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

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Global helplines
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