http://www.thepunch.com.au/author-bios/kate-southam/ Workplace writer and coach,Kate has been covering employment for a decade and was the founding editor of CareerOne.com.au. She currently writes a careers newspaper and online column for News Ltd, the Cube Farmer about work on news.com.au and she is a regular contributor to radio, magazines and TV. Nowadays Kate also consults to companies on communication and workplace projects as well as provides career coaching to individuals through her company: http://www.katesoutham.com. For many years Kate was a news reporter working with ABC radio in North Queensland, the Sunday Morning Post in Hong Kong and the Sydney Morning Herald and ninemsn in Sydney. Career highlights include being a young journalist in Hong Kong in the 80s where an assignment could be “go to China tomorrow” and drinking vodka on a roof top in Bucharest with diplomats, prostitutes, journalists and “political advisers” while working as a media gopher to a Romanian presidential candidate. Kate is highly curious about most things but her latest fascinations are life in the Middle Ages -  those 45+, “her people”, changes in social norms, social justice, food and anything about how great animals are, particularly the ones we live with. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/If-you-want-to-get-promoted-laugh-at-the-bosss-jokes/ Red alert, ladies. Making jokes about your ability at work is not funny particularly at board level. That’s the advice based on research carried out over 18 months in the UK by linguistics expert Dr Judith Baxter. While knowing how to laugh at yourself is as Aussie as lamingtons – well it used to be – I reckon the UK research is relevant to our workplaces too. Dr Baxter looked at the speech patterns of men and women at seven companies including two listed on the FTSE 100. Combing through 600,000 words uttered during 14 senior meetings led in equal numbers by women and men, Dr Baxter concluded that the jokes made by women fell flat. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Kate Southam) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/If-you-want-to-get-promoted-laugh-at-the-bosss-jokes/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/If-you-want-to-get-promoted-laugh-at-the-bosss-jokes/#item8576 Wed, 23 May 2012 19:55:26 +0000 Kate Southam | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-only-problem-with-outsourcing-we-dont-get-it/ I reckon the Internet has turned the average person into an outsourcer and even “offshorer”. A shirt made here, self-designed wedding invitations printed there – too easy. In fact, I sometimes find that the same person who rants about jobs going offshore tells you with glee how they got something made cheaply overseas. I have mixed feelings about outsourcing. Moving jobs to Australia’s regional cities = good; improving standards of living in developing nations = good; Australians losing their jobs = bad; workers exploited here or anywhere = bad. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Kate Southam) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-only-problem-with-outsourcing-we-dont-get-it/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-only-problem-with-outsourcing-we-dont-get-it/#item8365 Mon, 30 Apr 2012 19:40:54 +0000 Kate Southam | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/too-many-of-our-workplaces-promote-losers1/ Dr Peter Rennie believes too many of our workplaces reward a person who FIBS. FIBS stands for Flatter, Inflate, Break and Scapegoat. The acronym is used to describe someone who flatters those above, inflates their own contribution to a work project, breaks promises to those considered unimportant and scapegoats others to avoid accountability. The Melbourne-based leadership expert says our workplaces operate on status and hierarchy and we behave accordingly. No surprises there. Many managers take the view, ‘I know. You don’t. My call’. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Kate Southam) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/too-many-of-our-workplaces-promote-losers1/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/too-many-of-our-workplaces-promote-losers1/#item8246 Sun, 15 Apr 2012 19:50:07 +0000 Kate Southam | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/redundances-can-be-fresh-new-beginnings-too/ If success is the best revenge then landing a higher paying job after being made redundant is pretty sweet. Life gets even better if the new job comes along while you still have most of your redundancy payment intact. A survey of white-collar workers made redundant last year found 41 per cent ended up finding a new job that paid more than the role they lost. