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.
Five years after the pandemic began, the psychological toll of lockdown is still affecting how people interact with digital public services. This article explains why trauma-informed content design needs to evolve to meet those ongoing needs.
Drawing from three decades crafting content for vulnerable audiences, Adrie van der Luijt shares hard-won wisdom on creating trauma-informed content that genuinely works. Beyond academic theory, this practical guide reveals what actually helps people process information during their most difficult moments, based on real projects for the Metropolitan Police Service, Cancer Research UK and Universal Credit.
Navigating the AI revolution with a personal guide for Executive Assistants, Personal Assistants, Senior Secretaries and other management support professionals.
Male Executive Assistant roles are still rare in the management support profession, which remains stubbornly gendered despite evolving roles.
The people training your AI chatbots are telling their children never to use them. They’ve seen the rushed timelines, inadequate training data, and ignored safety concerns. They’re experiencing PTSD, moral injury, and relationship breakdowns from the work. If the insiders won’t trust these systems with their 10-year-olds, how are you meeting Consumer Duty obligations by deploying them with financially vulnerable customers?
Discover proven AI implementation strategy approaches that deliver genuine business value by focusing on user needs. Learn why most AI implementation strategies fail and how to develop a successful AI implementation roadmap that solves real problems.
The UK contract market in 2025 faces unprecedented challenges: shrinking roles, falling rates, and fierce competition. This in-depth analysis explores how IR35, economic pressures, and shifting hiring trends are reshaping opportunities for contractors—and why these changes matter for every UK professional navigating the future of work.
Explore how mental models in content design must account for vulnerability, trauma and cognitive impairment to create truly accessible services that work for all users, including those in crisis.
If AI is taking over administrative tasks, where should EAs focus their energy? The answer lies in developing strategic, commercially valuable skills that make them indispensable.
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.