Working Girl's Guide #62: I'm in France wearing my fiancé's mom's clothes

I emergency landed in Montreal, men are returning to the office (women: less so), and chess is in the spotlight (surprising).

Let’s get into it.

Men are coming back to the office in far greater droves than their female counterparts

A whopping 86% of CEOs surveyed said they’d reward in-person employees over their remote counterparts, and this is a problem for gender inequity. That’s because more men than women are heading back to the office — likely because women still tend to take on more childcare and housekeeping work. The impact? Return-to-office mandates are leading to less diversity in the workplace as women, people of color, and disabled employees disproportionately choose flexibility and the ability to WFH over going in to an office.

Grill season gets more expensive

Bad day for meateaters: the price of steak is up 8% over the past year, and the stakes (steaks.. get it?) are even higher on ground beef, which is up 12%. There are a few reasons for this grill season nightmare: droughts have driven up prices of cattle feed, there are simply fewer cows than there were a few years ago, and borrowing costs (i.e., interest rates) make it more expensive for ranchers to buy more cows. If you’re thinking about going vegetarian, this could be your excuse! If you’re thinking about starting a farm…maybe don’t!

Chess is both cool and lucrative (who would have thought??)

This is shocking to me: chess is joining one of the world’s largest Esports tournaments, The Esports World Cup in Saudi Arabia, where players will compete for a $1.5 million prize. Chess is making an unlikely foray into the spotlight, partially thanks to the proliferation of shorter, 10-minute games that are more conducive to streaming. If any of you are super good at chess, now’s your time to enter the competition (and get rich??).

After a quick emergency landing in Montreal, followed by the loss of ALL my luggage, I made it to the South of France! Shout out to my future mother-in-law and sisters-in-law for clothing me (in bridal white, no less) and listening to me complain for the last four days. I was planning on submerging myself in the Mediterranean Sea (naked) and/or shopping for a beret, which could hopefully make this ONE OUTFIT I’ve been wearing on repeat look like it’s not on day four…but thank you luggage gods: MY BAG IS NOW HERE! Stay tuned for fit pics.

It's giving Jessie from the Parent Trap if she had 2025 steeze. This shirt is a summer staple: I wear it with white linen pants ALL THE TIME in non-work settings, but love it with some white jeans or structured trousers for a more office-friendly vibe. And I’ve been on a wait list to get these shoes for TWO ENTIRE MONTHS. Finally! And dare I say: worth the wait?!!!

There’s nothing quite like the horror of returning from vacation: 43996 unread emails, 12889 Slack pings, and not a single clue what your job even is anymore. I’m already dreading this when I’m back next week.

The hack: before you even touch your inbox, block 30 minutes to skim your calendar, jot down your actual priorities (not just what’s screaming at you), and glance at any key docs or Slack threads that matter most.

THEN you can open your inbox. You’ll feel far more in control, less like an intern on day one, and won’t waste a whole day “getting caught up” without doing any actual real work. And tbh…most unanswered emails become irrelevant after a few days anyway.

This week, the hotline is open once again, and it’s of course as unhinged as ever. From choking out a sales rep at a company offsite to fish-related crimes in the office kitchen, we read the wildest workplace stories you sent in, and Ross and I are tbh frankly a bit scared of our listeners. We meet a lactose-intolerant oversharer, debate whether “Demoted” is really for the children, and swap tales of questionable vacation flexes. Plus, we weigh in on dog allergies at work, suspicious “Book an Appointment” profile buttons, and whether Lake Tahoe is genuinely relaxing or a little bit deadly. Listen here.

Thanks for reading!