Job got you stressed? The season finale of our UB podcast is for you

If you’re stressed and frustrated about work, Min-Hsuan Tu understands.

An associate professor of organization and human resources in the School of Management, Tu’s research in the field of workplace behavior and dynamics resonates widely as she delves into the many challenges people face at their jobs — from bad bosses to toxic work cultures to unplugging from the office after hours.

“A lot of my studies focus on intervention, some strategy and some tactics that people can use to help them to have a better work life,” Tu says.

Tu joined the University Communications podcast “Driven to Discover” for the last episode of the season to talk about her research, what drew her to the field and what practical advice she can offer to a frustrated workforce.

Here’s a little of what she had to say:  

On how the workplace is changing: “AI, Gen Z, flexible work schedule,” she says. “Those are a lot of big topics that people are talking about nowadays and, of course, impacting people’s lives.”

On coping with unfinished work tasks: “In addition to having a to-do list, maybe what we should have is a done list,” Tu says. “It’s like listing everything that you finished today, which probably will make you feel a lot better than having a to-do list. And seeing what you have accomplished today, it encourages yourself to think through, ‘What should I do tomorrow?’” 

On detaching from work: “About three out of four employees reported that they could not detach from work, so that’s a big issue,” Tu says. “Because not detaching from work actually makes people more likely to feel exhausted, impacting our physical health and also our relationships at work.”

On preparing for a job interview: “Our follow-up study asked our participants to practice something we call ‘power posing,’” Tu says. “So, before they enter their job interview, they just kind of like open their posture, standing tall, and by practicing that for a few minutes, when they enter the interview, they reported to have better confidence and sense of power, also leading them to perform better.”

Give the podcast a listen.