Are Psychosocial Hazards Present in Your Workplace? – Details, episodes & analysis

One in 3 workers are carrying grief about the changes happening at work — and our data suggests this runs deeper than just sadness: layers of feeling invisible, abandoned, and distrusted by the people making decisions. In this fourth episode of Season 7 — The Change Fatigue Remedy Series — Dr Michelle McQuaid sits down with Dr Margaret Wheatley, renowned teacher, advisor, and author of Restoring Sanity, to explore why leaders often transmit the very fear they're trying to protect their teams from — and what it takes to build an island of sanity where people can find refuge from the chaos, trust each other, and do meaningful work together. Drawing on five decades of working with leaders, Meg shows what it takes to build an island of sanity, why acknowledging grief — not fixing it — is what moves people forward, and how leaders create the conditions for creativity, generosity and kindness to be the norm.

01:37 Meg explains why leadership is harder now than it has ever been — and what fear is doing to people's capacity to create, care and contribute.

04:41 Meg shares why planning for a steady state is no longer possible — and why uncertainty, not pace, is now every leader's defining challenge.

07:05 Meg introduces Islands of Sanity — why leaders need to create a boundried space within their teams where people can find refuge from the chaos, trust each other, and do meaningful work together.

11:40 Meg outlines what makes an island of sanity work: being together, honouring each other, and trusting you won't abandon each other when things get hard.

19:32 Meg reframes where meaning comes from when the old markers no longer hold — and why contributing to others is where most people find their footing again.

27:20 Michelle shares the Change Lab finding that 1 in 3 workers are carrying grief — and Meg unpacks what lies beneath it: feeling abandoned, distrusted and invisible to the people making decisions.

29:21 Meg reframes grief not as a problem to solve but as something to move through together — and why feeling it fully is what allows people to move forward.

33:56 Meg shares a practice for transforming the grief or loneliness you're carrying alone into a sense of shared human experience — and why it's the most powerful tool she teaches.

SEE HOW YOU'RE NAVIGATING CHANGE

Want to go deeper? Explore evidence-based tools for navigating change — including our self-paced certificate in leading the heart of change — at thechangelabs.com.

For more of Meg's wonderful work and books visit: https://margaretwheatley.com/ 

What if what's defeating us isn't the speed of change but the complexity — multiple crises amplifying each other in ways that no forecasting tool was ever built to handle? In this third episode of Season 7 — The Change Fatigue Remedy Series — Dr Michelle McQuaid sits down with Dr Margaret Heffernan, professor of practice at the University of Bath and author of Embracing Uncertainty, to explore why the focus on efficiency leaves organizations more fragile when complexity hits — and why we need to prioritize optionality instead. Drawing on her work with organizations navigating the polycrisis, Margaret introduces the shift from just-in-time to just-in-case thinking, the early warning system every workplace needs, and what it looks like to trust ourselves and each other in the midst of unpredictability. 

01:36 Margaret explains why we struggle with uncertainty — and why the promise that data and models can deliver certainty is oversold. 

05:00 Margaret outlines what the world's best forecasters say about how far ahead anyone can reliably predict changes — and what that means for our strategy plans. 

08:04 Margaret makes the case for optionality over efficiency: when a surprise comes along, running too lean leaves you more fragile. 

12:41 Margaret explains the polycrisis — multiple crises amplifying each other — and why supply chains built for maximum efficiency have become a liability when complexity hit. 

19:29 Margaret introduces the shift from just-in-time to just-in-case thinking — and the shares examples of how this builds resilience in workplaces. 

26:22 Margaret describes what a language of uncertainty sounds like for leaders: not an admission of defeat, but naming what's complex and opening the conversation to options. 

28:03 Margaret outlines the practice of naming your assumptions after a decision — and agreeing in advance on the signals that would tell you the plan isn't playing out as intended. 

32:09 Michelle shares what the Change Lab research found at the organisational level: making help-seeking the norm and breaking change into tiny steps so teams can sense, learn, and adapt. 

Take our free five-minute change survey to see how you're navigating change right now at thechangelabs.com. 

Want to go deeper? Explore evidence-based tools for navigating change — including our self-paced certificate in leading the heart of change — at thechangelabs.com. 

