Just apologise with Jo Tarnawsky
From Under the Rug at Work by Nicole Turnbull | Chief Courage Officer | Neon Shed
May 13, 2026 · 40 min
About this episode
Nicole Turnbull and Jo Tarnawsky discuss the impact of workplace harm and the importance of genuine apologies in organizational responses.
Sometimes the harm isn’t the original issue - it’s what happens after someone speaks up. Welcome to Under the Rug at Work, where we shine light on the things that are normally swept under the rug. On this episode, our Founder and Chief Courage Officer, Nicole Turnbull, chats with Jo Tarnawsky about workplace harm, organisational justice and the power of a genuine apology. Jo Tarnawsky is a former diplomat, senior executive to the Governor-General and former Chief of Staff to Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister. Across a 25-year career in government, Jo worked at the highest levels of leadership and decision-making, witnessing firsthand how power, silence and workplace culture shape people’s experiences at work. In this deeply personal conversation, Jo shares her own experience of raising concerns about workplace behaviour in Parliament House, the fallout that followed and why the organisational response caused more harm than the original issue. Together, Nicole and Jo discuss why organisations often move into protection mode when concerns are raised, how poor organisational justice escalates harm and why a simple apology can make a powerful difference. They also unpack what…
People in this episode
Host: Nicole Turnbull
Guest: Jo Tarnawsky
Topics covered
- workplace harm
- organisational justice
- apology
- workplace culture
- leadership
- empathy
Keywords
- workplace behaviour
- second injury
- organisational response
- dignity
- acknowledgement
- HR teams
- empathy
- conflict resolution
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Neon Shed, Parliament House, Governor-General, Deputy Prime Minister
Places: Australia
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