Humanize the Workplace Podcast

Getting Fired

Why Getting Fired Feels Like Relief

/in /by

Why are smart, capable, hard-working people sometimes relieved to be fired?

 

Chuck Allen and Andrew Sheridan explore a brutal reality of modern work: many people are so overextended, under-supported, and emotionally drained that losing the job feels like getting air back in the room.

 

This is not a celebration of layoffs. It is a conversation about what leads people to that point.

 

They talk about the emotional whiplash of being let go, the strange comfort of a severance package, the absurdity of being asked to do five jobs while calling them “five hats,” and the broader system that keeps treating people as numbers in a spreadsheet. They also reflect on the trauma layoffs leave behind, not just for the people who go, but for the people who stay.

 

Along the way, they share stories that are dark, funny, and almost too ridiculous to be true, because sometimes workplace culture becomes such a parody of itself that laughter is the only sane response.

 

At the center of the conversation is a simple question: if getting fired feels like relief, what has gone so wrong in the workplace?

 

And the deeper invitation: whether you are leading, leaving, or left behind, how do you keep relationship first?


Apple Podcasts
YouTube

Spotify
Spotify

 

 

The Horrors of LinkedIn

The Horrors of LinkedIn: Humblebrags, Work-iversaries, and Fake Leadership Lessons

/in /by

In this episode, Chuck Allen and Andrew Sheridan take a sharp, funny look at the “Horrors of LinkedIn” and why the platform often feels like a professional version of Instagram: a place where people perform success, manufacture envy, and turn everyday moments into forced leadership wisdom.

 

They dig into the most common LinkedIn tropes, including humblebrag announcements, algorithm-driven engagement (“Great job!” buttons), and the infamous work anniversary prompts that can land like a cruel joke for anyone stuck in a job they dislike. They also explore how hustle culture posts and pseudo-inspirational “influencer wisdom” can reinforce unhealthy workplace narratives, shifting responsibility onto individuals rather than fixing broken systems.

 

LinkedIn works best when you write in your own voice, stop performing for engagement, celebrate wins without fake humility, avoid autopilot interactions, and connect with people intentionally.


Apple Podcasts
YouTube

Spotify
Spotify

 

 

Bad Bosses

How Bad Bosses Misuse Power—and What Great Leaders Do Instead

/in /by

If you’ve ever had a boss who wants to be cc’d on every email, bans overtime “effective immediately,” or mysteriously fires the smartest person in the room… congratulations. You’ve survived a power trip.

 

In this week’s episode of Humanize The Workplace, Chuck and Andrew take a joyful stroll through the wild, weird world of bad leadership—Reddit horror stories included. From micromanagers drowning in their own inboxes to managers threatened by employees who can operate a toilet with actual expertise, they dissect why fear-based leadership “works”… right up until everyone starts secretly applying for new jobs on their lunch break.

 

Then they flip the script: curiosity over control, listening over lecturing, and actually asking your employees what they need (radical, we know). Also: homework. Yes, homework. Chuck and Andrew want you to go find out what gifts your team is hiding while you’ve been busy pretending you’re the smartest person in the room.

 

If you’re leading people, this one’s for you. If you’ve worked for one of these bosses… yeah, enjoy the flashbacks.

 

Stay safe, stay kind and stay human.


Apple Podcasts
YouTube

Spotify
Spotify

 

 

Is your job a cult?

How to Tell If Your Job Is a Cult

/in /by

Is your workplace a community or a congregation? Chuck & Andrew skewer the culty side of “culture”: forced fun, founder worship, surveillance-y “care,” and those rituals that eat your calendar and your soul. Then they map the healthy alternative—psychological safety, clear boundaries, dissent that isn’t punished, and values that don’t require chanting. If your team ends meetings with a slogan… this one’s for you.