Ever notice how some changes leave people feeling energized and capable while others leave them exhausted and overwhelmed? What creates this difference? Why do some uncertainties feel like exciting challenges while others trigger that familiar "Oh FUD!" spiral of fear, uncertainty and doubt? This episode explores how to fuel people's confidence, make the most of their capabilities, and help them stay curious about how they can navigate change more effectively together. We share the A in our HEART framework with evidence-based approaches to help you build on people's strengths while also dealing with their challenges and struggles.

01.09 Michelle explains how our brains are wired to help us thrive through change - even when its challenging.

06:36 Michelle shares the 80/20 rule of change that helps to energize rather than exhaust people.

10:33 Michelle offers two organizational tools that can help workplaces embed a strengths-based approach change.

13:39 Mchelle outlines how leaders can map and support the strengths of their teams to navigate change together.

18.54 Michelle shares her favorite ways to develop her strengths during changes - even when her bosses haven't been supportive in the past.

26.19 Michelle explains why many leaders struggle to appreciate strengths even when it consistently improves the return on investment of their change efforts.

29.14 Michelle shares how a small health service have appreciated strengths at an organizational, team, and individual level across their workplace.

35.01 Michelle confesses to overplaying her appreciation of strengths at times and how she adjusts this now when needed.

37.55 Michelle offers a post-it note a-ha to help appreciate strengths through change.

Have you ever been in a meeting where someone shares a "big announcement" and you can practically hear everyone's minds turning off? Compare that to times when you're figuring out a problem together with people you trust - same amount of work, totally different feeling. What makes some complex changes feel safe enough to lean into while others feel dead on arrival? This episode explores how to turn grudging compliance into willing commitment during change. We share the E in our HEART framework with practical tools for meaningful conversations that support self-organization.

01.09 Michelle shares how we can engage people more purposefully around change - even when the change is not something they want.

05.00 Michelle explains why compliance rarely lasts more than three months, and how we can win people's ongoing commitment to change

08:50 Michelle outlines the three basic human needs we all share when it comes to engaging purposefully in change.

13:30 Michelle provides two organizational tools to help workplaces be values-led around their changes.

17.53 Michelle shares how leaders can ask extraordinary questions and practice extraordinary listening to support their teams through change.

23.47 Michelle explains how each of us can use five simple change-crafting questions to make any change more personally meaningful.

29.54 Michelle shares an example of how two organizations that were merging engaged people purposefully to co-create a new set of values.

36.39 Michelle dives into why leaders often struggle to engage their people purposefully around change.

40.51 Michelle offers two post-it notes takeaways for this HEART of Change factor.

Why do some people thrive during change while others get completely overwhelmed? It comes down to whether their nervous system feels "safe enough" to stay curious and collaborative. This episode explores how your emotions impact your brain's internal navigation system and energy for change. We share the H in our HEART framework with concrete tools for reading these signals at individual, team, and organizational levels, transforming emotional chaos into psychological safety.

3:00 Chelle explains why Honoring Feelings is the best neurological place to start when navigating change.

8.13 Chelle shares what has surprised her when working with team and leaders about honoring feelings during times of uncertainty.

11.42 Chelle provides practical examples of how we can honor feellings at the 'Me' (indidvidual) level during change.

15.37 Chelle offers evidence-based tools to help leaders and teams honor feelings at the 'We' level when navigating change together.

21.25 Chelle suggests ways organizations can make it easier to honor feelings at the 'Us' level to make it safer for people to be honest about change approaches.

24.10 Chelle shares a case study of how a large public service organization has been practically using these tools to navigate change.

30.53 Chelle provides a caution for where most workplaces struggle when it comes to honoring feelings during change.

34.37 Chelle offers a post-it note takeaway for honoring feelings.

Ever wonder why change feels so much harder than it did in the past? We're in an unprecedented supercycle where disruptions collide and create ongoing "Oh FUD!" responses - Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt that are flooding our nervous systems. Based on our work with organizations around the world, we share why traditional approaches miss what matters most and introduce our HEART framework for supporting teams through the emotional reality of transformation, even when uncertainty is the only constant.

1:49 Michelle discusses the concept of a "poly crisis" and why we are in a supercycle of change for the foreseeable future.

5:43 Michelle explains the "Oh FUD!" feeling many of us are having about change.

16:28 Michelle explores why assessing the dimensions of safety and predictability for change can improve our confidence.

20:02 Michelle introduces the HEART of Change Framework to help us navigate people's emotional and social experiences of change.

37:18 Michelle explains "H" - Honoring Feelings.

