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.
Discover how trauma-informed communication in rejection emails can protect candidates’ mental health while acknowledging the realities of modern hiring processes in today’s challenging job market.
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.
The Entrepreneurial EA is making a comeback, decades after I pioneered the concept between 1997 and 2007. It is as relevant in the AI era as it was back then.
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.
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.
Despite decades of digital transformation promises, human customer service interactions have grown by 2% annually. Discover why customer service AI consistently fails to replace human connection and the ethical questions this raises.
A review of Rebekah Barry’s “Considerate Content” by a trauma-informed, vulnerability-aware veterian, exploring accessible digital design through the lens of trauma-informed content creation for vulnerable audiences.
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.
Discover how AI can transform your user research and testing process while avoiding common pitfalls. Learn a practical framework for using AI responsibly in content design, with real-world examples from GOV.UK and Environment Agency projects. Honest insights about AI hallucinations and where artificial intelligence genuinely enhances research outcomes.
Trauma-informed content can be produced with the help of AI tools without risking secondary trauma to the content designer or content strategist.