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We're too tired to work!

August 9, 2026 · 25 min

Show notes

Are you just too tired to work?

Australians feel exhausted. Eighty two per cent of Australian knowledge workers reported being on the verge of burnout last year, and businesses are scrambling to catch up with the cost of mental fatigue.

But sleepiness can be a killer too and a major shift is underway in how Australian industries treat tiredness in the workplace.

It's not a new phenomenon, people were talking about "brain fag" in Victorian England, but the way we think about fatigue and the way we treat it in the workplace is in flux.

So why are we so tired and what can we do about it?

Lisa puts matchsticks in her eyes and tries to solve the tiredness trap.

Guests:

  • Dr Drew Dawson, Professor, Director of Research Development at Central Queensland University and expert in Fatigue Management Strategy
  • Dr Elizabeth Stephens, Associate Professor of Cultural Studies at the University of Queensland and co author of the new study - A Cultural History of Workplace Fatigue which will conclude in 2029
  • Dr Kari Leibowitz, Health Psychologist, Speaker and author of How To Winter: Harness Your Mindset to Thrive on Cold, Dark, or Difficult Days

Further Listening & Reading!

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You can binge more episodes of the This Working Life podcast with your on the job correspondent Lisa Leong on the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts.

Please email us at [email protected] if you would like to get in touch, we read them all and love hearing from you!

All episodes of This Working Life

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