Game Plan
94 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 4 years ago - ★★★★★ - 125 ratingsYou spend more time at your job than just about anywhere else. Game Plan, a weekly show hosted by Bloomberg reporter Rebecca Greenfield and editor Francesca Levy, takes a close look at the way we live our lives at work. Greenfield and Levy dive into everything from how we started speaking in office jargon to the strategic value of being nice to your colleagues. It turns out that there’s a lot more to say about the office grind than you may have realized.
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Episodes
Introducing: Blood River, A New Podcast From Bloomberg
July 18, 2020 08:00 - 4 minutesThe killers of Berta Caceres had every reason to believe they’d get away with murder. More than 100 other environmental activists in Honduras had been killed in the previous five years, yet almost no one had been punished for the crimes. Bloomberg’s Blood River follows a four-year quest to find her killers – a twisting trail that leads into the country’s circles of power. Blood River premieres on July 27. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
Introducing Prognosis Season 4: America's Broken Health-Care Costs
January 13, 2020 09:00 - 2 minutesAmericans are paying more and getting less for their health care than ever before. On the new season of Prognosis, reporter John Tozzi explores what went wrong. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
Coming Soon: Travel Genius Season 2
October 25, 2019 18:17 - 2 minutesBloomberg's Travel Genius podcast is back! After clocking another hundred-thousand miles in the sky, hosts Nikki Ekstein and Mark Ellwood have a whole new series of flight hacking, restaurant sleuthing, and hotel booking tips to inspire your own getaways—along with a who's who roster of itinerant pros ready to spill their own travel secrets. From a special episode on Disney to a master class on packing, we'll go high, low, east, west, and everywhere in between. The new season starts Nov. 6. ...
Introducing "What Goes Up," A New Show From Bloomberg
April 17, 2019 20:00 - 2 minutesOn this new show from Bloomberg, hosts Mike Regan and Sarah Ponczek speak with expert guests each week about the main themes influencing global markets. They explore everything from stocks to bonds to currencies and commodities, and how each asset class affects trading in the others. Whether you’re a financial professional or just a curious retirement saver, What Goes Up keeps you apprised of the latest buzz on Wall Street and what the wildest movements in markets will mean for your investmen...
Are We More Productive?
March 04, 2019 09:00 - 27 minutesFor the last eight weeks, Rebecca and Francesca have tested out workplace hacks to see if any of them do what they claim to do: Make people happier, more creative and more productive. On the finale of Works for Me, the hosts talk about which methods worked, which ones didn’t and if the self-improvement industry is just a bunch of snake oil. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
Get Better At Email
February 25, 2019 14:25 - 29 minutesThis week, Francesca takes on the bane of every corporate worker’s existence: email. Drowning in email and regularly missing important messages, she attempts to attain inbox zero through rigorous discipline. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
Fight Less At Work
February 18, 2019 09:00 - 28 minutesFrancesca and Becca try their first joint experiment: They set out to learn how to be a better team. To help them in their quest, they find a management coach who specializes in pairs. After undergoing the workplace equivalent of couples therapy, the two attempt to use their newfound self-awareness to solve a podcast production conflict. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
Find a Mentor
February 11, 2019 21:50 - 32 minutesAh the elusive mentor. We’re all supposed to have one to succeed in our careers, but how do you actually get one? This week, Becca goes on a journey to find a career guide. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
Make Meetings Better
February 04, 2019 09:00 - 30 minutesMeetings are easy to hate: they clutter our calendars, eat up our time, and often accomplish very little besides getting more meetings scheduled. Francesca consults with a raft of meeting experts in an attempt to reform one of her more aimless meetings: a weekly team check-in. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
Train Your Brain to Focus
January 28, 2019 09:00 - 29 minutesLike many people, Becca has trouble concentrating on one task at a time, with emails, chats, and social media distracting her from her work. But, she's determined to get focused. For a week, she commits to a regimented focus routine recommended by concentration aficionado Cal Newport to see if she can train her brain to stay on track. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
Become a Morning Person
January 22, 2019 16:51 - 31 minutesFrancesca tries to fix the most important part of the day: Her mornings. To get more out of the precious hours before work, she tests out a scientifically proven method called R.I.S.E.U.P. But, will her rigorous new morning routine be the key to a better day? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
We're Back (With a New Show!)
