Truth, Lies and Work cover art
Podcast · 134 episodes

Truth, Lies and Work

by HubSpot Podcast Network · English

Truth, Lies & Work is the UK's #1 Management Podcast. Brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, this award-winning podcast is where behavioural science meets workplace culture. Hosted by Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott and business owner Al Elliott, the show has reached #2 in the UK Business Podcast Charts and consistently ranks as a Top 10 trending business podcast globally. With a unique blend of evidence-based insight and lived experience, Leanne and Al simplify the science of people and culture to help leaders attract, engage, and retain great talent. Episodes drop twice a week. Tuesdays feature a global people and culture news round-up, a hot take from an emerging or established voice, and the world-famous Workplace Surgery—where Leanne answers real listener questions with practical advice. Thursdays dive deeper with expert guests from across the business and psychology worlds, sharing fresh perspectives and actionable strategies. Whether you're scaling a startup or leading a large team, Truth, Lies & Work delivers the tools, thinking, and inspiration to build thriving, toxic-free workplaces that prioritise well-being and drive sustainable growth. Also, the hosts are married—so expect unfiltered honesty, occasional banter, and a real-life lens on work and life.

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340. Meta's management u-turn, trolling A.I and The Great Compliance. PLUS! Does purpose make us work harder? With Bill YostEpisode 340 covers three workplace themes: Meta’s apparent management “u-turn,” the rise of AI recruiting and trolling, and whether purpose makes people work harder.29 Sep 2026 · 1 h 4 min · 25 chapters
339. Is a personality test just your horoscope? With Nikita Mikhailov, co-author of Personality: A User's GuideWhether personality “tests” used at work are more like branded horoscopes, and how to use personality inventories (or not) for hiring, team building, and leadership development.24 Sep 2026 · 52 min · 21 chapters
338. Are workplace friendships actually a good idea? PLUS! Quiet firing, 80s jobs and Xmas rotas, with Nicole Williams C.PsycholWorkplace friendships and team dynamics (truth vs lie), plus workplace culture issues around “quiet firing”/performance-managed exits, AI job displacement, and a listener workplace-surgery question…22 Sep 2026 · 1 h 3 min · 22 chapters
337. How to Hire with A.I. (Without Getting It Wrong) LIVE! With Kate Young and Ben HawkesLive panel on hiring with AI “without getting it wrong,” focused on small-business use, where AI helps (job analysis, job ads, interview questions) vs.17 Sep 2026 · 1 h 3 min · 32 chapters
336. Does the office actually improve collaboration? PLUS! Technostress, Instagram cringe and nightmare bosses., with Danny WarehamDigital well-being and leadership; (1) University of Nottingham research on “techno stress” and “digital mindfulness” at work; (2) whether managers should let employees follow them on Instagram…15 Sep 2026 · 55 min · 16 chapters
335. How storytelling saved Jurassic Park's company, with Corey RosenHow storytelling can replace bullet-point communication to secure buy-in, especially during layoffs, bad news, and change rollouts; includes a workplace “could have been an email” example and…10 Sep 2026 · 46 min · 17 chapters
334. Overthinking, holiday hoarding and Gail's menopause plan. PLUS! Can you bank sleep?Overthinking and rumination (MindFlex AI companion); holiday hoarding (UK workers not using annual leave, linked to burnout); Gail’s menopause plan (UK employer action ahead of new laws); “sleep…8 Sep 2026 · 56 min · 20 chapters
333. How to never have an argument at work again, with Lawyer turned peacemaker, Doug NollDoug Noll, a lawyer-turned-peacemaker, argues that workplace conflict can be prevented by a specific listening method: “listening someone into existence” by naming the other person’s emotions (using…3 Sep 2026 · 45 min · 23 chapters
332. Things We Got Wrong: 4 Years of Terrible Workplace Predictions, Summer Sessions #6Truth, Lies and Work episode 332 reviews four years of the show’s New Year workplace predictions (recorded Dec 2022, Dec 2023, Dec 2024) and grades each as green/amber/red.1 Sep 2026 · 50 min · 19 chapters
