Special Episode: ‘Why The Water Industry Is In Such A Mess’
With water bills hitting record highs, public trust in Britain’s water companies has hit a new record low: In this special episode of The Working Week with entrepreneur Ben Askins, Ben meets the Environment Secretary, Steve Reed, to discuss Britain’s broken water industry.
It follows that notorious landmark review by the Independent Water Commission - the biggest shake up of the water industry since privatisation in 1989 - but, aside from scrapping the water regulator, Ofwat, what if anything is the Government planning to do now to change the way our water companies operate to ensure a scandal like this never happens again?
If that sounds like you, hit SUBSCRIBE and we’ll see you in the next episode. **Don’t forget, you can follow us wherever you get your podcasts for FREE and you’ll have access to weekly episodes before they go live on YouTube.**
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
01:20 How Did We Get To This Point?
03:15 Big Water Boss Bonuses
05:25 How Do Waterways In Other Countries Compare?
07:00 Thames Water's £20Billion Debt
10:00 Ben's Interview with Environment Secretary, Steve Reed
We’d love to hear from you! Get in touch with Ben to share your work stories - anonymously or otherwise - and he’ll answer your biggest questions.
Follow Ben:
📸 Instagram: / benaskins.official
🎥 TikTok: / ben.askins
Follow the pod:
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theworkingweekpod/
🎥 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theworkingweekpod
Sign up for Ben’s management course here: https://www.benchmarkmanagement.co/
Order Ben’s book: http://lnk.to/MyBossIsAMoronBook
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16:51
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16:51
How To Know If You Hate Your Job (& Solutions To Help You Hate It That Little Bit Less)
In this episode of The Working Week with entrepreneur Ben Askins - with 85% of global workers saying they hate their job, and just 15% saying they feel actively engaged in their work - Ben is asking: do you really hate your job, or are there just some aspects of it you don’t enjoy?
Because we spend one third of our entire lives working, Ben brings you his top 5 solutions to help you hate your job just that little bit less…you’ll get Ben’s unfiltered take on the 80/20 rule, work-life balance and whether it is actually possible to find a job you don’t need to take a holiday from.
Whether you’re a weary worker in need of a motivational boost, or you’re a boss who needs to scrub up on how to incentivise employees, this one’s for you. You’ll also get Ben’s best advice for companies and businesses, and a few laughs along the way!
If that sounds like you, hit SUBSCRIBE and we’ll see you in the next episode. **Don’t forget, you can follow us wherever you get your podcasts for FREE and you’ll have access to weekly episodes before they go live on YouTube.**
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:45 Why Do 85% Of Workers Hate Their Jobs?
02:30 Viewers/Listeners Get in Touch With Their Work Woes
08:30 Why It’s Ok Not To Love Your Job
10:20 Is Social Media To Blame?
14:00 Make a 5-Year Plan
15:30 Ben’s National Job Swap Day Pitch
17:40 80/20 Rule
20:00 Work-Life Balance
22:00 How To Define What You Actually Want
We’d love to hear from you! Get in touch with Ben to share your work stories - anonymously or otherwise - and he’ll answer your biggest questions.
Follow Ben:
📸 Instagram: / benaskins.official
🎥 TikTok: / ben.askins
Follow the pod:
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theworkingweekpod/
🎥 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theworkingweekpod
Sign up for Ben’s management course here: https://www.benchmarkmanagement.co/
Order Ben’s book: http://lnk.to/MyBossIsAMoronBook
Credits:
@ambergtaylor
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26:27
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26:27
Biggest Fears Around Interviewing (And How To Nail A Job Interview)
In this episode of The Working Week with entrepreneur Ben Askins - as job interviews are voted the most FEARED out of any other form of public speaking - Ben brings you the top 5 most common interview mistakes and how to avoid them, to help you hate interviews just that little bit less.
You’ll get Ben’s unfiltered take on why 64% of us believe we’re unqualified for the roles we’ve been offered interviews for, and why long and lazy job descriptions are a major culprit! You’ll also get Ben’s sound advice on how to tackle tedious and outdated questions like: “Why the long career gap?!”
Whether you’re someone who simply hates interviews and could do with a major confidence boost, you’re an employer who needs to get with the times, or you’re a seasoned interviewee who could do with scrubbing up on successful salary negotiations, this one’s for you. You’ll also get Ben’s best advice for companies and businesses, and a few laughs along the way!
If that sounds like you, hit SUBSCRIBE and we’ll see you in the next episode. **Don’t forget, you can follow us wherever you get your podcasts for FREE and you’ll have access to weekly episodes before they go live on YouTube.**
We’d love to hear from you! Get in touch with Ben to share your work stories - anonymously or otherwise - and he’ll answer your biggest questions.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
01:30 Imposter Syndrome
03:45 Funniest Imposter Syndrome Clip Of All Time
06:15 Why Job Descriptions Are To Blame
09:50 Career Gaps
13:30 Salary Negotiations
17:35 Job Hopping
20:42 The First Impression
Follow Ben:
Instagram: / benaskins.official
=TikTok: / ben.askins
Follow the pod:
= Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theworkingweekpod/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theworkingweekpod
Sign up for Ben’s management course here: https://www.benchmarkmanagement.co/
Order Ben’s book: http://lnk.to/MyBossIsAMoronBook
Credits:
HR News
@sophiabamff
BBC News
JobList
The Business Journals
The Business Journals
@sundeepandanand
@eazyblakeoven_
@talynerrsss
@apprenticeships.uk
@anna..papalia
SimpliLearn
BBC
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23:22
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23:22
Top 5 Work Trends In 2025: What’s Actually Useful To You (and What’s Not)
In this episode of The Working Week with entrepreneur Ben Askins - with job burnout at 66% in 2025 and global trends of “quiet-quitting” sky-rocketing, we’re asking: is our obsession with work trends and buzzwords a bad thing and what does it say about the erosion of job satisfaction in the modern workplace?
