In this final episode of 2025, Jenni Field and Chuck Gose reflect on a year of conversations by pulling together the 10 themes that defined work, leadership and internal communication over the past 25 hours and 41 minutes of the podcast.

They revisit the middle management crisis, the ongoing disconnect between hybrid work reality and mandates, and the shift from performative authenticity to honest leadership transparency. The episode also explores AI adoption anxiety, the persistent challenge of proving the value of internal communication, and why change fatigue means productivity takes far longer to recover than leaders expect.

The conversation looks at purpose-driven work, communication overload, cultural intelligence in global teams, and the unresolved productivity paradox behind return-to-office decisions.

They close by sharing five AI-generated predictions for 2026, challenging leaders to build trust, rethink management, and stop trying to control their way through change.

• Slow Productivity - Cal Newport
• Tiny Experiments by Anne-Laure Le Cunff - Ness Labs
• The Productivity Diet - Mike Vardy

In this week’s episode of Frequency, Jenni and Chuck explore the forces shaping how we feel at work - from safety and strategy to hybrid rhythms and AI anxiety. They unpack new research showing psychological safety isn’t a “nice to have” but a strategic resource that protects against burnout and increases retention, especially when resources are tight.

They also dive into why internal comms teams get stuck in delivery mode instead of strategy, and why pausing to reset purpose doesn’t need to take months, it just needs focus. Hybrid working gets a fresh lens too, with new data revealing clear workplace rhythms, the risk of overloading Thursdays, and why short commutes are becoming an engagement driver.

Finally, they tackle AI anxiety head-on, debating whether it’s really about technology — or simply our human response to big change. Plus, festive traditions, doors, and milestone birthdays are in this week’s Freq out!

Articles and posts mentioned in this episode:

• In tough times, psychological safety is a requirement, not a luxury
• Plans without strategy: why internal comms keeps getting stuck in task mode
• The New Rhythms of Work: How Hybrid Reality Is Reshaping Employee Experience
• Why AI at work makes us so anxious
• Episode 4 of Frequency where they discuss the misconceptions of psychological safety

In this episode of Frequency, Jenni and Chuck get stuck into a report-heavy week packed with big questions for communicators, leaders and HR. They explore the UK Government’s RESIST framework for tackling misinformation and why “strategic silence” can sometimes be the smartest move.

The conversation then turns to workplace wellbeing, with new data from Reward Gateway showing a growing shift from pay to work–life balance - but the conversation discusses the serious confusion about what wellbeing at work actually means. From unlimited leave to sleep, stress and personal responsibility, they challenge where the line really sits.

They also unpack striking Gallup engagement data showing that 90% of UK employees are disengaged or not actively engaged, and question what leaders are truly trying to measure. The episode wraps with a powerful model for “human work” from the team at Fauna and CultureCon based on their recent research.

The reports and articles mentioned in this episode:

• A new Government framework for communicators to tackle misinformation
• Workplace wellbeing - a business imperative
• The future of work has a heartbeat
• ICology Mentorship Program - deadline to apply is December 15

This special live episode of Frequency comes straight from Unily’s Unite25 Conference in Nashville - the first time Jenni Field and Chuck Gose have taken the podcast to the stage. Recorded unedited and unfiltered, they share their top takeaways from the event, from digital noise and content sprawl to employee trust, empowered talent markets and the launch of Unily’s new AI tool, Indy.

They also reflect on standout keynote moments, including Dr. Mae Jemison’s call to “give people room to tell their story” and insights on charisma, warmth and competence in communication. The live audience joins them as they explore AI trust gaps, courageous leadership, shifting job fears, workplace drinking culture and the realities of post-work social pressure.

With audience questions, real-time reactions and plenty of humour, this episode captures the energy of Unite25 and the big topics shaping modern internal communications and employee experience.

Here are the articles discussed:

• The Trust Gap is the AI story
• Rethinking with Adam Grant podcast - Brene Brown on courageous leadership
• Evaluating AI's impact on the labor market
• One in three UK workers have called in sick after work drinks, survey finds

In this episode of Frequency, Jenni Field and Chuck Gose dig into new Gallup data showing the huge gap between how much purpose at work matters and how little leaders actually prioritise it — and why “just a job” might not be the negative people assume. They also unpack Kate O’Neill’s argument that feedback isn’t the issue; context is. Without shared goals, clarity and psychological safety, feedback becomes noise, not development.

