In this episode, Principal Research Fellow Jonny Gifford from the Institute of Employment Studies joins Keith and Tacita to explore the long-term value of embedding fair, inclusive and sustainable working practices in the screen industry.

They discuss why “good work” looks different for everyone, the role of people management in smaller companies, and how leaders can move beyond short-term fixes to create workplaces where people genuinely thrive. From rethinking recruitment to managing workloads, Jonny shares practical, research-led insights into how small shifts can lead to lasting impact - even if the benefits aren't immediately visible. 

The WorkWise for Screen podcast is supported by the BFI, awarding National Lottery Funding.
 

This episode covers:

• What “good work” really means and why it’s not one-size-fits-all
• The long-term business benefits of fair and sustainable working practices
• Why equality in recruitment and managing workloads matters more than ever
• The role of managers in shaping day-to-day work culture
• Practical ways to move beyond the “little black book” approach to hiring 

Introductions, defining “good work” and what makes work fulfilling, Jonny introduces six key elements of good work and open conversations in building sustainable, meaningful work. (00:00 - 11:15)

The benefits and simultaneous pressures of working in small production teams, building a shared vision through strong people management, the importance of genuine check-ins and supporting well-being (11:15 - 15:20)

Measuring team wellbeing and quality of work beyond profit, the challenges of honest feedback in small organisations, broadening recruitment beyond usual networks, long-term value of inclusive, diverse hiring (15:20 - 22:15)

Taking small, consistent actions, eg. reviewing contracts or rethinking recruitment and building a healthier work culture and better productions (22:15 - to end)

“I think that one of the key things to get started for small organisations is to work towards good people management. So things like one-to-one meetings where you're checking in with individuals, your - you're thinking, for example, about asking them about their workload and their wellbeing and not just in a very shallow cursory, ‘how you doing?’ ‘Fine, thanks.’ ‘Okay, thanks.’ ‘Project one, where are we at on this deadline?’. But genuine checking in. ‘How are you doing? How are you doing with your workloads? How are you doing in your well-being, your health? Possibly too, is there anything outside of... your work,’ in fact, not even possibly, I think it should be there. It's like, ‘is there anything outside of your work which is going on at the moment, which is an issue for you at the moment, which might kind of affect how you feel about your work too?‘, And I think that regular checking in is kind of like the bedrock of looking after people in work.” - Johnny Gifford (12:22 - 13:30)
 

“Yeah, I think that many business leaders will be aware that we need to sort of broaden our talent pools. We need to look for talent in unfamiliar places, is one of the ways that we put this to get ahead. You don't want an organisation which is full of people who, especially in creative industries, full of people who just look and think and talk and act the same way as you, an organisation of mini mes, you want diversity of thought. At the same time, we also want an industry which has got equality, access to all, that gives people a fair chance to get ahead, whatever background they're from.” - Johnny Gifford (19:09 - 19:59)
 

“I struggle when people say, ‘I can't’, because again, that's a mindset. You can, if you try. And if you're actively having this at the forefront of your mind that you want to diversify your pool, make inclusion a priority, promote belonging, there's all the letters and the names that you can add to it. If you're conscious about this, it's not hard.” - Tacita Small (20:40 - 21:01)