Ben is joined by Careers Coach Phillip Holmes - who has built a loyal following on social media for his advice on how to handle toxic jobs, bosses and workplaces - to discover why 54% of us are “quiet-cracking” and 62% cite toxic workplace culture as the most common reason for leaving a job.
Whether you’re an employee “burnout blocking” as we speak and on the cusp of “revenge-quitting”, or you’re a boss baffled as to why nobody wants to work for you, this one’s for you. You’ll also get Ben’s best advice for companies and careers, and a few laughs along the way!
If that sounds like you, hit SUBSCRIBE and we’ll see you in the next episode. **Don’t forget, you can follow us wherever you get your podcasts for FREE and you’ll have access to weekly episodes 10 hours before they go live on YouTube.**
Time Stamps:
0:00 Intro
01:50 Burnout Blocking
07:20 Why Quitting is still trending in 2025
11:00 Revenge in the Workplace
14:00 Not Another One…
17:00 Reverse Mentoring in the AI Age
20:50 Ben interviews Careers Coach, Phillip Holmes
33:30 Ben’s Final Say
We’d love to hear from you! Get in touch with Ben to share your work stories - anonymously or otherwise - and he’ll answer your biggest questions.
Follow Ben:
📸 Instagram: / benaskins.official
🎥 TikTok: / ben.askins
Follow the pod:
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theworkingweekpod/
🎥 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theworkingweekpod
📸 Follow Phillip:
https://www.instagram.com/phillipmholmes/
Sign up for Ben’s management course here: https://www.benchmarkmanagement.co/
Order Ben’s book: http://lnk.to/MyBossIsAMoronBook
Credits:
https://www.tiktok.com/@motivationalviraltv/video/7216350537292320006?q=quiet%20quiting&t=1750852261274
https://www.tiktok.com/@shini.baobao/video/7130435501273648389?q=quiet%20quitting&t=1750853735482
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35:12
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35:12
UK vs US Work Culture Explained (And Where Is Best To Work)
We may speak the same language, but when it comes to the workplace, we couldn’t be more different. In this episode of The Working Week with entrepreneur Ben Askins - as work life-balance is voted top priority when choosing a job for the first time ever - Ben asks: where is better to work: the UK or the US?
Ben is joined by former actor Quint Boa - Founder of global, multi-million-dollar business, Synima, which has offices in the UK, LA and New York - to compare the two work cultures’ communication styles, work ethic, healthcare benefits and, of course, attitudes towards work-life balance.
Whether you’re a boss navigating how to manage transatlantic employees, or you’re someone who's considering taking a job across the pond, this one’s for you. You’ll also get Ben’s best advice for companies and careers, and a few laughs along the way!
If that sounds like you, hit SUBSCRIBE and we’ll see you in the next episode. **Don’t forget, you can follow us wherever you get your podcasts for FREE and you’ll have access to weekly episodes 10 hours before they go live on YouTube.**
We’d love to hear from you! Get in touch with Ben to share your work stories - anonymously or otherwise - and he’ll answer your biggest questions.
Follow Ben:
📸 Instagram: / benaskins.official
🎥 TikTok: / ben.askins
Follow the pod:
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theworkingweekpod/
🎥 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theworkingweekpod
📸 Follow Quint: https://www.instagram.com/synimaglobal/?hl=en / https://www.instagram.com/synimaglobal/?hl=en
Sign up for Ben’s management course here: https://www.benchmarkmanagement.co/
Order Ben’s book: http://lnk.to/MyBossIsAMoronBook
Time Stamps:
0:00 Intro
02:00 Who is Better at Communication?
05:00 Salary & Healthcare
08:30 PTO & Annual Leave
10:30 How easy is it to Quit?
15:00 In America you live to work; in Europe you work to live?
18:00 Ben interviews Quint Boa: Former Actor & Founder of Synima
Credits:
https://www.tiktok.com/@mr._sassy/video/7332948691470273824?q=US%20v.%20UK%20communication%20style&t=1750078270688
https://www.tiktok.com/@growinwithkatie/video/6908130568530169094?_r=1&_t=ZN-8xFtOfPnjzq
Helping You Hate Work That Little Bit Less.
The Working Week with Ben Askins is a show that tackles the highs and lows of the business world. Every Tuesday morning, we dive into a trending topic - whether it’s a workplace challenge, a business struggle, or something just simply going wrong - and we break it down. How did we get here? Why did we get here? And, most importantly, what do we do about it? This is your guide to surviving the workplace - and having a few laughs along the way - with 2x Founder and former Forbes 30u30 entrepreneur Ben Askins - so hit subscribe & we'll see you in the next episode.
UK