39:50 Michelle shares "E" - Engaging Purposefully

45:30 Michele introduces the "A" - Appreciate Strengths

47:02 Michelle outlines "R" - Reach Out

50:01 Michelle explains "T" - Take Tiny Steps

Addressing psychosocial safety requirements often creates additional change and potential stress in organizations. This episode explores how to implement safety initiatives without creating the very risks you're trying to prevent. We share practical approaches that reduce overwhelm, build genuine psychological safety, and transform defensive reactions into productive conversations. Discover simple language frameworks and team activities that help normalize uncertainty while maintaining momentum, even during complex organizational transitions.

0:00:35 Katie explains how addressing psychosocial safety requirements can unintentionally heighten poor change management.

0:06:58 Chelle unpacks the human side of change management and how most workplaces unintentionally undermine psychological safety in the process.

0:14:06 Katie and Chelle explore how having a common language and shared literacy about the predictability and safety people feel can make change easier to navigate together.

0:21:25 Chelle and Katie share how leaders can turn ordinary discussions about change that often make people feel stressed and defensive, into extraordinary conversations that spark hope and ownership.

0:36:19 Chelle and Katie provide tiny HEART-based nudges to lead the human side of change at the "Me", "We", and "Us" levels.

Do your people need more tangible skills to manage their own emotional and social responses at work? This episode explores evidence-based tools to help people understand their nervous system responses—whether they're in the "red zone" (urgency), "blue zone" (withdrawal), or "green zone" (connection)—and offers simple techniques like oxytocin shots and bridge-building that restore safety even during challenging moments.

0:00:35 Katie and Chelle breakdown the responsibilties of employees and contractors for psychosocial safety.

0:07:25 Chelle explains how we can build psychological safety at the "Me" (individual) level.

0:10:36 Chelle shares the power of understanding why our brains crave safety and how our nervous system responds to these needs.

0:20:40 Katie and Chelle shares the practical teams they've been teaching in workplaces to help people regulate their nervous systems to build more emotional and social safety in teams.

0:26:57 Katie and Chelle explore how our workplace systems continue to impact our nervous systems, even when we have great "Me" level tools.

Studies consistently find that psychological safety reduces workplace hazards. In this episode, we explore concrete ways to strengthen safety at the "We" level (leaders and teams). We break down our Psychosocial Safety Lego Challenge that transforms abstract concepts into tangible team experiences, discover dynamic techniques to improve role clarity, and help team members find meaning during difficult organizational changes.

0:00:38 Katie and Chelle breakdown the responsibilties of leaders for psychosocial safety.

0:03:31 Chelle explains why psychological safety has consistently been found to helpminimize all 14 of the SafeWork Australia psychosocial risks.

0:06:05 Katie shares how she has been use a Lego Psychosocial Challenge to help leaders and teams practically build the diversity, learning, and teaming skills they need to build psychological safety.

0:15:30 Chelle shares the tools she's been using to help leaders and teams minimize the risk of lack of role clarity.

0:21:44 Chelle shares the tools she's been using to help leaders and teams minimize the risk of poor change management together.

Need to meet organizational psychosocial safety requirements without just ticking boxes? Join us as we explore how OH&S, HR, and wellbeing teams can collaborate on creating risk registers that drive real change. We share practical examples from organizations that have turned compliance into opportunity, engaging leaders and teams in meaningful safety conversations. Discover strategies that not only satisfy regulations but genuinely improve workplace wellbeing.

0:00:59 Katie shares the psychosocial safety responsibilities that must now be met by workplaces in Australia.

0:04:00 Chelle and Katie explore who "owns" creating and maintaining the psychosocial safety risk register in most workplaces. 

0:07:02 Chelle shares the example of how the wellbeing champions at a non-profit organization used the PERMAH wellbeing survey tool to measure psychosocial risks and debrief the results with leaders to co-create the risk register.

0:14:12 Chelle shares an example of how the OH&S and HR team at a local council use a survey insights, leadership workshop, a reporting template to co-create their risk register over a few hours.

0:18:22 Chelle shares an example of how OH&S, HR and wellbeing teams came together at a large construction company to help leaders and their team members co-create their risk register together during a practical workshop.

0:23:10 Chelle shares an example of how OH&S, HR, wellbeing, and legal teams came together a national energy company to design a Stop For Safety week for leaders to spend one hour with their teams identifying risks, co-creating controls, and reporting their insights and commitments for the risk register.