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Kate Southam) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/redundances-can-be-fresh-new-beginnings-too/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/redundances-can-be-fresh-new-beginnings-too/#item8009 Wed, 14 Mar 2012 19:35:08 +0000 Kate Southam | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/crimes-against-sanity-what-are-your-pet-work-peeves/ I once worked at a start up in a building with only a thin metal divider between my desk and the in-house café, which offered free drinks and a pool table. My co workers came from a mix of work cultures – corporate suit and tie types, web developers in tee shirts and the first wave of smart, funky Gen Ys. It was fun … most of the time. I tell the absolute truth when I say shoes were optional and head phones unheard of. A mixture of music blared from open plan desks. I was in one meeting where we had to shout to make ourselves heard over Lenny Kravitz. Did I mention it was the 90s? feedback@thepunch.com.au (Kate Southam) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/crimes-against-sanity-what-are-your-pet-work-peeves/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/crimes-against-sanity-what-are-your-pet-work-peeves/#item6822 Mon, 03 Oct 2011 19:50:21 +0000 Kate Southam | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Welcome-to-the-big-chair-now-prove-you-deserve-it/ Being the boss is no picnic. People come to you with problems, complaints, conflicts and issues – constantly. And then you still have the rest of your job to do as well as a manager of your own to deal with. I get it, but your compensation is a higher salary (sometimes a lot higher), status, perks and greater control over your work day so suck it up. If you are not up for the job, don’t take it on. And if you are getting overwhelmed, get help. Australian companies are well-known for selecting managers on their technical ability rather than their people management skills. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Kate Southam) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Welcome-to-the-big-chair-now-prove-you-deserve-it/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Welcome-to-the-big-chair-now-prove-you-deserve-it/#item6573 Thu, 25 Aug 2011 19:50:42 +0000 Kate Southam | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/magistrates-mental-health-issue-a-cautionary-tale/ The case of magistrate Jennifer Betts, who explained to the NSW Parliament Wednesday how a mental illness was central to the behaviour that has put her job on the line, is a cautionary tale for workplaces everywhere. Mental health issues are as prevalent in the workplace as their complexities are poorly understood by senior management. Ms Betts, 55, has asked MPs not to discriminate against her because of a depressive illness. Only parliament can dismiss an appointed magistrate. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Kate Southam) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/magistrates-mental-health-issue-a-cautionary-tale/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/magistrates-mental-health-issue-a-cautionary-tale/#item6091 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 19:35:00 +0000 Kate Southam | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/cracked-crysal-mega-churches-mega-problems/ The world’s first mega church, The Crystal Cathedral in California has filed for bankruptcy owing $50 million or more. According to reporters at the Orange County Register who combed through court documents, creditors include marketing consultants, television production companies, public relations experts and a publishing company. Others owed money include a wheelchair foundation, a livestock supplier,  dry cleaners, a wardrobe supervisor and the bloke who “managed props for pageants”. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Kate Southam) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/cracked-crysal-mega-churches-mega-problems/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/cracked-crysal-mega-churches-mega-problems/#item4286 Wed, 20 Oct 2010 19:35:10 +0000 Kate Southam | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/ageist-australia-reviles-instead-of-reveres-its-elders/ When did Australia get so ageist about oldies? The Commissioner responsible for Age Discrimination Elizabeth Broderick thinks it’s a good question and says the answer is something the nation should grapple with together.  Today Broderick launches a new report by the Australian Human Rights Commission, Age discrimination – exposing the hidden barrier for mature age workers. Compiled from a range of research, academic papers and government studies, the report paints a picture of exclusion, ill informed assumptions and even humiliation for older people in Australia. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Kate Southam) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/ageist-australia-reviles-instead-of-reveres-its-elders/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/ageist-australia-reviles-instead-of-reveres-its-elders/#item4163 Fri, 01 Oct 2010 02:53:08 +0000 Kate Southam | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/generation-y-might-rule-the-world-sooner-than-we-thought/ In the world of employment, the growing skills shortage is like a low, black cloud building on the horizon. While the GFC slowed the demand for labour it didn’t change the fact our workforce is ageing. In a few years more people leaving the workforce in Australia than joining it. As workplace age management expert Alison Monroe quipped recently, “the only thing that changed during the GFC is that boomers got two years closer to retirement.” feedback@thepunch.com.au (Kate Southam) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/generation-y-might-rule-the-world-sooner-than-we-thought/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/generation-y-might-rule-the-world-sooner-than-we-thought/#item4051 Thu, 16 Sep 2010 19:45:33 +0000 Kate Southam | Author bios | The Punch