SEEK asked me to weigh in on some of the workplace issues I see often in coaching. Why people don’t take holidays. Interview nerves, but for the interviewer not the candidate. Redundancy. Workplace culture.

Writing for these pieces showed me something I also see often. We know what helps, we just don’t do it often enough.

The thing about holidays that no one talks about

Everyone knows you should take time off. But here’s what I see in practice: people book leave, then spend it checking emails “just in case.”

Or they take a long weekend and spend Sunday night dreading Monday. That’s not rest. That’s just a different kind of work.

Real rest requires disconnection. Not just from your laptop, but from being available. From being the person others reach for when something goes wrong.

The benefit isn’t just that you feel better. It’s that you come back clearer. Problems that felt tangled before seem more straightforward. You’re more likely to prioritise well, respond thoughtfully, and stay present in conversations rather than feeling mentally scattered.

But this only works if you actually step away. Half-available doesn’t count.

If you lead others, modelling disconnection matters. Half-available leaders set the norm for everyone else.

Why good interviewers still get nervous

I was surprised by how much the interview nerves piece resonated. Even experienced leaders can feel unsettled when they’re trying to make a high-impact decision based on an hour with someone they’ve never met.

It’s because there’s something else at play. You’re not just judging. You’re being judged too. You want talented people to choose you. That creates an odd dynamic where both sides are performing.

The shift happens when you stop thinking like an interrogator and start thinking like a collaborator. You’re both trying to figure out if this could work.

When you let them in on why you’re asking certain questions, when you invite their questions and answer with the same openness you’re hoping to see, the whole conversation changes. It becomes real rather than performative.

What redundancy taught me about identity

I know the impact of redundancy firsthand. My job was made redundant twice. Both times, the first thing people said was some version of “everything happens for a reason” or “this is an opportunity”.

That’s not what helps in the moment.

What helped was when a friend corrected me. I said “I’ve been made redundant.” She said, “No, your job was made redundant, not you.”

Initially I dismissed it. But later, when those harsh thoughts crept in, I’d repeat it. Your job was made redundant, not you.

It’s a small distinction that makes a big difference. It separates what happened from who you are. And that separation creates space to act rather than just react.

The culture piece we get wrong

Culture isn’t your values poster. It’s not the ping-pong table or free fruit.

Culture is how things really work around here. The unwritten rules people follow. What gets rewarded. How mistakes are handled. Who gets heard.

You can say you value work-life balance, but if you’re promoting the person who never takes leave and responds to emails at midnight, that’s your real culture.

The gap between what you say and what you actually reward is where culture lives.

What actually moves the needle

After years of watching what helps people thrive at work, here’s what I’ve learned:

• Small, consistent actions build trust. Checking-in, saying thank you, or backing someone in a meeting, matter more than a grand gesture.
• Clarity creates safety. People can face hard news if they know where they stand. Vagueness erodes confidence faster than tough calls.
• Connection needs protection. Without deliberate space for real conversation, work collapses into logistics and people lose heart.

These aren’t big, dramatic fixes. They’re everyday habits. But they’re the ones leaders can easily forget, while they’re the ones the rest remember.

Where this leaves us

The leaders people look back fondly on aren’t the ones with the best strategy or the biggest budget.

They’re the ones who noticed. Who saw when someone was struggling before they asked for help. Who created space for real conversation instead of letting everything become logistics.

That’s what the human side of work really means. Not being soft. Not avoiding difficult decisions. Just remembering that behind every deliverable, every deadline, every performance review, there’s a person trying to do their best work.

Start there, with that basic recognition, and everything else becomes easier.

If you want to read the full articles, they’re here: workplace culture, taking holidays, redundancy support, redundancy basics, and interview nerves. Each explores the human side of these workplace challenges.

Image from Pexels: Jean Alves