The Power Always Swings Back
Hi there,
During the pandemic, the balance of power briefly shifted toward workers. People had more flexibility, better pay, and more freedom to find roles that fit their lives. Productivity went up, and for a while, it seemed like we were heading toward a healthier kind of work.
But when conditions changed, many employers took that power back. Offices reopened, flexibility disappeared, and wages stalled, even as profits reached record highs. The lesson was clear: when given the choice, most organizations choose control over collaboration.
We have decades of studies showing that fair, inclusive workplaces lead to better outcomes for everyone. Still, those lessons rarely translate into lasting change. No one forces companies to do the right thing, so most revert to what feels safe, even if it hurts the people who make their success possible.
It can feel discouraging, but this cycle is not new. Power shifts back and forth between employers and workers over time. Right now, it is in one phase of the swing. The next will come.
In the meantime, we can prepare. We can support each other, stay informed, and protect our energy until the balance shifts again. We can’t control the swing, but we can steady each other through it.
— Wesley Faulkner
Survival Tactic: Rethink Your Time Off
If you’ve been saving up vacation time but don’t have the energy or money for a big trip, try using smaller chunks of time to give yourself a break. Take a long lunch, start a little later, or end the week early. Even short pauses can make a big difference in how you feel and how you show up at work.
Most companies give you vacation hours based on how many hours you’ve worked. You accrue them slowly over time. Sometimes they carry over to the next year, and sometimes they don’t. Even when they do, there’s usually a cap where you stop earning once you’ve hit the limit. As we get closer to the end of the year, this is important to plan out now. Stop saving up your vacation time and start using it. You earned those hours — let them work for you.
When people take time off, they usually think of it as full vacation days, but you don’t have to use it that way. Vacation time is measured in hours, and those hours can be split up into smaller breaks that still make a difference.
If you’re in a “use it or lose it” situation, or you just need to breathe a little easier, try spreading out your time. In one job, I took four hours off at the beginning of Mondays and four hours off at the end of Fridays for several weeks in a row. It wasn’t a full vacation, but it made my life noticeably better. I had extra time to recover, rest, and reset.
Rest doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Sometimes a few well-placed hours can make work feel a little more manageable and help you last a little longer in a system that rarely slows down for you.
Your hours are yours. Use them in a way that actually gives you life back.
➡️ 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
Burnout “Solutions” Are Making Things Worse (Published October 14, 2025)
Wellness apps, forced fun, and mindfulness programs aren’t fixing burnout — they’re deepening it. According to WorkLife, traditional corporate approaches often ignore the root causes of exhaustion, like overwork and lack of control. The result is a cycle where employees are told to “self-care” their way out of systemic problems. via WorkLife
America Ferrera Calls Out Tech’s “Dream” Problem (Published October 16, 2025)
Speaking at Salesforce’s Dreamforce conference, actor and activist America Ferrera called for leaders to address the emotional and human cost of corporate ambition. Her message — that people are not expendable parts of a system — struck a chord in an industry that often celebrates innovation while ignoring burnout. via SF Standard
Long-Term Unemployment Is Growing (Published October 15, 2025)
A growing number of Americans are facing long-term unemployment, with millions stuck searching for work for six months or more. As CBS News reports, many are older workers or those who’ve been displaced by automation — showing once again how fragile “job security” really is. via CBS News
AWS Outage Highlights Tech’s Brain Drain (Published October 20, 2025)
After a recent AWS outage, experts pointed to Amazon’s ongoing “brain drain” — experienced engineers leaving faster than the company can replace them. The incident exposed what happens when burnout, layoffs, and cost-cutting collide: even giants start to break. via The Register
Site Updates: Fixes and Progress
This newsletter is coming out a little later than usual due to workload. I will do my best to keep these delays to a minimum, but they may happen from time to time. Thank you for your patience and for continuing to read and share these updates.
There are no major site updates to share this week. I am continuing to work through the current iteration, making small adjustments, and getting ready for the launch on November 15th. It is steady progress, and things are starting to take shape.
I have some news that I will be able to share soon. Expect an update around November 4th, right before the official launch.
Thank you for all the support and encouragement. It really means a lot and helps keep this project moving forward.
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.
The "Spread the Word" button will allow you to share a link to the signup page with your contacts. That way others can easily join the newsletter and become part of the community. Please click the button below and share it widely so we help more people. As always, keep the feedback coming.