Workplace Insights by Adrie van der Luijt
Careers aren’t really ladders, they’re more like messy scribbles with occasional moments of clarity. I’ve spent decades watching talented people waste years chasing what they thought they should want rather than what actually suited them.
The posts in this section reflect what I wish someone had told me thirty years ago: that the most successful careers are built on knowing your strengths, acknowledging your limitations and having the courage to navigate workplace politics without becoming what you despise.
Whether you’re just starting out or questioning decades of choices, you’ll find honest reflections on creating a career that works for you rather than burning yourself out for an organisation that sees you as replaceable.
Explore how AI used in public services may disproportionately harm vulnerable users, highlighting real-world risks of AI fails and outlining essential steps for safer, more inclusive AI deployment.
Explore the powerful impact of meaningful content through personal reflections on trauma-informed design and local heritage research. Learn how one piece of feedback can shape the purpose and value of your work.
For developers navigating the shift towards AI coding, the path forward isn’t about competing with AI on coding speed or syntax knowledge. It’s about developing the skills that complement rather than compete with what AI can do.
Artificial intelligence is transforming knowledge work professions by eliminating mid-level roles while preserving entry-level and senior positions. Discover how this “hollowing out” is reshaping careers in software development, law, accounting, and other fields.
The EA echo chamber is full of writers, speakers and trainers telling us how to thrive in the workplace. Are there any collective blind spots, any gaps? Can a new trainer or speaker really still add value?
International Management Assistants’ founder Sonia Vanular wanted trainers and speakers to really challenge Executive Assistants to evolve their role, not just have them nodding along.
Government’s plan to extend GOV.UK One Login to council services risks creating new digital barriers for vulnerable residents. Learn how proportionate verification could make local government services more accessible.
Discover how strategic timing in content design affects user trust, cognitive load and accessibility. Learn when to slow down interfaces to improve credibility and when urgency messaging backfires.
Discover Rembrandt Editor, an innovative tool for creating trauma-informed content that goes beyond basic accessibility. Learn how this free AI assistant helps content designers identify potentially harmful language patterns to create safer digital experiences for vulnerable users.
How trauma-aware content strategy and trauma-informed content design frameworks help users overwhelmed by everyday stress. Not just crisis content—this is clarity with care.
Executive Assistant wellbeing starts with a trauma-informed approach to looking after ourselves. Pushing ourselves to be perfect combined with daily contact with emotionally charged information and events can result in burnout.
Trauma-informed content can be produced with the help of AI tools without risking secondary trauma to the content designer or content strategist.
AI in the workplace promises revolutionary transformation, yet management support professionals are caught in a reality gap, simultaneously told AI mastery is essential whilst facing substantial organisational barriers that prevent actual adoption.
The rise of AI is not a threat; it’s an opportunity. To stay relevant, professionals must upskill, build AI literacy, and redefine their roles. Those who do will be more valuable than ever in the AI-driven workplace.
Discover how workplace culture differences manifest in everything from lunch arrangements to birthday traditions. A Dutch-English ‘cultural translator’ shares practical insights for navigating international business environments and decoding unwritten workplace rules before accepting your next role.
An examination of how poorly written job specifications exclude qualified candidates. Discover the comedy and tragedy of modern recruitment, from misunderstood GDS standards to LinkedIn’s algorithm burying experienced professionals.