 

In this episode:

  • The “too much” test: when culture tips into control
  • Rituals vs. productivity (and why your introverts are quietly dying inside)
  • Founder worship, ghost-of-the-founder energy, and anti-dissent norms
  • Surveillance theater (Zoom all day? Heartbeat monitoring? hard pass.)
  • Practical manager moves: celebrate results, model boundaries, invite questions


Apple Podcasts
YouTube

Spotify
Spotify

 

 

 

Listen, laugh, and send this to the coworker who refuses to chant.

 

Stay safe, stay kind and stay human!

Coaching

Stop Giving Advice: The Real Value of Coaching at Work

/in /by

Most people think coaching is just advice with a fancier invoice. In this episode of Humanize the Workplace, Chuck Allen and Andrew Sheridan dismantle the biggest myths about coaching and mentoring, roast the corporate addiction to “advice culture,” and explore why listening is a lost art leaders think they’ve mastered—but haven’t.

From the awkward truth that your boss’s “mentoring” might just be storytelling in disguise, to the reason advice rarely works (hint: humans are allergic to other people’s ideas), this episode dives deep into:

  • Why coaching is not consulting in yoga pants.
  • How listening can make or break leadership.
  • The dirty little secret about ROI (and why it’s nearly impossible to measure coaching in dollars).
  • The stigma of coaching in organizations—and how to flip it from “you’re in trouble” to “we believe in you.”
  • Real-world wins from companies like Google and IBM that bet big on coaching culture.


Apple Podcasts
YouTube

Spotify
Spotify

 

 

 

If you’ve ever wondered why your brilliant advice gets ignored—or if you secretly suspect you’re not as good a listener as you think—this one’s for you.

Stay safe, stay kind and stay human!

Robert Bloom

Think Wrong: Turning Stupid Workplace Policies on Their Head with Robert Bloom

/in /by

Ready to admit your company’s rulebook is a snooze-fest?

In this episode of Humanize the Workplace, Andrew and Chuck unleash design-thinking maverick Robert Bloom, Founder & Managing Partner @ Design Thinkers South Africa, to expose the absurdity lurking in your HR handbook. We’ll tackle why mindless policies feel sinister, how co-creation can rescue morale, and why Elon Musk’s flat-world vision might actually need more hugs. You’ll discover the “think wrong” hack to gamify cost-cuts without inducing misery, balance your artist-engineer squad, and craft policies that liberate rather than leash. Strap in for acid humor, sharp irony, and a radical blueprint to humanize every rule you ever wrote.


Apple Podcasts
YouTube

Spotify
Spotify

 

 

Inside this episode:

🪓 Slash & Rebuild: Transform “because we said so” policies into creativity launchpads
🎲 Gamify the Grind: Turn cost-cutting from misery to high-score hunting
⚖️ Artists + Engineers: Hire both without harvesting brain cells
🌪️ VUCA Unchained: Embrace volatility—ditch the spaghetti-coded controls

 

Stay safe, stay kind and stay human!

The Hidden Cost of 90-Day Payment Terms

The Hidden Cost of 90-Day Payment Terms

/in /by

Delayed payments shouldn’t be a strategy—but for many corporations, 60- to 120-day terms have become standard practice. In this episode, Chuck & Andrew examine how “interest-free loans” from vendors distort cash flow, inflate prices, and erode trust across supply chains.


Apple Podcasts
YouTube

Spotify
Spotify

 

 

 

Key points you’ll hear:

  • From 30 to 90+ days: how payment terms crept up and what it really costs both sides.
  • “No P.O., No Dinero”: the administrative maze that slows down innovation and strains relationships.
  • Financial ripple effects: debt, staffing risk, and price hikes vendors use to survive long cycles.
  • Mindful business playbook: transparent negotiations, tiered pricing for prompt pay, and shared KPIs that align finance with values.
  • Accountability in action: public watch-lists like the UK’s Good Business Pay initiative and why naming (not shaming) drives reform.

 

Links & Resources

 

Stay safe, stay kind, stay human—preferably within 30 days.

Difficult conversations at work

How to Survive Difficult Conversations Without Ruining Your Career (or Your Kid’s Bedtime)

/in /by

Difficult conversations.
You’ve had them. You’ve avoided them. You’ve probably butchered a few.
Welcome to the club.

