Frequency

In this episode of Frequency, Jenni Field and Chuck Gose start with a deceptively simple question: where are all the good industry events? That conversation quickly opens up a wider reflection on whether the internal comms and employee experience space has hit a point of stagnation — and what it would take to bring the right people together for deeper, more meaningful conversations.

The episode moves into weightier territory with a discussion sparked by Shel Holtz’s open letter to PRSA, calling on the organisation to take a stand on ICE operations in Minneapolis. Jenni and Chuck explore the ethics of neutrality, the idea that silence is itself a decision, and the responsibility professional bodies have to model the values they expect communicators to uphold.

From there, Jenni brings in a Harvard Business Review article urging leaders to get off the “transformation treadmill.” Together, they unpack why constant transformation often signals deeper systemic problems, and why addressing root causes, rather than reacting to symptoms, is the real work leaders tend to avoid.

Trust takes centre stage with a frank critique of the Edelman Trust Barometer. While the data highlights growing insularity, grievance and distrust, Jenni and Chuck question whether the proposed solutions offer anything genuinely new, and whether organisations are willing to do the uncomfortable, personal work that trust actually requires.

The episode closes with a look at Gartner’s predicted workplace trends for 2026, including AI, systems thinking and the growing role of HR in risk and readiness. They debate whether these are true trends or hopeful predictions, and why process expertise,  not tech obsession, is likely to matter most.

As always, they end with their Freak Outs of the week, covering everything from wills and “death wishes” to wellness retreats, rebranding Vegas as self-care, and the importance of stepping back to reflect.

Thoughtful, challenging and quietly provocative — this episode asks leaders to slow down, look harder, and stop pretending the answers are new.

 

Articles mentioned in this episode: 

An Open Letter to the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) from Shel Holtz on LinkedIn

Get off the transformation treadmill

The danger of insular trust mindset 

9 Trends Shaping Work in 2026 and Beyond

Resist & Unsubscribe

In this episode of Frequency, Jenni Field and Chuck Gose kick things off with a surprisingly revealing conversation about bread — and quickly land on a much bigger question: when recognition misses the point, what does it say about how organisations really value people?

That idea becomes a thread running through the episode, as they move into a frank discussion about performative communication. Using recent ICE-related events in the US as a backdrop, they explore the growing pressure employees are putting on leaders to take meaningful, visible stands, and why cautious, logo-signed “de-escalation” statements often feel more like corporate self-protection than leadership. Jenni and Chuck question what employees are actually asking for, and whether silence, symbolism or collective action carries the most weight.

From there, the conversation turns to meetings — why they continue to frustrate people, and what role AI realistically has in fixing them. While tools like AI note-takers and summaries can help with accountability, they argue the real issue is capability, not technology. Poorly run meetings, unclear purpose and a lack of facilitation skills won’t be solved by automation alone. Better meetings still matter — especially for trust, debate and decision-making — and cutting them entirely is not the answer.

This leads into a wider challenge around AI adoption and productivity. As leaders increasingly point to AI’s potential impact on GDP as justification for rapid rollout, Jenni questions whether economic upside is the right — or sufficient — argument. They unpack research showing many organisations are using AI without investing in training or redesigning how work actually gets done. The risk, they argue, is treating AI as a cost-saving shortcut rather than a capability shift. Without strong foundations, clear processes and proper enablement, AI won’t fix broken systems — it will simply amplify them.

The episode then tackles Amazon’s latest round of layoffs and the way employees discovered the news through internal errors. Jenni and Chuck reflect on what moments like this signal about leadership control, humanity and trust — and why how information is shared matters just as much as what is shared.

Finally, they react to reports that AI company Anthropic destroyed large quantities of books to train its models, raising uncomfortable questions about ethics, ownership and optics — especially when legality, public perception and values collide.

They close with their Freq Out of the week, sharing candid reflections on conference speaker rejections, feedback that stings, and why rejection isn’t always a signal that your work isn’t needed — sometimes it’s just redirection.

 

Articles mentioned in this episode:

Tech workers push CEOs to condemn ICE as Minnesota CEOs issue a “de-escalation” letter
https://www.axios.com/2026/01/26/tech-workers-ceos-ice https://www.axios.com/2026/01/25/minneapolis-shooting-ice-target-3m-ceos-letter 

The LinkedIn post that inspired the bread conversation

Dropbox bets on AI to fix meetings and protect time

HR Dive: AI could boost GDP, but only if employees are trained

BBC: Amazon layoffs confirmed after an internal email error

Ars Technica: Anthropic destroyed millions of print books to train AI

Remote Work by Chris Dyer and Kim Shepherd (not Scott)

In this episode of Frequency, Jenni Field and Chuck Gose kick off 2026 with a frank check-in on how the year is going — personally and professionally — before diving into a stack of research that reveals just how disconnected leadership and employees have become.

