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 continue until morale improves. The happiest place on earth is about to get a bit less happy. Disney's new CEO is planning to lay off another 1,000 employees after the former CEO had trimmed the workforce by about 8,000 since 2022. This follows the trend we've seen in media, tech, and government. Remember last week when Oracle fired 30,000 workers... some who'd been there for decades? They immediately hired a new CFO with a base salary close to $1M. And now Oracle executives are receiving death threats. Apparently, at least one former employee drove thousands of miles to stand outside the CEO's home. Yikes.

📮State of the business. Gallup's 2026 State of the Workplace report is out. I read all 250 pages so you don't have to. The big headline is that global engagement is down to just 20%. We're slightly more engaged here in the US/Canada at 31%. However I'm interested in the 20-point gap between those are disengaged at work, but thriving otherwise. Gallup for some reason doesn't address this - they divide us into 3 groups: engaged and thriving, disengaged and struggling, or actively disengaged and suffering. There's more to it. Raise your hand if work lost your attention/energy but life is otherwise groovy. I'd love to hear your story. Also, shoutout to the happiest workers in Denmark, Norway, and Costa Rica - can I come work with you?

⛽ A case for remote work. Spanish scientists proved that completing a task in an open office requires more brain power than doing it in a quiet spot. I don't know about you, but I'm overstimulated even just thinking about the office. When I was forced to RTO last year, I would park myself in the coffee shop with noise-cancelling headphones rather than find a desk upstairs. Another juicy tidbit from the Gallup report is that overall, job optimism is up, but it's WAY down for folks working in remote-capable roles. When you know it could be So. Much. Easier. ... kinda makes working at office that much more unbearable.

👩🏽‍⚕️It's a new dawn. Gen Z has officially surpassed Millennials as the largest portion of the frontline workforce (41% vs 40%). Think retail, healthcare, services, childcare. They're driving flexibility in places where they once was none, particularly in a trend towards shorter shifts. I love this. However, they're also holding down multiple jobs at a higher rate. Not great. The job market impacts from AI, policy, and global events is having really interesting effect on the new normal of careers.

💬 Coffee break gossip. The founder of DuoLingo shared that they once rescinded a job offer from the perfect (on paper) CFO because they were rude to the taxi driver that took them to the final interview. Seriously, treat everyone with respect because it's the right thing to do. Also, it pays off in the long run.

Until next Saturday, you got this.
Cassandra

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