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:
Amazon is making big changes to the way it treats 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