January 14, 2019 21:49 - 29 minutesFrancesca and Rebecca are back with their new podcast "Works For Me." In each episode, one of the two becomes a human guinea pig as she tries to solve a specific work-related problem. We've dropped the first episode here for you to enjoy! If you like it, you can subscribe to "Works For Me" on Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts or wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
Introducing "Works For Me," A New Podcast From Bloomberg
January 09, 2019 10:00 - 3 minutesOn this new show from Bloomberg, hosts Francesca Levy and Rebecca Greenfield navigate the productivity industry by way of their own experiences. In each episode, one of the two becomes a human guinea pig as she tries to solve a specific work-related problem. Using the advice of so-called productivity experts, the duo tackles obstacles like ineffective to-do lists, overflowing inboxes and unruly meetings. Follow along with their attempts, insights and missteps, and maybe find a solution that w...
Travel Genius, a New Show From Bloomberg
November 08, 2018 09:00 - 2 minutesWhat’s the most sure-fire way to get a flight upgrade? How can you find the best, secret local restaurants by asking just one question? What's the first thing you should do when you get into a hotel room? On Bloomberg's new podcast Travel Genius, we'll give you those answers—and plenty more—as hosts Nikki Ekstein and Mark Ellwood quiz the world’s most experienced globetrotters for their tried-and-true travel hacks. Listen weekly, and even your work trips will go from a necessary evil to an ex...
Prognosis, a New Show From Bloomberg
November 02, 2018 18:15 - 2 minutesWhere does a medical cure come from? 100 years ago, it wasn't uncommon for scientists to test medicines by taking a dose themselves. As medical technologies get cheaper and more accessible, patients and DIY tinkerers are trying something similar—and mainstream medicine is racing to catch up. Prognosis explores the leading edge of medical advances, and asks who gets—or should get—access to them. We look at how innovation happens, when it fails, and what it means to the people with a disease tr...
BONUS: The Pay Check, Episode 6
June 13, 2018 14:21 - 29 minutesSo far, the pay gap has proved pretty impossible to solve. But most of us aren’t just going to sit here and accept that we’ll be paid less than men for our entire careers. In the last episode of The Pay Check, host Rebecca Greenfield talks to Gaby Dunn, who hosts her own podcast called Bad With Money, about what she's learned from the many people she's sought advice from on her series. Jordyn Holman also travels to Seattle for the Get Money, Get Paid conference, hosted by a group called Ladie...
BONUS: The Pay Check, Episode 5
June 08, 2018 13:32 - 25 minutesThe pay gap goes way deeper than just men's and women's salaries—that's why just paying women more doesn't solve the problem. In this episode, Claire Suddath talks to Salesforce.com Inc., the San Francisco software company that began doing pay equity audits in 2015 and has found a pay gap every single year. Host Rebecca Greenfield looks at another software company, Fog Creek Software, Inc., and how radical pay transparency is helping equalize salaries. And Ellen Huet reports on Adobe Systems ...
BONUS: The Pay Check, Episode 4
May 30, 2018 14:15 - 28 minutesCan companies be shamed into closing the pay gap? A new law in the U.K. requires companies with more than 250 employees to publicly disclose their gender pay gaps. More than 10,000 companies reported by the April deadline, revealing differences in median pay of as much as 60 percent in some extreme cases. Now it’s up to companies to decide what, if anything, to do about that. This week, Suzi Ring talks to one company that reported a wide gap, and how that’s changing the way it hires and pays ...
BONUS: The Pay Check, Episode 3
May 23, 2018 14:02 - 24 minutesSkeptics say the gender pay gap is explained by choices women make about family and career. Rebecca Greenfield unpacks those arguments with the help of professors from Harvard and Georgetown. Then, Jordyn Holman goes inside a contract negotiation between Netflix and the comedian and actress Mo’Nique that went south. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
BONUS: The Pay Check, Episode 2
May 16, 2018 14:27 - 27 minutesThere was a brief moment 150 years ago when it looked like women might get equal pay for equal work. But they didn’t—and that set the standard for decades to come. On this episode of the Pay Check, Rebecca Greenfield revisits a Civil War-era sex scandal that set the stage for the pay gap debates we're having right now. She talks to Claire Suddath about how a century of rules and laws saying what women can and can’t do have made it easy for companies to pay women less. One big reason the gend...
