Why Now Is the Right Time for This Community
Hi there,
The first issue explained why this community exists: work is often broken, and too many of us are asked to survive it in silence. In this issue, I want to highlight why now is the moment for us to gather and act together.
The balance of power is shifting from employees to employers. Layoffs, budget cuts, and new layers of monitoring are tightening control. The way to combat this shift is to band together and not let the systems in place divide us. This newsletter is here to help you stay informed, stay motivated, and stay sane while keeping you updated on the progress toward our November 15, 2025 launch.
I’m glad to be alongside you on this journey.
— Wesley Faulkner
Survival Tactic: Outsmarting the Annual Review Cycle
Annual reviews can feel like they are designed to keep power in the hands of your manager. Goals shift, feedback is vague, and suddenly your growth feels like it is out of your control. The way to outsmart the cycle is to stop treating the review as something that happens to you and start using it as a process you can influence.
First, let’s break down the components of a review:
Self review: You write an assessment of how well you think you did over the cycle.
Manager review: Your manager writes their assessment of how they think you did.
Manager feedback review: You provide a review of your manager and how well you think they supported you.
Coworker or 360 review: You review your coworkers, and in turn, they review you. These usually have two sections: (1) where they think you did well, and (2) where they think you have areas of growth.
The structure of this system is presented as a balanced, objective evaluation of your performance. In reality, it often serves to gather evidence that supports the subjective review your manager already wants to give you.
Here’s how to push back and outsmart the cycle:
Keep a running log: Track your wins, projects, and feedback week by week. Make sure to highlight examples of cross-team work and contributions recognized by other managers. This makes it harder for your manager to dismiss your work without diminishing the efforts of others.
Coordinate 360 reviews: Reach out to coworkers in advance and agree to support each other. Offer to highlight the wins they care about if they do the same for you. Make sure your positive feedback from peers echoes the key themes in your self review. Oh and for the “Growth Areas” part of the 360, spin that into a positive. Bring that “I care too much” energy. For example, “they can grow by taking lead on more projects” or “they need access to more resources to keep delivering strong results.”
Manager feedback safety net: Reviewing your manager can feel risky because the threat of retaliation is high. Reduce that risk by organizing with your coworkers. Meet to discuss shared issues, distill them into three core themes, and agree to include them in each of your reviews, written in slightly different words. This way your feedback is amplified and harder to ignore, while the risk of retaliation is minimized.
When you approach the annual review with this strategy, you are not just participating in a ritual designed for your evaluation. You are protecting your contributions, amplifying your allies, and making the system work for you instead of against you.
➡️ If you have a survival tip you would like to share, click the button below to submit it for the next newsletter.
The System is Broken: The Proof is all Around Us
Why HR should pay more attention to buzzwords like ‘quiet quitting’ and ‘coffee badging (Published August 11, 2025)
Trends like quiet quitting and coffee badging reveal deeper cracks in workplace culture. Instead of brushing them off as fads, HR should pay closer attention, because they signal real frustration and disengagement. via Fortune
‘Job hugging’ is the newest career trend (Published August 18, 2025)
A new trend called “job hugging” is gaining traction, especially among Gen Z. Instead of chasing constant advancement, workers cling to jobs that feel stable, even if unfulfilling, as a defense against uncertainty. It highlights how younger employees are redefining success in response to a fragile system. via Fast Company
Experts Reveal the Signs That You Are Being Quietly Fired (Published August 14, 2025)
Just as employees quietly quit, some employers quietly push workers out. Signs include being excluded from projects, stripped of responsibilities, or left without clear communication. It creates a slow, demoralizing exit instead of honest feedback. via Entrepreneur
Site Updates: Fixes and Progress
It has now been a couple of weeks since the official launch of the Work’s Not Working newsletter. The early momentum is encouraging, and the feedback has been invaluable. Many of you pointed out edits to the Manifesto and newsletter links, and those adjustments have been made. Thank you for keeping me honest and improving the experience for everyone.
A special shout out to Mark Baars, who gave me permission to use snippets of his book The IT Professional's Guide to Surviving in IT. Expect to see excerpts in future issues. I also want to thank Amanda for her advice on the site rollout. She helped keep me grounded as I began standing up the infrastructure this past weekend.
The site build is officially underway. It will be a while before sharing prototypes and screenshots, but I’ll keep you posted as soon as possible so you can see what is taking shape. My goal remains the same: not a clone, not a knockoff, but something truly unique for people navigating the realities of work.
If there’s a feature you believe this community must have, I would love to hear it. The launch of the community is still on track for November 15, 2025 and everyone on this list has a guaranteed spot.
Spread the Word: Strength in Numbers
Know someone stuck in a job with no clear way out? Forward this issue and help them join the community now. Together we can build a space where no one has to face work struggles alone.
They want us to feel isolated, like our struggles are ours alone. But the more we come together, the fewer of us will fall through the cracks. Every new subscriber strengthens this network and makes it harder for broken systems to silence or divide us.
Previous newsletters can always be found here.
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