Michelle: According to Gallup's global workforce survey, only 13% of people are engaged in their jobs. In the UK, it's a staggering 8%. Mark: Hold on, eight percent? That’s practically a rounding error. That means for every one person who's genuinely fired up about their work, there are about twelve others who are just staring at the clock, counting the minutes until they can leave. That's… bleak. Michelle: It’s incredibly bleak. And it's the exact problem that Bruce Daisley tackles in his book, The Joy of Work: 30 Ways to Fix Your Work Culture and Fall in Love with Your Job Again. What’s fascinating is that Daisley isn't some academic in an ivory tower. He was the European Vice-President for Twitter for years, right in the heart of the tech world. Mark: Okay, so he's an insider. He was in the trenches of the very culture that's famous for burnout. I'm intrigued. Is this his confession, or does he actually have a solution? Michelle: It's a bit of both. He saw the burnout epidemic firsthand and became obsessed with the science of what makes work better. The book became a massive bestseller, especially in the UK, because it offers this practical, research-backed roadmap out of the misery. Mark: A roadmap out of the misery. I think a lot of people could use that. So where does this journey begin?

Michelle: Well, before he gets to the joy, Daisley makes it very clear why so many of us are unhappy. He paints this incredibly grim, but honest, picture of the modern workplace. To understand the extreme end of it, he points to a nine-year study of investment bankers by a former banker turned academic, Alexandra Michel. Mark: Oh boy, investment bankers. This is going to be intense, isn't it? Michelle: It is. These were young, brilliant graduates working fifteen-hour days, from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., chasing massive paychecks. But the physical toll was shocking. In the first couple of years, they experienced dramatic weight changes and stress-related hair loss. Mark: Hair loss? From a job? That sounds less like a career and more like a curse. Michelle: It gets worse. By years three and four, many were suffering from serious health problems—diabetes, heart issues, even cancer. And the mental consequences were just as devastating. The study documented addiction, depression, anxiety, and a profound loss of empathy. One bank director in the study said that when you brutalize yourself like that, you become a "people-eater." Mark: A 'people-eater.' Wow. That's a vivid image. But I have to ask, that's the most extreme corner of the working world, right? How does that relate to someone working a standard nine-to-five office job? Michelle: That's the exact question Daisley wants us to ask. He argues that what we see in those bankers are just the late-stage symptoms of diseases that are quietly infecting all of our workplaces. He identifies a couple of key culprits. First, the open-plan office. Mark: Ah, the great symbol of modern collaboration. Or, as I like to call it, the 'Distraction Factory.' Michelle: Precisely. The dream was, as Apple's Jony Ive put it, to create a place where people can "connect and collaborate and walk and talk." But the research shows the opposite happens. One study found that when a company switched to an open-plan office, face-to-face interactions actually fell by a third, while emails between colleagues shot up by over 50 percent. Mark: That makes perfect sense! You're surrounded by noise, so you put on headphones to create a little bubble of silence. You're trying to build a fortress of solitude in a sea of distraction. It's an architecture of isolation, not collaboration. Michelle: Exactly. And that leads to the second workplace disease: what Daisley calls 'hurry sickness.' Mark: Hurry sickness? Is that a real thing? Because I think I have a chronic case. It's that feeling that you should be doing three things at once, even when you're just waiting for the microwave. Michelle: That's it exactly. It’s this gnawing need to always be doing something, to be busy. Daisley uses the perfect example of placebo pedestrian buttons at crosswalks. In many cities, those buttons aren't even connected to the traffic lights during peak hours. They just light up to give you the illusion of control, to appease that hurry sickness. Mark: I press those buttons like my life depends on it. And the 'close door' button in an elevator? I'm convinced my frantic tapping shaves at least a nanosecond off my wait time. Michelle: We all do it! We're conditioned to believe that being still is being unproductive. This constant state of low-grade panic, fueled by endless notifications and the pressure to be 'on,' keeps our bodies flooded with the stress hormone cortisol. It exhausts us and, as research shows, it absolutely kills our creativity. Mark: So the very environment designed for productivity—the open office, the constant connection—is actually making us stressed, isolated, and less creative. That's a pretty damning diagnosis. If that's the disease, what's the cure?

