Is "productivity" just a fancy word for "work harder for the same money"?

Join Sean Aylmer & Michael Thompson as they answer questions on business, investing, economics, politics and more.

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Is "productivity" just a fancy word for "work harder for the same money"? Join Sean Aylmer &amp; Michael Thompson as they answer questions on business, investing, economics, politics and more. If you have your own question for Ask Fear &amp; Greed, get in touch via our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://fearandgreed.com.au&amp;sa=D&amp;source=calendar&amp;ust=1745714218880582&amp;usg=AOvVaw0HvKHIyl3ZB97Edry5no-c">website</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.linkedin.com/company/fear-and-greed&amp;sa=D&amp;source=calendar&amp;ust=1745714218880582&amp;usg=AOvVaw0Q8vjcVQrKXul_wYDjUPtd">LinkedIn</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.instagram.com/fearandgreedpodcast/&amp;sa=D&amp;source=calendar&amp;ust=1745714218880582&amp;usg=AOvVaw1O9UPco-Ufg_DGKqk-h9H7">Instagram</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.facebook.com/FearAndGreedPodcast&amp;sa=D&amp;source=calendar&amp;ust=1745714218880582&amp;usg=AOvVaw3frJX8Zc9glWT5Me7QsQ3p">Facebook</a>!

Business news you can use. A daily business news podcast with journalists Sean Aylmer and Michael Thompson. Find out more at https://fearandgreed.com.au

Business news you can use. A daily business news podcast with journalists <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-aylmer-9922068/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-aylmer-9922068/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1689199223540000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0wu3ezGEfBZFYspJbTTaYL">Sean Aylmer</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mcwthompson/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.linkedin.com/in/mcwthompson/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1689199223540000&amp;usg=AOvVaw08pZ8jZ88rHJgCfbHkTr5k">Michael Thompson</a>.&nbsp;Find out more at&nbsp;<a href="https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/7AmQCOMxmAtl5q0qiE-KY7?domain=fearandgreed.com.au/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/7AmQCOMxmAtl5q0qiE-KY7?domain%3Dfearandgreed.com.au/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1689199223540000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1DLq_FuqjEt3HC-ZK1704H">https://fearandgreed.com.au</a>

Fear and Greed is Australia's most popular business podcast.

FEAR & GREED | Business News

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Daily business news for people who make their own decisions, with business journalist Sean Aylmer and Michael Thompson. Find out more at https://fearandgreed.com.au

Daily business news for people who make their own decisions, with business journalist <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-aylmer-9922068/">Sean Aylmer</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mcwthompson/">Michael Thompson</a>. Find out more at <a href="https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/7AmQCOMxmAtl5q0qiE-KY7?domain=fearandgreed.com.au/">https://fearandgreed.com.au</a>

Ask Fear & Greed: Is productivity just working harder?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/2fb3740d-3436-44af-8cc0-a91900716aa5/clips/6f793b01-c6df-4b59-98a0-b2c7000a246b/transcript

Is the four-day work week realistic, or just wishful thinking? Sean Aylmer talks to Simon Kuestenmacher from The Demographics Group about why Gen X is obsessed with work-life balance, and what global trials really show. Simon explains why productivity hasn’t collapsed in some experiments - and why labour shortages, not lifestyle trends, may ultimately decide where it works and where it doesn’t.

This is Fear & Greed's summer series - all-new short episodes every day, with regular news back from January 12.

Is the four-day work week realistic, or just wishful thinking? Sean Aylmer talks to Simon Kuestenmacher from The Demographics Group about why Gen X is obsessed with work-life balance, and what global trials really show. Simon explains why productivity hasn&rsquo;t collapsed in some experiments - and why labour shortages, not lifestyle trends, may ultimately decide where it works and where it doesn&rsquo;t.
This is Fear &amp; Greed's summer series - all-new short episodes every day, with regular news back from January 12.

Gen X’s 'dirty fantasy': the four-day work week

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/2fb3740d-3436-44af-8cc0-a91900716aa5/clips/49a40b89-0427-48df-a71c-b3d400ad3927/transcript

Australian investors love dividends, and franking credits only add to the appeal. But picking dividend stocks isn’t as simple as buying whatever yielded the most last year. Sean Aylmer talks to Morningstar strategist Lachlan Halloway about what actually makes a dividend sustainable, why ASX yields are lower than the long-run average, and how Morningstar goes about identifying higher-yield opportunities.

This is Fear & Greed's summer series - all-new short episodes every day, with regular business news back from January 12. All information is general in nature. If you want to invest, we recommend you visit a financial advisor who can tailor investments to your needs.

Australian investors love dividends, and franking credits only add to the appeal. But picking dividend stocks isn&rsquo;t as simple as buying whatever yielded the most last year. Sean Aylmer talks to Morningstar strategist Lachlan Halloway about what actually makes a dividend sustainable, why ASX yields are lower than the long-run average, and how Morningstar goes about identifying higher-yield opportunities.
This is Fear &amp; Greed's summer series - all-new short episodes every day, with regular business news back from January 12. All information is general in nature. If you want to invest, we recommend you visit a financial advisor who can tailor investments to your needs.

Dividend investing: How to pick quality income stocks

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/2fb3740d-3436-44af-8cc0-a91900716aa5/clips/6441194e-b6c6-4151-94aa-b3d300c27035/transcript

Friday 16 January 2026

The federal Opposition and Greens indicate they won’t support the government hate speech legislation next week. 
A shortage of air traffic controllers causes chaos across the country
Households up their spending
NASA performs its first ever medical evacuation
Hollywood star Zoe Saldana becomes the highest grossing actor of all time

Join our free daily newsletter here.

And don’t miss the latest episode of How Do They Afford That? - this week, your money bounceback plan. Get the episode from APPLE, SPOTIFY, or anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Friday 16 January 2026
The federal Opposition and Greens indicate they won&rsquo;t support the government hate speech legislation next week.&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">A shortage of air traffic controllers causes chaos across the country</li>
<li aria-level="1">Households up their spending</li>
<li aria-level="1">NASA performs its first ever medical evacuation</li>
<li aria-level="1">Hollywood star Zoe Saldana becomes the highest grossing actor of all time</li>
</ul>
Join our<a href="https://fearandgreed.com.au/newsletter-signup"> free daily newsletter here</a>.
And don&rsquo;t miss the latest episode of<a href="https://fearandgreed.com.au/how-do-they-afford-that-sugar-mamma-canna-campbell/"> How Do They Afford That?</a> - this week, your money bounceback plan. Get the episode from<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/how-do-they-afford-that/id1644255235"> APPLE</a>,<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1EW5WRlRh7MovSBNkk6dG8?si=b2203ec2fa934a14"> SPOTIFY</a>, or anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Hate legislation on shaky ground; air traffic chaos; Hollywood’s highest grossing actor

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/2fb3740d-3436-44af-8cc0-a91900716aa5/clips/2715bc6a-1137-4ca6-bdab-b3d300b5d1be/transcript

Ask Fear & Greed: Is productivity just working harder?

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