BONUS: Listen to The Pay Check
May 09, 2018 14:21 - 24 minutesIn the first episode of The Pay Check, we go deep on pay discrimination. Host Rebecca Greenfield tells us about an equal pay fight in her own family. We take you inside a gender discrimination case against Goldman Sachs that’s been unfolding for over a decade. And we look at how companies magically make their pay gaps disappear—without actually paying women more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
Our Pettiest Office Complaints, Compiled
December 06, 2017 10:00 - 21 minutesIn our last episode of Game Plan before a hiatus, we cleared our backlog of Half-Baked Takes; the weekly segment in which we give voice to some of our most passionate ideas before thinking them all the way through. Come for the take-down of guessing your co-worker’s age, stay for definitive rulings on the value of sheep and movies. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
How to Get Dressed for Work
November 29, 2017 10:00 - 34 minutesWe'd like to think that what we wear to work doesn't matter, but tons of research has found that it does. Yes, people judge you based on your outfit choices. The right work wear can also make us feel good and enhance our performance. One study found that participants dressed in suits negotiated for more money; another found that formal wear facilitates creative thinking. This week on Game Plan, Rebecca and Francesca learn how to dress well for work. Chris Rovzar, the editorial director of ...
Is Your Personality Right For Your Job?
November 22, 2017 10:00 - 28 minutesEmployers are increasingly putting prospective workers through personality tests. The idea is that certain characteristics lend themselves to certain types of work, and that a straightforward job interview can’t identify them. Rebecca and Francesca talk about how much personality matters at work, and the pitfalls of testing workers. Guest Melissa Dahl discusses her book “Cringeworthy: A Theory of Awkwardness,” and whether awkward types can get a leg up in the workplace. Learn more about your...
Anita Hill on Fighting Sexual Harassment
November 15, 2017 09:00 - 28 minutesThe initial allegations against Harvey Weinstein have opened the floodgates for what seems to be an unrelenting stream of sexual harassment claims against the powerful. But this isn’t the first time the country has had to reckon with inappropriate behavior in the workplace. In 1991, Anita Hill testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee about the alleged harassment of Clarence Thomas, who was ultimately confirmed to the Supreme Court. This week, Francesca and Rebecca look back at the...
The People Who Say They Can Save Your Career
November 08, 2017 09:00 - 25 minutesCareer coaches claim to help navigate everything from nailing a tough interview to figuring out what you want to do with your life. Rebecca and Francesca sat down with prominent career coach Vicki Salemi to talk through their own career transitions and find out what really goes on in these sessions. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
How to Trick Yourself Into Retiring a Multimillionaire
November 01, 2017 09:00 - 32 minutesMost of us are really bad at thinking about and planning for our retirement. Only a third of Americans contribute to employer-provided 401(k) accounts. And around half have no retirement savings at all. There are lots of forces working against us when it comes to saving up for the future. But never fear, the behavioral economists can save us. See, it’s not our fault that we’re bad at saving: We’re wired to make bad retirement decisions. At least that’s what Steve Wendel, a behavioral scientis...
The Harvey Weinstein in Your Industry
October 25, 2017 09:00 - 33 minutesAfter dozens of women accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault and harassment over decades, some singled out the Hollywood power structure for criticism. But in recent years, harassment scandals, inequities and patterns of abuse and mistreatment have been uncovered in nearly every field. There are common themes across disciplines, but they each require unique solutions. Becca and Francesca talk to Beth Alpert Nakhai, an archeologist and professor who is working to make digs safer for women....
What It’s Like to Be Gay at Work Right Now
October 18, 2017 14:32 - 29 minutesBy some measures, at the end of last year LGBTQ workers in the U.S. had more protections than ever before. The Trump administration, however, has proven to be hostile to the LGBTQ community. All of these big picture policy changes trickle down into people’s every day lives. Francesca and Rebecca dig into what it’s like to be an LGBTQ worker in 2017. The hosts of Nancy, a WNYC Studios podcast about queer life, join them to talk about the decision to come out, how to navigate discrimination, an...
How to Survive a Conference
October 11, 2017 09:00 - 22 minutesWork meetings at hotel bars, making small talk with total strangers, and waiting in line to use the restroom: It's that time-tested corporate ritual, the conference. This week, Rebecca and Francesca went to a conference to report on the $14 billion conference industry. Attendees shared their thoughts on conferences, panels, and compulsory networking. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
Why a Digital Detox Won't Solve All Your Problems
October 04, 2017 09:00 - 34 minutesAll the pings and buzzes of the office make it difficult to get anything done—let alone our best, most creative work. But the solution is not a digital detox. There are ways to overcome creativity blocks at work that don't involve an off-the-grid hermit lifestyle. Francesca and Rebecca discuss how to do their best, most creative work in a world that makes it hard to take the time to do deep thinking. Instead of a detox, their guest Manoush Zomorodi, author of the book "Bored and Brilliant," o...