In this episode of Humanize the Workplace, Chuck and Andrew sit down with Lorrie Fair—a World Cup-winning soccer player turned executive leader at the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project—to explore why difficult conversations at work (and at home) are so often a disaster… and how to actually do them better.


Apple Podcasts
YouTube

Spotify
Spotify

 

Why Are Difficult Conversations So… Difficult?

Blame your brain.
No, really. It’s science. When tension rises, your amygdala takes over, shutting down your problem-solving brain and activating your fight/flight/freeze instincts. You’re not “bad at conflict”—you’re just wired for survival, not nuance.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

  • Why your childhood “shortcuts” might be sabotaging your work relationships

  • The difference between compassion and empathy (one of them will burn you out)

  • Why blaming and shaming shuts down the brain’s learning system

  • How to use the Mindful Pause (yes, it’s a thing, and no, it’s not just yoga speak)

  • How curiosity and kindness can reduce defensiveness—even in corporate email threads

Meet Lorrie Fair

She’s not just an executive. She’s a mom, a former professional soccer player, a crossword puzzle snob (only NYT, in pen, thank you very much), and someone who understands what it means to lead with humanity.

She brings her whole self to the table—and this conversation is a masterclass in doing just that.

Why This Episode Matters

Whether you’re a people manager, a teammate, or just someone trying to make work suck a little less, this episode delivers real tools with none of the fluff. Think of it as leadership development, minus the buzzwords and TED Talk clichés.

Love what you hear? Subscribe now and let’s make work suck less together! 🚀🎧

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 

How Labels Sabotage Diversity, Equity and Inclusion — and What Real Equity Takes

/in /by

Why do mandatory DEI sessions make everyone groan—both the people they’re meant to protect and the ones who fear saying the wrong thing? In this raw conversation, Chuck Allen and Andrew Sheridan invite Leah Williams—Black woman, mother of three “game‑changers,” and veteran racial‑equity practitioner—to name the elephant in every training room: labels and unspoken expectations run the show.


Apple Podcasts
YouTube

Spotify
Spotify

 

Leah shares:
🏷️ How race, gender, and parent status get questioned after you’re hired
⚖️ Equality vs. equity in plain‑English (and why $75 might not be fair)
📢 The difference between “calling out” and “calling in”—and when each harms
🌍 Three arenas for real change: intrapersonal, interpersonal, communal

 

You’ll hear hard truths, practical frameworks (shout‑out to The Equity Lab’s “Ready Agreements”), and a challenge to replace silent judgment with messy, grace‑filled dialogue. No tidy closure—just the next step in the people work we can’t keep dodging.

 

Love what you hear? Subscribe now and let’s make work suck less together! 🚀🎧

Manipulation

How Smart Leaders Spot—and Stop—Manipulation: From Mall Hustles to Team Meetings

/in /by

Ever had a stranger praise your forehead and grab your arm before asking for cash? Andrew has—right after a fresh haircut. Chuck? He let a mall kiosk smear raccoon cream under one eye and still forked over twenty bucks for soap.

 

Between laughs (and minor existential crises) they pull apart the Cialdini playbook—liking, reciprocity, commitment, sunk‑cost traps—and show how the same tricks keep smart people stuck in bad meetings, fake positivity, and endless “stretch roles.” By the end they’ve got a two‑word prescription for shady gurus and manipulative managers alike: stop it.

SUBSCRIBE NOW!


Apple Podcasts
YouTube

Spotify
Spotify

 

 

Key takeaways:

🤝 Politeness ≠ Permission

😎 Liking Hooks You

📌 One “Yes” Snowballs

🎁 Freebies Expect Payback

💸 High Anchor, Easy Sell

🥵 Willpower Drains Fast

🔗 Tenure ≠ Handcuffs

🛑 Mission, Not Manipulation

✔️ Transparent or Trick?

✂️ Unsure? Just Stop.

 

Love what you hear? Subscribe now and let’s make work suck less together! 🚀🎧