The conversation moves into boundaries and burnout, as they challenge the workplace obsession with “firefighting” leadership and explore what sustainable leadership really looks like. And in a more unsettling twist, they react to research suggesting AI tools could infer personality — and influence hiring — simply from a profile photo.

The episode wraps with reflective freakouts: celebrating wins, questioning industry negativity, and calling for more joy in comms.

• Purpose at work: engagement rocket fuel that most people never get
• “Nobody needs feedback” – Kate O’Neil’s shared-context grenade
• Mita Mallick: not every fire is yours to fight
• Hiring by face: AI, personality and the new bias minefield

In this episode of Frequency, Jenni and Chuck dig into another week of stories shaping workplace culture, leadership and internal comms. They kick off with the latest research on “culture rot,” where only 14% of employees feel aligned to their company values - and they discuss what that says about credibility, trust and how organisations communicate who they really are.

They also get into some new data showing gossip continues to outpace HR during layoffs, raising tough questions about transparency, timing and the human impact of change. Jenni shares insights from the Gallagher Digital Experience Summit, including the rising issue of digital stress, the reality of AI maturity, and why productivity isn’t as measurable as leaders think.

The conversation wraps with a look at America’s shifting relationship with work — and what it means when more people see their role as “just a job.”

Articles mentioned in this episode:

• “Culture rot” hits UK workplaces — most people feel misaligned
• Gossip beats HR in layoff announcements
• Americans’ Long Love/Hate Relationship With Work

🎶 Theme music for Frequency is “Blessed Be the Weary," produced by Poet Ali. You can find the track on Spotify, Apple Music, and wherever you stream music. We're grateful to Poet for setting the tone with his powerful, reflective sound.

In this episode of Frequency, hosts Chuck Gose and Jenni Field discuss the importance of in-person gatherings, the concept of long-haul leadership, and the challenges of hybrid work environments.

The conversation covers two favorite topics - hybrid work and leadership, discussing the fact that rules about days in office will never outperform rituals that help teams do the right work in the right way. The surprising truth about the engagement of managers is uncovered and the link that has to recognition in the workplace.

The pair debate the dangers of narrowing and specialising in your comms career and they tackle the important topic of productivity and exhaustion - and why listening is the answer.

Articles and links related to this episode

From Exhaustion to Empowerment: The Meaningful Productivity Report (Forty1)

Hybrid Work Is Not the Problem — Poor Leadership Is (MIT Sloan Management Review)

Employees Say Only 59% of Leaders Are Actively Engaged (Nectar)

Public relations • communications strategy • career growth (Michelle Frith on LinkedIn)

Books mentioned in this episode:

Long Haul Leader by Chris Ducker: https://longhaulleader.com/book/

Slow Productivity by Cal Newport: https://calnewport.com/my-new-book-slow-productivity/

Cues by Vanesss Van Edwards: https://www.scienceofpeople.com/cues/

Busy by Tony Crabbe: https://tonycrabbe.com/books/

Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Talieb - https://a.co/d/8wSDUKO

🎶 Theme music for Frequency is “Blessed Be the Weary," produced by Poet Ali. You can find the track on Spotify, Apple Music, and wherever you stream music. We're grateful to Poet for setting the tone with his powerful, reflective sound.

In this episode, Chuck Gose and Jenni Field dig into the latest report into the value of internal communication. It’s a report authored by Jenni with Dr Kevin Ruck and published by the Internal Comms Research Hub. They go on to debate the role of HR inside organizations and tackle the big question of the purpose of workplaces in general. Middle managers are back on the agenda and this time discussing what we can learn from the history of the 1990’s reengineering approach. The episode wraps up with a discussion about a new report into female entrepreneurship and the systemic issues impacting women in the workplace.

Articles and reports in this episode:

• The value of internal comms
• How HR took over British business and got in the way of actual work
• Bonfire of the middle managers
• Female Entrepreneurship
• Missing Women Report

🎶 Theme music for Frequency is “Blessed Be the Weary," produced by Poet Ali. You can find the track on Spotify, Apple Music, and wherever you stream music. We're grateful to Poet for setting the tone with his powerful, reflective sound.