<![CDATA[Meanwhile at Work]]>Meanwhile at Work is a short series of conversations between three people who spend a lot of time inside organisations and even more time noticing the gap between how work is described and how it’s lived.

 These aren’t episodes about productivity, performance, or personal optimisation.

They’re conversations about decisions, power, uncertainty, relationships, and the quiet realities of working life that don’t always make it into the room.

All seven episodes are available to listen to in any order. Dip in where something resonates. Leave what doesn’t.

This isn’t advice. It’s a space to think out loud - and to recognise what’s already familiar.

]]>meanwhileatwork.comRiverside.fm (https://riverside.com)Tue, 13 Oct 2026 11:26:00 GMTThu, 17 Sep 2026 14:17:32 GMT60Ardesey Ltd<p>Meanwhile at Work is a short series of conversations between three people who spend a lot of time inside organisations and even more time noticing the gap between how work is described and how it’s lived.</p><p> These aren’t episodes about productivity, performance, or personal optimisation.</p><p>They’re conversations about decisions, power, uncertainty, relationships, and the quiet realities of working life that don’t always make it into the room.</p><p>All seven episodes are available to listen to in any order. Dip in where something resonates. Leave what doesn’t.</p><p>This isn’t advice. It’s a space to think out loud - and to recognise what’s already familiar.</p>episodicArdesey Ltdrachael@ardesey.comno<![CDATA[The skills we call soft are getting harder]]>Digital transformation has a dismal record; and the technology often isn’t the problem. Alex and Laura talk about why transformation depends on people, culture and the “human skills” organisations too often dismiss as soft. From curiosity and critical thinking to the things younger workers once learned simply by being in the room, they ask whether work is changing faster than our ability to prepare people for it.

]]>6cab4937-6120-4d6b-afa2-8f807473f415Tue, 29 Sep 2026 15:59:56 GMT<p>Digital transformation has a dismal record; and the technology often isn’t the problem. Alex and Laura talk about why transformation depends on people, culture and the “human skills” organisations too often dismiss as soft. From curiosity and critical thinking to the things younger workers once learned simply by being in the room, they ask whether work is changing faster than our ability to prepare people for it.</p>no00:16:4711The skills we call soft are getting harderfull<![CDATA[Who gets to build a career in the age of AI?]]>AI is moving faster than the institutions trying to govern it, while power and value are concentrating in a handful of technology companies. But what does that mean for the people entering work now? Alex and Laura explore the AI arms race, regulation, the prospect of a new class of precarious workers and whether the opportunities that built previous generations of careers will still exist for the next one.

]]>232cda68-23b8-4dee-bec6-d6735407ff5dTue, 29 Sep 2026 15:59:21 GMT<p>AI is moving faster than the institutions trying to govern it, while power and value are concentrating in a handful of technology companies. But what does that mean for the people entering work now? Alex and Laura explore the AI arms race, regulation, the prospect of a new class of precarious workers and whether the opportunities that built previous generations of careers will still exist for the next one.</p>no00:11:2312Who gets to build a career in the age of AI?full<![CDATA[If the office is so important, what is it for?]]>The return-to-office debate is often framed as home versus office. Alex and Laura think that misses the point. They look at what people actually gain from being together - collaboration, relationships, learning and those unscheduled conversations where work gets done - and why mandating attendance without creating those conditions is unlikely to solve anything. Underneath it all sits a bigger question: how much do organisations trust their people?

]]>20ff108f-7be5-48ce-9eef-8f1040cd82d3Tue, 29 Sep 2026 15:57:07 GMT<p>The return-to-office debate is often framed as home versus office. Alex and Laura think that misses the point. They look at what people actually gain from being together - collaboration, relationships, learning and those unscheduled conversations where work gets done - and why mandating attendance without creating those conditions is unlikely to solve anything. Underneath it all sits a bigger question: how much do organisations trust their people?</p>no00:17:2513If the office is so important, what is it for?full<![CDATA[Stop hiring another Sally]]>When somebody leaves, the instinct is to replace them. Same role, same skills, same job description. But what if the gap they leave is an opportunity to build something different? Alex and Laura talk psychological safety, diversity of thought, shrinking skills half-lives, performative AI adoption and why building the workforce you need next means stopping trying to recreate the workforce you had before.

]]>622cf79a-fe4c-4bd4-81d8-bfecd7468f16Tue, 29 Sep 2026 15:56:26 GMT<p>When somebody leaves, the instinct is to replace them. Same role, same skills, same job description. But what if the gap they leave is an opportunity to build something different? Alex and Laura talk psychological safety, diversity of thought, shrinking skills half-lives, performative AI adoption and why building the workforce you need next means stopping trying to recreate the workforce you had before.</p>no00:17:2014Stop hiring another Sallyfull<![CDATA[What do you want from work now?]]>The pandemic changed more than where people work. For many senior leaders, it changed what they are prepared to give to work - and what they expect back. Laura and Alex explore personal purpose, autonomy, legacy, work-life balance and what happens when your own values no longer fit the organisation around you. Can work fulfil your purpose and should we expect it to?

]]>854732cf-1863-45c5-86e0-3e2a2834f282Tue, 29 Sep 2026 15:00:58 GMT<p>The pandemic changed more than where people work. For many senior leaders, it changed what they are prepared to give to work - and what they expect back. Laura and Alex explore personal purpose, autonomy, legacy, work-life balance and what happens when your own values no longer fit the organisation around you. Can work fulfil your purpose and should we expect it to?</p>no00:17:3015What do you want from work now?full<![CDATA[Purpose after the culture wars]]>What happens to corporate purpose when the political weather changes? As organisations become quieter about DEI, sustainability and other commitments they once championed, Alex and Laura ask what leaders do next. They explore shareholder value, legacy, talent, inclusion and whether leaders need new spaces to work out how to do right by their people and businesses without simply following whichever way the pendulum swings.

]]>2e8520a2-b759-4fab-a477-a557c7966357Tue, 29 Sep 2026 15:00:14 GMT<p>What happens to corporate purpose when the political weather changes? As organisations become quieter about DEI, sustainability and other commitments they once championed, Alex and Laura ask what leaders do next. They explore shareholder value, legacy, talent, inclusion and whether leaders need new spaces to work out how to do right by their people and businesses without simply following whichever way the pendulum swings.</p>no00:15:3516Purpose after the culture warsfull<![CDATA[What if the job description is the problem?]]>Work is changing too quickly for careers built around fixed qualifications, rigid hierarchies and jobs designed for yesterday. Starting with risk and the fear of change, Alex and Laura end up somewhere bigger: rethinking the contract between employer and employee. Could skills families, mobility and continuous learning create careers that are better suited to whatever technology does next?

]]>640391c3-0469-4f32-b59e-d00dcee88be9Tue, 29 Sep 2026 14:59:35 GMT<p>Work is changing too quickly for careers built around fixed qualifications, rigid hierarchies and jobs designed for yesterday. Starting with risk and the fear of change, Alex and Laura end up somewhere bigger: rethinking the contract between employer and employee. Could skills families, mobility and continuous learning create careers that are better suited to whatever technology does next?</p>no00:21:3117What if the job description is the problem?full