Guidance and Signposting for Life's Challenges
When someone talks about being miserable at work, the advice often comes fast: “Just leave.”“Find another job.”“Know your worth.” It sounds simple. But for many people, leaving a bad job isn’t a choice – it’s a risk they can’t afford to take. When Income Is Survival, Not Lifestyle For people living paycheque to paycheque, work […]
Read More
We’re told the same story over and over. If you work hard, you’ll get ahead.If you try harder, you’ll succeed.If you fail, it’s because you didn’t want it enough. It sounds motivating. But it isn’t true. Because social mobility isn’t equal — and pretending it is only hides the real problem. Not Everyone Starts From […]
Read More
Somewhere along the way, we created an impossible standard. The “perfect employee”. Always available.Always productive.Never sick.Never overwhelmed.Never late.Never struggling. And most people are quietly failing to live up to it – because it doesn’t exist. What Does the “Perfect Employee” Look Like? According to people we have been supporting, their workplace culture defines the perfect […]
Read More
Somehow, being tired has become a badge of honour. Working late.Skipping breaks.Running on caffeine.Pushing through illness.Being constantly “on”. We’ve normalised exhaustion. And that’s not healthy.It’s harmful. What Is Burnout Culture? Burnout culture is the belief that productivity equals worth. That resting is lazy.That slowing down is weakness.That struggling means you’re not trying hard enough. It […]
Read More
Somewhere along the way, we started treating help like a reward. Like something people have to earn.Prove.Justify. Instead of something given because someone is struggling. And that mindset is doing real harm. The “Deserving” Narrative We hear it all the time: “They should just work harder.”“They made bad choices.”“They shouldn’t have had kids.”“They should budget […]
Read More
If escaping poverty was as simple as trying harder, millions of people wouldn’t be stuck fighting the same battles year after year. But poverty isn’t just about money.It’s about systems, access, stability – and the constant exhaustion of surviving. And once you fall into the poverty trap, climbing back out is far harder than most […]
Read More
I won’t lie — I’ve thought a lot lately about what “work” even means anymore. For some people, it’s a job that just about pays the bills (if that). For others, it’s zero hours, no sick pay, always waiting for a shift that might not come. And then there are those of us who haven’t […]
Read MoreMany people have asked me what to do, who to contact and how it’s expected for you to be when your person dies, so I thought I’d share what I’ve learned during the last 6 months. What to do? Be hysterical. Be calm. Be whatever you need to be. There are no rules when your […]
Read More
Day 2 of the CIPD Annual Conference and Exhibition in Manchester. I started by attending The Big Conversation, hosted by CIPD Manchester branch, Rachael Burnham and Gem Dale featuring Gary Cookson and supported by Mark Hendy. Creating the culture of trust in organisations that we need. How do we do this? What are the barriers? Phil […]
Read More
This is how I spent my first day embracing the new world of work at my first CIPD Annual Conference and Exhibition. A little different? Most definitely. But as Peter Cheese quoted “may you live in interesting times”. There are major events and trends occurring all over the world which impact the businesses in which we […]
Read More