David Fairhurst

Boredom
on
10th March 2026

Can Boredom Be Valuable in the Workplace?

Being ‘busy’ has long been a badge of honor at work. Full calendars, constant notifications, back-to-back deadlines… these were once seen as signs of a fully productive and committed team member. But in the modern work landscape, a different insight is emerging: constant busyness may actually suppress some of the very qualities businesses need most, […]

Workforce Cliff
on
09th March 2026

The Workforce Cliff is Now a Leadership Imperative

For years, workforce constraints were treated as an HR problem to solve. If talent was scarce, then the logic went that HR would fix it by refining the employer brand, accelerating recruitment, and therefore improve retention. The assumption beneath this model was that talent supply was elastic. When demand increased, labor markets would respond. But […]

Women In Tech
on
05th March 2026

Upskilling Women for the Tech Driven Workplace

We often hear talk about talent shortages, skills gaps, and future‑proofing our workforces. Yet when it comes to technology roles, one of the most persistent issues isn’t lack of talent, it’s the lack of representation in these positions, and the untapped potential that goes with it. Despite women making up roughly 47 % of the overall […]

Politeness Burnout
on
03rd March 2026

‘Politeness Burnout’: When Being Nice Comes at a Cost

One of the most under‑recognized work challenges I’ve encountered is what is sometimes described as politeness burnout. Unlike classic burnout tied to workload or deadlines, this experience stems from the ongoing emotional effort employees put into presenting positivity, masking frustration, or managing every interaction with a practiced agreeableness. The effort of regulating feelings and expressions […]

Swipe Right
on
25th February 2026

Swipe Right…on a New Job?

In case you hadn’t heard, Tinder may be the new hot spot for finding a job. The traditional model of polishing a résumé, uploading it to a job board, and waiting is being supplemented (and maybe even replaced) by some more creative digital strategies. Jobseekers, especially younger talent, are now leveraging platforms that were never […]

Cost Of Indicision
on
24th February 2026

The Cost of Indecision: Why Faster Decisions Are Becoming a Competitive Advantage

One of the most consistent patterns I see in leaders is hesitation. Not to be confused with thoughtful deliberation, as this is extremely valuable. I’m talking about prolonged indecision that slows down momentum and quietly erodes performance. In today’s business environment, speed is a key factor that contributes to how successful a new venture may […]

Surrounded By Idiots
on
11th February 2026

What We’re Reading: Surrounded by Idiots by Thomas Erikson

For this month’s reading material, we turned our attention to communication and collaboration at work, and that led us straight to Surrounded by Idiots by Thomas Erikson. After weighing up a number of popular titles on personality and behavior, Erikson’s book stood out for one prominent reason: it promises to explain why people so often […]

Apprenticeships
on
10th February 2026

Why Apprenticeships Are No Longer Just for Entry-Level

We’ve all heard the old stereotype: apprenticeships are for entry-level roles. A foot in the door for young workers with limited experience who are trying to get some experience. But that notion is rapidly becoming outdated. Thanks to the evolution of apprenticeship models and the growing diversity of industries embracing them, apprenticeships are now powerful […]

Carlos Butler Vale Announcement Photo
on
09th February 2026

OrgShakers Welcomes Carlos Butler-Vale

OrgShakers is delighted to welcome Carlos Butler‑Vale to our global team of senior People & Culture experts. Carlos joins OrgShakers with more than a decade of experience leading enterprise‑level transformation across worldwide organizations. Operating at the intersection of technological innovation, talent strategy, and organizational performance, Carlos has helped drive large‑scale pivots across Technology, Finance, Supply […]

Side Hustle
on
05th February 2026

The Slippery Slope of a Side Hustle

In today’s fast-evolving labor market, the ‘side hustle’ phenomenon has become more than just a trend, it’s now a reality for the majority of workers. Recent surveys show that nearly 90% of American job seekers report having worked a side hustle, and41% admit to juggling that gig alongside their primary job…even during work hours. This […]

Pulling A Sickie
on
03rd February 2026

Is ‘Pulling a Sickie’ a Sign of Something Deeper?

Every February 3rd, the tongue-in-cheek awareness of National Pull a Sickie Day sweeps through newsfeeds and office corridors in the UK. It acts as a cheeky reminder that many of us have (at one point or another) called in sick when we weren’t truly unwell. And whilst it is only human to wake up some […]

Oversharing
on
27th January 2026

How Leaders Can Inspire Trust Without Oversharing

Research consistently shows that high-trust organizations enjoy significantly better outcomes, with employees reporting lower stress, higher productivity, and stronger engagement when trust is present. Yet trust has a fragile foundation: too little transparency breeds suspicion, while too much disclosure can confuse, overwhelm, or sometimes even undermine leadership credibility. The Trust Deficit and What It Means […]

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