Good morning, my chronically employed friend. This week in the make work suck less group chat... 👏 One good thing. Google DeepMind workers just voted to unionize in the UK over militarized AI tools potentially creating a model for workers to object to other morally bankrupt business objectives. Speaking of AI... 📮State of the business. Over the last four years, the most common question I get from clients is "How do I beat the ATS?" There's a lot behind the question: conflicting resume...
7 days ago • 3 min read
Good morning, my chronically employed friend. This week in the make work suck less group chat... 👏 One good thing. Chinese firms can't layoff employees to just replace them with AI. So at least one country has recognized the need keep humans employed through this technology revolution... cause ya know, having a billion people unable to purchase goods kinda puts a damper on the economy. 📮State of the business. You remember MTV unplugged? Artists on a small set surrounded by candles, acoustic...
14 days ago • 3 min read
Good morning, my chronically employed friend. This week in the make work suck less group chat... 👏 One good thing. Women should lead everywhere. Here's looking at Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum for signing universal healthcare into law for their 120 million citizens. And to Virginia Governor, Abigail Spanberger, who in just over 100 days in office, has signed over 1,500 laws including: raising minimum wage to $15, making it illegal for employers to access wage history, wage theft...
21 days ago • 2 min read
Good morning, my chronically employed friend. This week in the make work suck less group chat... 👏 One good thing. Maryland just passed a law guaranteeing 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave! That makes 14 states plus DC... or just under 30% of the country. 📮State of the business. Mr Beast is getting sued (again). Who is Mr Beast? He's the YouTuber known for viral stunts of "generosity" that always feel like exploitation. A former social media lead highlights a farcical work culture...
28 days ago • 2 min read
Good morning to the chronically employed, the chronically applying, and everyone trying to make work suck less. 👏 One good thing. A UK survey shows that, on average, we're only productive for 2 hours 53 minutes out of an 8 hour work day at the office. Use that as your benchmark. 3 hours of productivity? You're doing better than half of the population. Leave it there. Don't kill yourself trying to do the most in a place we know isn't built for it. 📮State of the business. This week, the format...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Good morning to the chronically employed, the chronically applying, and everyone trying to make work suck less. 👏 One good thing. This week I launched a mini-series on Instagram inspired by the worst career advice my clients had received (before coming to me). I'm planning on a great career advice sequel. I'll share the first here: treat every interaction like it will be used against you in a performance review. Now tell me, what's the best career advice you've ever gotten? ❌ The layoffs will...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Good morning to the chronically employed, the chronically applying, and everyone trying to make work suck less. 👏 One good thing. I saw someone post that Threads has ADHD and our current special interest is Artemis. Accurate. It's delightful to watch the glee and hope come out of this moon mission. And did you know how far away the moon actually is from us?!? ⛽ Fuel flexible. Back in 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine, European governments encouraged energy-saving measures including remote...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Make Work Suck Less New this week from the home office Hey Reader, Before I get into it, if you're in the DC area, and a federal worker facing a career transition (by choice or by force) I'd like to invite you to an event in Georgetown on July 17th. MM LaFleur is hosting a fireside chat with me! We're getting real about the emotional, professional, and practical challenges of leaving government—and how to reframe your public-sector experience into private-sector superpowers. Whether you're...
11 months ago • 2 min read
Make Work Suck Less New this week from the home office Hey Reader, I spent weeks trying to find a card for Michael for Father's Day. Visited all my usual card spots: the coffee shop that sells kitschy cards, the local book store, Whole Foods. Nada. Anyone else exasperated by the ridiculousness of these artifacts that are supposed to celebrate dads? Just me? Did someone forward you this edition of Make Work Suck Less? Subscribe now tools + ties Every single Father's Day card falls into one of...
11 months ago • 2 min read