The Hiring Crisis, TikTok Training and Gen Z Perfectionism. PLUS How to Keep Quiet Teams Motivated
Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning workplace podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture, brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network.
In this episode of This Week in Work, business owner Al Elliott and Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott break down why fewer than half of recruitment processes actually succeed, why TikTok-style L&D might be sabotaging employee memory, and how economic pressure is driving an epidemic of Gen-Z perfectionism. Plus, in Truth or Lie, we test the psychological myth: Can you bullshit a bullshitter?
🔥 Stories covered
1. Are we actually in a European hiring crisis?
While corporate layoff headlines dominate the news, data from McKinsey’s HR Monitor survey reveals European hiring success sits at just 46% when accounting for offer acceptance and probation survival. With an aging workforce retiring and AI changing entry-level work, skilled talent is scarcer than ever. We discuss why smart companies like Spotify are shifting focus from external recruitment to internal mobility and growing talent from within.
Source: https://apple.news/ATgORe8gTRY2tHZs98wLVag
2. Why short-form videos are terrible for L&D
Thinking of using 60-second TikTok-style reels for workplace training? Think again. A new study demonstrates that chopping learning content into micro-clips tanks test scores and dramatically speeds up overnight forgetting. Brain scans revealed that continuous video syncs brain regions responsible for attention and memory formation, whereas micro-clips over-stimulate change-detection reflexes without actual absorption.
Source: https://www.psypost.org/the-illusion-of-learning-from-short-videos/
3. Is work making young people hyper-perfectionist?
Analysing 35 years of data across 82,000 students, a major study in Psychological Bulletin shows a sharp rise in socially prescribed perfectionism—the belief that others demand perfection and will judge mistakes harshly. Rather than being "fragile" or "entitled," Gen-Z employees are operating under intense economic pressure and fear of failure. We cover how leaders can foster true psychological safety to overcome paralysis and indecision.
Source: https://www.bps.org.uk/research-digest/perfectionism-young-adults-higher-ever-says-new-study
🧠Truth or Lie: "You Can’t Bullshit a Bullshitter"
It’s an age-old saying: frequent liars and exaggerators have a built-in radar for deception. But does the psychological research back it up?
Leanne examines studies by Christian Blötner & Sebastian Bergold (2023) and Dr. Shane Littrell et al. (2021). We break down the crucial difference between persuasive bullshitters (who talk a big game with buzzwords) and evasive bullshitters (who dodge questions defensively).
Want to dive deeper? Check out cognitive psychologist Dr. Shane Littrell’s research on Substack: https://bullshitology.substack.com/
Workplace Surgery
In this week's Workplace Surgery, we tackle three real questions submitted by listeners:
On Employee Perks: "Am I being naive putting in a free gym?"
On Downtime Motivation: "How do you keep people motivated when work goes quiet?"
On Inclusive Hiring: "I want to give someone a chance, but am I doing more harm than good?"
📬 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
🎧 Truth, Lies & Work is part of the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.