The End of the Job as We Know It
September 27, 2017 09:00 - 30 minutesFrancesca and Rebecca examine the increasingly tenuous relationship between workers and companies. Lots of people in the gig economy, contract workers, and even salaried employees enter a system that promises freedom from corporate America but doesn’t offer much in the way of comfort and advancement. Guest Rick Wartzman, author of “The End of Loyalty: The Rise and Fall of Good Jobs in America” explains about how we got to this point. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodc...
How to Work with Someone You Hate
September 20, 2017 09:00 - 33 minutesOne of the unfortunate realities of office life is having to work with people you don’t like. How do you deal with having to do your job alongside a bona-fide work jerk? Rebecca and Francesca talk to Robert Sutton, author of the No Asshole Rule and the Asshole Survival Guide about the best coping strategies for working with the worst of the workplace. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
Hard Work Isn’t The Reason For Your Success
September 13, 2017 09:00 - 29 minutesSilicon Valley types like to say the quality of your work is all that matters, and good ideas rise to the top, no matter whom they come from. But why do the people who rise to the top in a meritocracy tend to be the ones with all the advantages? Francesca and Rebecca talk to Ryan Carson, the chief executive officer of Treehouse Island Inc., a coding school, about why he once believed in meritocracy and then—suddenly—didn’t. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork...
Yes, Your Political Beliefs Can Get You Fired
September 06, 2017 09:00 - 33 minutesWe live in politically polarized times, and those tensions are seeping into the workplace in all sorts of ways. In liberal enclaves like Silicon Valley, conservatives feel isolated and judged at the office. People on the other end of the spectrum feel attacked by the administration's policies—and have no problem telling their bosses their views. For some, the increased political chatter in the office has led to increased hostility and stress. And it can have even more extreme consequences: Th...
You Don’t Really Need a Mentor
August 30, 2017 09:00 - 29 minutesPeople just starting out in their careers get one piece of big advice: Find a mentor. And that’s true—research has found the many benefits of having a career guru. But finding the right person often feels stressful and forced. Instead of getting anxious about finding that special someone, it’s time rethink the idea of mentors. Francesca and Rebecca talk to Phyllis Korkki, the executive editor of the story-telling app Hooked, about how to seek out unconventional mentors. Learn more about your...
Can Boomers and Millennials Get Along?
August 23, 2017 08:00 - 27 minutesIn 2015, Millennials became the biggest generation in the American workforce. Last year, they overtook Boomers as the biggest generation overall in the U.S. These changing demographics have led to some tension at work for people both old and young. Rebecca and Francesca speak with Karen Wickre, a 66-year-old Silicon Valley veteran, about what it’s like to work among the youngs. We can all learn to get along! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
There's an Easier Way to Change Careers
August 16, 2017 09:00 - 30 minutesMaybe you're dying to change careers—or being forced to because your job is going to a robot—but it just seems impossible to start over in a new field. There might be a better way. Francesca and Rebecca look at the skills-based approach to job switching; a way to assess what unrelated jobs may be unexpectedly similar to yours. We talk to Claire Cain Miller, a New York Times reporter who embarked on a major data study to cross-reference thousands of skills and jobs. Learn more about your ad-c...
What to Do About Your Office Crush
August 09, 2017 08:00 - 30 minutesWorkplaces can be the perfect breeding ground for crushes, but there are major downsides to getting romantic with colleagues. Francesca and guest host Jenny Kaplan talk to author and advice columnist Cheryl Strayed about the advice she gives lovelorn workers—and how to handle yourself when friendships at work grow into something more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
Why Your Office is Always the Wrong Temperature
August 02, 2017 08:00 - 19 minutesRebecca and Francesca head to an office that lets everyone control their own desk temperature using a phone app. We'll see if it's possible to resolve the annual office air conditioning wars, or whether someone's always doomed to be uncomfortable. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
How to Cope With a Coworker Who Interrupts
July 26, 2017 09:00 - 34 minutesIs there anything more annoying than coworkers who interrupt you? Research has shown that women get interrupted more than men. Author and Professor Chris Karpowitz talks to Francesca and Rebecca about how that affects the kinds of conversations and decisions that happen at companies, and what can be done about it. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
Yes, Your Commute Really Is Getting Worse
July 19, 2017 09:00 - 31 minutesA big part of our work lives takes place not in the office, but instead stuck in traffic or on a crowded train en route to and from our jobs. The average American spends 25 minutes getting to work, up from 21.7 minutes in 1980—and people living in major metropolitan areas have it much worse. We are spending a lot of time shuttling between work and home. These increasingly long rides to work are stressful, frustrating and bad for our health and the economy. Is there a way to make commuting tol...