Michelle: This is where the book gets really powerful. Daisley argues that you don't need to wait for your CEO to fix things. The cure begins with small, personal acts of rebellion against this tyranny of busyness. And the first rebellion starts before you even leave the house. He calls it the 'Monk Mode Morning.' Mark: Monk Mode. That sounds... austere. Does it involve chanting and waking up at 4 a.m.? Michelle: Not necessarily! The idea is simple: for the first hour of your day, you don't touch your phone or computer. No emails, no news, no social media. He tells the story of Sarah, a marketing manager whose mornings were pure chaos. She was reacting to notifications from the moment she woke up, feeling drained before her workday even began. Mark: I know that feeling. Your brain is just a pinball machine of other people's demands. Michelle: Exactly. So Sarah implemented Monk Mode. For the first hour, she would meditate for 15 minutes, read a non-fiction book for 30, and journal for 15. At first, the urge to check her phone was overwhelming, but after just a week, she felt a massive shift. She was calmer, more focused, and felt in control of her day, not the other way around. Mark: I love the principle, but an hour feels like a huge commitment for a lot of people. How do you even start something like that? Michelle: Daisley is realistic. He says to start small. Maybe it's just 15 minutes. The point isn't the duration; it's about reclaiming that first slice of your day for proactive, intentional thought instead of reactive chaos. And this spirit of rebellion can carry right into the workday with the second act: the 'Walking Meeting.' Mark: Okay, I've heard of this. It's a big Silicon Valley trend. But does it actually work, or is it just an excuse to get some steps in? Michelle: It's far more than that. Daisley tells the story of a team lead named Mark who noticed his team's energy was dead. Their meetings in a stuffy conference room were unproductive. So he proposed they hold their next meeting while walking around campus. Mark: I'm picturing a lot of tripping and people getting out of breath trying to discuss quarterly reports. Michelle: There was some skepticism at first, but it was a huge success. The combination of light physical activity and fresh air boosted their energy. More importantly, Daisley cites Stanford research showing that walking can increase creative output by an average of 60 percent. The physical act of moving forward seems to help our minds move forward, too. It's perfect for brainstorming or getting unstuck on a problem. Mark: So it's not for every meeting, but it's a tool you can use to break up the monotony and spark new ideas. I can see that. It feels like you're literally walking away from the problem to solve it. Michelle: That's a great way to put it. But Daisley argues the most important rebellion isn't about your routine or your environment. It's about your mind. It's about what he calls 'Overthrowing the Evil Mill Owner' who lives inside your head. Mark: Oh, I know that guy. He is a tyrant. He's the voice that tells me I'm being lazy for taking a ten-minute coffee break, or that I should feel guilty for logging off at 5:30. Michelle: That's him. The inner critic who internalizes the worst parts of work culture—the pressure to work longer, respond faster, and prioritize productivity above all else. Daisley shares the story of Emily, a software engineer who was completely burned out by this internal pressure. She was anxious, exhausted, and felt like she was always falling behind. Mark: That sounds incredibly familiar to a lot of people. How did she overthrow the tyrant? Michelle: She started by setting firm boundaries. She defined her work hours and stuck to them. She scheduled regular breaks. She challenged that negative voice in her head. And what she discovered was counter-intuitive: by working less and prioritizing her well-being, her work actually improved. She was more creative, more productive, and she started to enjoy her job again.

Michelle: When you put all these pieces together—the Monk Mode Morning, the Walking Meeting, overthrowing that inner critic—you start to see Daisley's core message. The 'joy of work' isn't some grand, unattainable prize you get from a promotion or a new job. It's something you build, moment by moment, through these small, deliberate battles. Mark: That’s it. The book isn't selling a fantasy where you love every single second of your job. It’s about removing the unnecessary misery. It’s a practical toolkit to fight back against a system that is, by default, designed to exhaust you. It’s about reclaiming your autonomy. Michelle: Exactly. And the most profound insight for me is that this isn't just about individual happiness. It's strategic. The data is clear: happy, rested, focused people are more productive people. So these small rebellions—a quiet morning, a walk outside, a guilt-free lunch break—they aren't selfish indulgences. They are acts of professional self-preservation that make you better at what you do. Mark: You're not just saving yourself from burnout; you're actually becoming a more valuable employee or colleague. That's a powerful reframe. So, the challenge for everyone listening is probably to just pick one rebellion. You don't have to do all 30 things in the book. Just one. Michelle: What would your one be? Mark: I think I have to start with the Evil Mill Owner. Just telling that voice in my head to take a hike when I decide to take a proper lunch break. That feels like a revolution right there. Michelle: I love that. Maybe for others, it's putting the phone in another room for the first 20 minutes of the day. We'd love to hear which rebellion you choose, or what your own 'evil mill owner' sounds like. You can find us on all our socials and share your story. Mark: Let the small rebellions begin. Michelle: This is Aibrary, signing off.