In this episode of Frequency, Jenni Field and Chuck Gose dig into four thought-provoking topics shaping the world of work right now — from how old your company is to whether organisational culture actually exists.

Chuck kicks things off with the latest addition to the workplace lexicon — "job hugging." Move over quiet quitting, there's a new phenomenon describing employees who cling to their current roles for stability and comfort, at the potential cost of their own growth and development.

Does Company Age Determine Your WFH Strategy? Drawing on research from Nick Bloom, Jenni unpacks data showing that work from home is 50% higher in firms founded in the last 10 years, and 25% higher in companies led by CEOs under 30. There's a parallel trend in AI adoption too. But is this really a generational divide, or is it something deeper?

Is Organisational Culture Change Really a Thing? Rob Briner's work and a CIPD review ask a provocative question: can organisational culture actually be changed — and does it even drive performance in the way we assume? Jenni and Chuck unpack why culture might be a description of behaviour rather than a cause of it, and why focusing on behaviour change programmes could be a far more effective (if more uncomfortable) approach than the culture workshops many organisations invest in.

A Substack article by Stephen Waddington references the Ocean Tomo intangible asset market value study, which reveals a striking structural inversion: in 1975, tangible assets made up 83% of S&P 500 market value. By 2025, that figure had fallen to just 8%. So what does this mean for internal comms, HR, and employee experience teams still fighting to prove their value?

An eight-month Harvard Business Review study of a US technology company found that rather than reducing workload, AI tools led employees to work faster, take on more tasks, and extend their working hours — without being asked. The result? Potential workload creep, cognitive fatigue, and burnout. Jenni and Chuck share their own experiences with AI, debate whether governance is the answer, and explore what it means to genuinely use AI versus simply benefit from it.

Freaking Out This Week: Chuck is buzzing about Transform and the ICology event he's running at it on March 23rd in Las Vegas. If you want to join, you'll need to sign up via Chuck's link Jenni's freak out? An organisation being advised to model 60 — yes, 60 — behaviours, complete with physical red cards for anyone not exhibiting them. Mildly terrifying is an understatement.

Articles and links mentioned in this episode:

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Culture Isn't a Cause, It's a Description: Why Behavior Change Beats Culture Workshops