The conversation opens with an article on millennial disengagement, where employees say the quiet part out loud: "my leader doesn't know me and doesn't care to know me." Jenni and Chuck explore whether curiosity can really be an antidote to stagnation, and what it takes for leaders to actually demonstrate they care.

They then tackle Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser's widely reported memo telling staff "we are not graded on effort" — and surprisingly land on the side of her directness. Sometimes, they argue, honesty about expectations beats the flowery alternative.

A DHR Global study sparks discussion on the culture gap between C-suite and entry-level employees, with 77% of execs calling culture "very important" while only 37% of junior staff agree. The disconnect gets sharper when nearly half of employees describe their culture as reactive and inconsistent.

Gallup's new span-of-control data brings the manager conversation back into focus, with average team sizes now at 12.1 — nearly 50% larger than a decade ago. Chuck breaks down the math: if you manage 10 people and give each just an hour a week, that's a quarter of your time before you even start your own work.

Finally, they examine a growing satisfaction gap between leaders and employees on change communication — a 30% divide in 2026 that shows no signs of slowing. The culprit? Communication built for leadership, not the people receiving it.

 

Articles mentioned in this episode:

3 tips to replace employee stagnation with curiosity in 2026

Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser warns of job cuts and says it's time to raise the bar in a fiery memo to staff: 'We are not graded on effort'

Global Survey Reveals Workplace Culture Gulf Between Execs and Employees

Span of Control: What's the Optimal Team Size for Managers?

The satisfaction gap - what employees and leaders think good communication looks like (Lars Hancke)

In this episode of Frequency, Jenni Field and Chuck Gose explore the quiet pressures tightening around modern work - from burnout and broken flexibility promises to the unintended consequences of AI “efficiency”.

The episode opens with a deceptively simple question: what happened to happy hour? Not as a drinking debate, but as a signal that the informal “third space” of work - where trust, mentoring and belonging once formed, is disappearing. 

They then unpack Amazon’s evolving performance and office-tracking approach, questioning where healthy accountability ends and surveillance begins, and what communicators should really be saying when trust is already fragile.

A global frontline study from UKG brings the conversation back to reality, revealing burnout rates of 76% and a widening “two-culture” divide between frontline and office workers. Flexibility and financial security aren’t perks anymore,  they’re retention levers.

The episode also tackles McKinsey & Company’s idea of “super agency”, asking whether AI’s biggest blocker is actually leadership hesitation, not employee readiness.

Finally, Jenni and Chuck examine a counter-intuitive risk of AI: when busywork disappears, so does recovery time — unless work itself is redesigned.

As ever, this is straight-talking, reflective and a little uncomfortable — in the best way. 

 

Articles mentioned in this episode:

 

What Happened to Happy Hour? 

 

Amazon is making big changes to the way it treats workers 

 

Global study reveals flexibility and financial wellness are top 2026 priorities for frontline workers

 

Superagency in the workplace: Empowering people to unlock AI’s full potential 

 

The Downside to Using AI for All Those Boring Tasks at Work

In this special bonus episode of Frequency, Jenni Field and Chuck Gose are joined by Carolyn Clark, VP of Communications and Employee Experience at Simpplr, to dig into the findings from the 2025 State of Internal Communications and Intranet Report.

This isn’t an employee survey, it’s a look at how the builders of the system (comms, HR and IT leaders) think internal communication is working… and where it’s quietly falling apart.

Together, they unpack ten findings that reveal a familiar tension: internal comms is getting more attention and investment, but employees are still navigating tool sprawl, unclear ownership and platforms that don’t always help them get real work done.

The conversation covers:

Why exec attention doesn’t always equal understanding

The growing gap between “we have an intranet” and actual employee experience

Tool sprawl, digital stress and the hidden cost of friction

Why IT satisfaction doesn’t equal employee usability

What “ethical AI” really means inside organisations

And why relevance, targeting and governance are still lagging behind ambition

 

Straight-talking, practical and occasionally uncomfortable — this episode challenges leaders to stop counting tools and start fixing system. 

Thanks to Simpplr for sponsoring the episode! 

Read the report here: https://www.simpplr.com/resources/research-reports/state-of-ic-and-intranet-technology-uk/