Working Girl's Guide #10: Olympic trials, WFH, how to surprise a friend

Long weekend! Fourth of July! Dogs, double denim, and Olympic updates: what more could we ask for? Today: updates on return-to-office mandates, my trip to Chicago, and a case against American flag sweaters.

Let’s get into it.

Workers Can’t Handle Noise

We’ve gotten too used to working from home: workers who go into the office are more distractible, and more offices are spending on soundproof pods and ambient noise systems to combat this issue. I’m definitely here for more privacy, but going into the office to hole up in a private room is kind of ironic, no?

The Kids Are Taking on the Olympics

16-year-old Quincy Wilson is the youngest male track athlete to rep the USA at the Olympics, and Hezly Rivera who turned 16 just last month will be joining veteran gymnasts Simone Biles and Suni Lee in Paris. Similar but different: the average age of private plane owners has gone down, with 28% more under-45 owners compared to pre-2018. Suddenly I feel very old, extremely un-athletic, and not very successful!

Bosses Want People to Quit

According to a report out from BambooHR, 18% of surveyed HR professionals who implemented a mandatory return to office were hoping that voluntary turnover would ensue — which would in turn help them avoid layoffs. As if mandatory RTO wasn’t bad enough, now it’s also a potential sign of upcoming downsizing.

I flew to Chicago this weekend to see my best friend get engaged, and it was MAGICAL. Despite the white dress you see here, she actually had no idea it was happening this weekend. Pro tip: buy your bestie some white dresses to change into after their fiancé-to-be gets down on one knee. Double pro tip: post an Instagram story from “home” to throw her off your trail.. mine was a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge. Little does she know, I WAS FLYING TO CHICAGO WHEN I POSTED THAT.

If you’re not an American flag sweater girlie (I’m not), may I raise you double denim for the fourth? It’s patriotic without being AmeriCUH, cute and versatile as separates year-round, and denim is weirdly good at hiding mustard stains! Plus, both pieces in this fit are currently on sale.

Buy your workout classes in packs. I used to have a gym membership, but since I could go any time, I ended up not going very much at all (funny how that works). Then I did some unlimited passes at workout studios, and same thing!! When I get a limited number of classes at a studio, like a 10-pack at Barry’s, then I know I have to finish those classes in a certain amount of time (at most studios, they expire). I end up spending less than I would on a membership, and actually going more. Plus, there’s always new intro offers for multi-class packages, so it’s good incentive to try a variety! Seems very simple, but any way we can trick ourselves into making better use of our time and money is a win for me. Bonus tip: buy the same class pack as a friend so you can hold each other accountable.

It’s day 3 of Q3, which means it’s time for quarterly reviews. Ross and I talk performance over the past quarter, including vulnerability scores, friendship ratings, and carpool ability. We also get into some Q4 planning and my retelling of a truly terrible dentist appointment, because everyone likes to hear about other people’s dentist appointments! Listen here.

Thanks for reading!