This is the Not Safe for Work podcast. Produced by WorldatWork and hosted by Charles Epstein, Workspan and hashtag evolve’s NSFW columnist and co-host of Work in Progress. Now, here’s Charles

Hello! Thanks for stopping by for this the first NSFW – that’s not safe for work, a podcast based on the NSFW column i write for Workspan and hashtag evolve which take a somewhat humorous slant on the business issues of the day. For over two years now I’ve cranked them out. Try making open enrollment and pay equity even a little bit funny – I dare you! Which is basically what my editors did – dared me to find humor in topics that are as inherently amusing as a splenectomy

While i think people have been reading the columns I can’t really say for sure and if there are, you’d think a column called not safe for work would get an outraged response every now and then. But in all that time I can count them on maybe one hand and that’s what two fingers tied behind my back as i’ve said before it’s sort of like being a sex columnist and never getting asked that on a date. And no i don’t expect to be dishing out sex advice as i can’t claim any expertise and obviously it would be in
very bad taste.

Anyway, so the main reason for this pod is to let people know that the column exists first which is an important first step in getting you to read it. For those of you who can’t vote or would rather not this should be the next best thing so again thanks for taking a moment to check this out.

With that out of the way, my latest column is fittingly on recognition you know we take it for granted that employees want to be singled out and celebrated for outstanding work. But what about gig worker who just wants to be left alone gig workers are there to produce results meet the contractual obligations and based on the performance either land another contract or move on to another gig that offers the same or more money and a change of scenery. You know, it’s inherently transactional
and anti-social you don’t spend several months here and several months there because you want to make friends for life.

If you want to get the best people to do their best work and hope they’ll re-up when the gig is up just let them deliver the work product they just want the freedom to work in their pjs at any hour from anywhere and get paid. That’s basically uh gig work in a
nutshell. So if you’re a manager, my recommendation is you save your public displays of affirmation for the poor bastards who need it, i.e., the rest of us. And obviously, given uh my prelude to this, that conspicuously includes moi. 

Anyway, for the full comedic impact of the column I encourage you to visit the url I posted in the description below, and please feel free to leave a comment. Complete sentences perfect grammar or welcome but uh by no means required. 

On the next NSFW pod we’ll discuss small talk and why if you’re not comfortable with small talk don’t feel you’re particularly adept at it or you flatter yourself by thinking you’re above it, newsflash: get comfortable with it, get better at it, and don’t flatter yourself. In today’s virtual world where so many interactions happen online being good at small talk is a big thing and I’ll go into more detail and why you need to get better at it. So stay tuned.

So, that slams the lid on this first edition of the NSFW podcast. I hope this won’t be your last or last please join us for the next one thanks for listening.

Voice Over: This was the Not Safe for Work podcast hosted by Charles Epstein,Workspan’s and hashtag evolve’s NSFW columnist. This podcast was produced by WorldatWork, a leading global organization for professionals who are engaged in the critically important practice of total rewards.