 years history. Based on the Chinese lunisolar...
My ideal day
If money were no issue, I’d take endless holidays, spend more time with friends and family, hire a personal trainer to get fit, go shopping, and… then? Eventually the holidays wouldn’t feel like a holiday anymore, shopping would get boring, and my mind would atrophy....
NAIDOC 2022: Exactly how to Get up! Stand up! Show up!
National NAIDOC Week celebrations mark the ‘history, culture and achievements’ of our Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples. It is community led and focused, and it is also an opportunity for all Australians to participate in learning about...
A pocket coach for ‘people moments’.
Who hasn’t ever struggled dealing with the real people stuff? The difficult conversations, the underperformance, anxiety, imposter syndrome, hybrid working, juggling family, team dynamics. All of it. How hard is it and how much mental anguish can it consume? In...
Definition of Success = The Human Factor
What defines a successful person? Embedded throughout my secondary education was that elusive end of year score, which for some reason was going to determine our success in life. However, success has many faces. Even those who reach great heights in academia need to...
5 reasons why I stay, and enjoy recruitment.
Over my 22-year recruitment career, I’ve been asked time and time again by people in my networks – clients, candidates, work colleagues and friends – why the Recruitment industry, what is it that keeps you engaged? At a time when candidates have become a...
The U30s are different.
Covid delayed a lot of Under 30s’ plans for the exhilarating two year stint living and working abroad, but with borders re-open, they’re busting out in big numbers again. Before moving to London this month from Melbourne, 27 year old Kirsty had two very attractive...
Breaking the Bias: 5 things I’ve learned as a female leader
It’s rewarding to see other women succeed. I started my career in my mid 20s with a large multinational, led mainly by men who excelled in micro-management… they scrutinised all of our activities, imposed onerous activity reports and even questioned sick days. On...
Impostor Syndrome and Fear of Success: Renata Bernarde in conversation with Michelle Redfern
In this episode of The Job Hunting Podcast, Renata Bernarde is interviewed by Michelle Redfern, the founder of Advancing Women, an enterprise providing research and advisory services on workplace gender equality, inclusion, and diversity. Michelle is co-host of A...
A checklist for successful onboarding, road-tested by our new GM
Thinking about how best to make your new team member feel valued from the very beginning takes little time or effort, but the impact can certainly be lasting. I was lucky enough to take six months off in 2021 (which unfortunately coincided with yet another lockdown in...
Working towards broader cultural awareness and conscious Indigenous employment in 2022
As Australia considers a life with Covid-19 and the potential war on talent for staff, this year should mark the onset for a more aware and conscious Indigenous employment sector. This commitment means moving beyond written targets towards real action and pledges, far...