In Episode 55 of Frequency, Jenni Field and Chuck Gose work through what happens when the structures organisations rely on stop working — and nobody says anything.
0:10 Introduction
04:10 Bullshit jobs — the personal essay
10:19 The engagement paradox (Firstup)
17:12 The clarity crisis: culture or communication?
22:20 RTO as stealth layoffs
Four stories, one uncomfortable through-line.
1️⃣ A personal essay went viral: someone spent an entire year at a software company doing no work and was never found out. She draws on David Graeber's concept of bullshit jobs — roles so pointless even the person in them can't justify their existence. Graeber estimated 20-50% of all jobs fit that description.
2️⃣ Firstup surveyed 3,000+ employees across North America and the UK and found engagement scores that look healthy on paper masking a significant retention crisis. Nearly half say they're engaged. Nearly half are also planning to leave within 12 months. Chuck and Jenni get into why people stay when they're not actually committed.
3️⃣The Clarity Crisis, from Startups Magazine, argues that what leaders diagnose as a culture problem is almost always a communication failure — specifically around clarity. Not a new argument. So why does it keep having to be made?
4️⃣Finally: US return-to-office data shows 67% of companies still offer hybrid flexibility, while 25% of executives and 18% of HR professionals admit they hoped RTO would push people out voluntarily. Chuck calls it what it is.
Jenni Field — speaker, consultant, leadership credibility and internal communication: https://thejennifield.com/
Chuck Gose & ICology — internal comms community and resources: https://www.joinicology.com/
Articles referenced in this episode:
🗞️ The US and UK special relationship — https://www.economist.com/britain/2026/04/23/britain-rethinks-its-special-relationship-with-america?giftId=NDYyNjlhZjYtYTk4My00ODMxLThjOGEtZTUyZDIwYWI5N2Fh&utm_campaign=gifted_article
🗞️ I did no work for a year and no one noticed — https://uk.news.yahoo.com/did-no-no-one-noticed-110000304.html
🗞️ Firstup report on the engagement paradox — https://firstup.io/blog/employee-engagement-paradox-retention-risk/
🗞️ The clarity crisis: why your 'culture' problem is actually a communication problem — https://startupsmagazine.co.uk/the-clarity-crisis-why-your-culture-problem-is-actually-a-communication-problem
🗞️ Return-to-Office Statistics and Trends (2026) — https://founderreports.com/return-to-office-statistics/
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