
Truth, Lies and Work 284. Corporate Bullshit, new-collar jobs and interview red flags. PLUS! Are Morning People More Successful?
Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning workplace podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture. This week, we’re diving into the "Corporate Bullshit Receptivity Scale," exploring why a university degree might be holding your hiring back, and debunking the toxic productivity of the 3:50 AM wake-up call.
🔥 Stories Covered
1. The Science of "Corporate Bullshit" Leanne introduces the Corporate Bullshit Receptivity Scale, a real psychological study from Cornell University.
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The Definition: "Corporate Bullshit" is defined as semantically empty jargon used in a functionally misleading way.
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The Finding: Research shows that people who find vague, jargon-heavy statements profound often score lower on analytical thinking and decision-making.
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The Impact: In the workplace, rewarding this language leads to worse decisions and a culture of performance over substance.
2. The Rise of "New-Collar" Jobs Al explores a term coined by the former CEO of IBM: New-Collar jobs.
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Skills over Degrees: These are highly skilled, well-paid roles in AI, cybersecurity, and tech that don't require a traditional university degree.
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The Stats: It's predicted that 60% of new jobs created between 2020 and 2030 will be "new-collar."
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The Barrier: Despite the talent shortage, 60% of employers still reject candidates with the right skills simply because they lack a degree.
3. Would You Walk Out of a Messy Interview? A viral Reddit story sparks a debate on candidate experience.
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The Red Flag: A senior professional ended their application process after a recruiter failed to show up for the first interview and was late for the second.
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The Lesson: Your hiring process is a direct signal of your company culture. If communication is messy before day one, candidates assume it’s messy on the inside.
🧠 Truth or Lie: Are Morning People More Successful?
Is the 5:00 AM (or 3:50 AM!) alarm truly the secret to success, or are we just glorifying sleep deprivation?
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The Truth: Studies show "Larks" often earn 4-5% more than "Owls" and perform better in school.
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The Lie: This isn't because morning people are more disciplined. It’s because the world (schools and 9-5 offices) is built for their biology.
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The Cost: Forcing an "Owl" into a "Lark" schedule leads to Social Jetlag, higher cortisol levels, and increased risk of depression.
💬 Workplace Surgery
This week, we tackle three listener dilemmas:
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The "Silent" Meeting: How do you handle it when the same two people dominate every conversation? Leanne shares tips on balancing participation without it feeling forced.
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Check out our deep dive on meetings here: What if meetings were the best part of your day?
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The Overwhelmed Founder: Transitioning from "doing the work" to "leading others."
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The Toxic High-Performer: What to do when your top talent is quietly damaging team morale.
📬 Connect with Al & Leanne – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork – Al Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott – Leanne Elliott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne – Email: hello@truthliesandwork.com – Book a call: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat
Mental health support UK & ROI — Samaritans Call 116 123 or visit https://www.samaritans.org UK — Mind Call 0300 123 3393 or visit https://www.mind.org.uk US — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org Australia — Lifeline Call 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au Global helplines https://findahelpline.com