Your Company Could Be Tricking You With Perks
July 12, 2017 09:00 - 29 minutesAmong a certain set of companies competing for talent, there’s been a perks arms race. Health benefits and vacation days aren’t enough to sweeten a good salary anymore. Companies now offer to pay off student debt, subsidize egg-freezing services and provide cash stipends for employees to go on vacation. Francesca and Rebecca talk about the state of cushy workplaces and whether anything can compensate for a job you just don’t like. Jason Fried, chief executive officer and co-founder of Chicago...
Let's Hear It For Petty Office Gripes
July 05, 2017 09:00 - 22 minutesEach week on Game Plan, Francesca and Rebecca share their half-baked takes, a segment where they talk about their not super well thought out ideas and opinions on work and work related activities. In the spirit of the summer slack off, this week Francesca and Rebecca outsourced that task to their colleagues to present the very first half-baked take marathon. In it, they talk about important office topics like office footwear, the case for coffee in the afternoon, and an innovative idea to ma...
Are You Sure You're Working Enough?
June 28, 2017 09:00 - 34 minutesVenture capitalist Keith Rabois set off a Silicon Valley firestorm earlier this month about what it takes to succeed. When another tech investor wrote on Twitter that working on the weekends and burning out isn’t cool—and doesn’t work—Rabois fired back. “Totally false,” he said, suggesting that dogged dedication (usually measured by long hours) was the only way to reach the top. Lots of people objected to his assessment. Francesca and Rebecca speak with one of Keith's critics, startup founder...
Here's How to Actually Live and Work Abroad
June 20, 2017 21:34 - 28 minutesSo, you want to move to Canada? Or New Zealand, or Australia or another English-speaking, culturally adjacent country to the U.S. that doesn’t have our current president. After every election, Americans threaten to get out of dodge—and 2016 was no different. Rebecca and Francesca talk about the realities of starting over in another country and what it takes to actually pick up and move your life to a new place. They talk to author Suketu Mehta, who grew up in India and came to America when hi...
Is Working From Home Too Good to Be True?
June 13, 2017 21:38 - 24 minutesLetting employees occasionally work from home makes them happy, can save companies money and there's research to suggest it could help close the gender pay gap. But some companies, like IBM, say remote work encourages habits that hurt collaboration, innovation and productivity. Last month the company told hundreds of thousands of employees they had to report to headquarters. So what's the future of work? Guest Christopher Mims, a technology columnist and a 10-year veteran of working from home...
It's Not Just You—Everyone Feels Like a Fraud at Work
June 06, 2017 22:50 - 31 minutesFake it 'til you make it! That's the career advice many of us get upon first entering the workforce. Since you're a newbie, and won't understand lots of parts of your job, just pretend — and one day, all of a sudden, you'll be a bona fide expert. It's not bad advice, and research has even found that it works. But what happens when you still feel as if you're faking it, long after you've actually made it? Francesca and Rebecca discuss the phenomenon known as imposter syndrome. Many competent ...
The Expert's Guide to Not Freaking Out About Student Debt
May 30, 2017 21:05 - 34 minutesStudent debt doesn't only affect students and recent grads. It’s a burden that can follow people through their working life and influence every financial and career decision they make. It’s easy to feel panicked by doom-and-gloom news, so to separate worries from reality, Francesca and Becca talk with Bloomberg's Shahien Nasiripour, who covers student debt and education policy. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
How to Talk About Trump (And Other Tough Topics) at Work
May 23, 2017 21:36 - 29 minutesWorkers used to leave their opinions and feelings at home. No talking at work about politics, religion or other personal stuff was the rule. Not anymore! Companies ask us to bring our whole selves to the office. But for those of us averse to sharing with our coworkers, the current political climate and social media have made it impossible to resist. These days, many of us talk to coworkers about Trump, our personal lives or something we just spotted on Facebook. But is putting it all out ther...