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.
Digital inclusion remains an urgent challenge as vulnerable and elderly users face complex barriers to essential services. Learn five strategies for creating truly accessible systems and why AI alone won’t solve these fundamental problems.
Work-life integration for purpose-driven professionals: A trauma-informed content specialist explains why balance is the wrong goal when your work spans borders and helps vulnerable people.
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.
The hollowing out we’re witnessing in software development, executive assistance and copywriting isn’t a coincidence. It’s part of a broader pattern reshaping virtually every knowledge work profession, though at different rates and with field-specific nuances.
Skills disruption in the coming years won’t be gentle or fair. Your ability to evolve your capabilities might be the only job security you’ve got.
Virtual assistants are not some separate breed of admin professionals. They are executive assistants, office managers and skilled administrators who happen to be running their own businesses.
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.
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.
AI detectors are increasingly used by employers to filter out candidates who have used AI tools to write their CV or cover letter. Here’s what Management Assistants involved in recruitment processes need to know about them.
Work-life integration for purpose-driven professionals: A trauma-informed content specialist explains why balance is the wrong goal when your work spans borders and helps vulnerable people.
Managing client expectations has become more challenging for freelance content designers and strategists in the AI era. Learn how content professionals can navigate pricing pressures and communicate their value when clients think AI can replace expertise. Discover strategies for sustainable content design in a rapidly evolving industry.
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.
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.
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.
Learn how cultural fluidity becomes a professional superpower in navigating workplace transitions. Discover strategies for transforming imposter syndrome into unique insight across diverse professional environments.