331. "Trapped in a Life Built Around Other’s Expectations? Here’s the Way Out" - Leanne & Al on Unbehaved podcastHow to stop living according to others’ expectations and instead make decisions based on what you want; building a life and career (including a podcast) through relational, service-oriented behavior…27 Aug 2026 · 59 min · 30 chapters
330. (VERY) Unfiltered HR Confessions. Summer Sessions #5, with Emma Djemil“VERY Unfiltered HR Confessions” summer episode featuring HR consultant Emma Djamil reacting to shocking workplace stories sourced from HR forums/Reddit, plus a discussion of HR’s emotional burden…25 Aug 2026 · 56 min · 21 chapters
329. Toxic or Just a Bad Fit? How to Tell the Difference at Work with Cait Donovan [Fried: The Burnout Podcast]How to distinguish a genuinely toxic workplace from a “bad fit,” using psychosocial risk factors, self-alignment (values/vitals), and the role of incivility, psychological safety, and manager…20 Aug 2026 · 1 h 1 min · 22 chapters
328. Am I the Workplace A**hole? Summer Sessions #4, with Dr Jake TuberThree Reddit-style workplace dilemmas judged as “Am I the workplace ahole?” with Dr Jake Tuber, Leanne (clinical/occupational psychologist), and Al (business owner).18 Aug 2026 · 54 min · 25 chapters
327. Top 5 Tips to Actually Switch Off This Summer, with Dr Rachel MorrisHow to “actually switch off” during summer and return to work refreshed, using behavioural-science ideas about boundaries, responsibility, and reducing work-related stress.13 Aug 2026 · 56 min · 21 chapters
326. We Play Corporate Family Fortunes with Danny Wareham! Summer Sessions #3A “Truth, Lies and Work” summer episode where host Leanne and Al play “Corporate Family Fortunes,” a quiz based on YouGov-style survey results about office annoyances, workplace staying factors,…11 Aug 2026 · 55 min · 24 chapters
325. He cancelled his meetings for a week (and nobody noticed), with Chris Lovett, best-selling authorDecluttering your work by cancelling unnecessary meetings, saying fewer “yes”s, and using breaks to protect attention—so you deliver more value with less busyness.6 Aug 2026 · 52 min · 17 chapters
324. Workplace Red Flag or Green Flag? Summer Sessions #2, with Meghan French-DunbarWorkplace “red flag or green flag” behaviors, leadership practices, and org trends, using a dating-style framework to test common workplace advice.4 Aug 2026 · 59 min · 24 chapters
323. Why you believe you're right, even when you're wrong, with Owen Fitzpatrick, social psychologist and authorHow “inner propaganda” makes people believe they’re right even when evidence contradicts them; why beliefs are driven more by identity and emotion than by logic; how leaders can change beliefs by…30 Jul 2026 · 1 h · 22 chapters
322. The World’s Weirdest Jobs: Penguinologists, Snake Milkers, Ice Cowboys and more! Summer Sessions #1, with Georgia HodkinsonA fun “Summer Sessions #1” episode about “the world’s weirdest jobs,” where the hosts and guest each research three (plus extras) highly niche careers, discuss what they do, how rare they are, how…28 Jul 2026 · 52 min · 24 chapters
321. Is HR the Loneliest Job in the Building? With Tom EmeryWhether HR is the loneliest job in the building, and how HR leaders can become more connected, credible, and psychologically safe—using a vet analogy, a “CHRO Impact Framework” model, and…23 Jul 2026 · 52 min · 17 chapters
320. Can you bulls*it a bullsh*tter? PLUS! The European hiring crisis, Gen-Z perfectionism and Tik Tok trainingThe episode covers three workplace topics plus a research-backed “truth or lie.” First, it discusses a European hiring crisis: McKinsey HR Monitor data via Fortune Europe suggests hiring success is…21 Jul 2026 · 57 min · 13 chapters
319. Why Nobody is Listening to You at Work, with Strategic PR Director, Ellie GlasonWhy coworkers, investors, and journalists ignore your updates—and how to get buy-in by leading with narrative, matching audience language, and using Christopher Booker’s “Seven Basic Plots” to…16 Jul 2026 · 47 min · 18 chapters
318. Toxic Founders, HR Rebels and Stalling Women’s Progress. PLUS! Is it good to have fun at work? With Rebecca TaylorHR workplace culture and leadership dysfunction; whether women’s progress and pay are stalling; and a “Truth or Lie” segment on “work and fun don’t mix.”14 Jul 2026 · 1 h 9 min · 22 chapters
317. He built his company around happiness, but was he happy? With Richard ClarkeRichard Clarke argues there’s a practical “formula” for happier workplaces based on five needs: safety (including psychological safety), community/belonging, autonomy/control, growth/opportunities to…9 Jul 2026 · 43 min · 14 chapters