Weekly Work Wire: Volume 5

Yo, my friend!

It’s that time of the year again when you’re going to start seeing content that
“NEXT YEAR IS GOING TO BE DIFFERENT!”

And I am no hater. I love some “new year, new me” energy but I also want to be real with you, bud.

Things will only change if you show UP as a new person next year, too!

And this isn’t just new clothes and a new haircut (but tbh that is a great start). Showing up as a new person is going to require you to adopt new thoughts, new mindset, new actions into this new version of yourself!

So I am going to teach you what I learned from previous coaches and mentors that helped me!

Ask yourself:

• What new thoughts would new me have?

• What actions would new me take?

• What habits and routines would new me build?

I know that it may feel inconsequential but writing these things down will help your brain understand that you’re evolving into this new person.

Hope that helps and as always, you got this!

P.S. If a new job is in your plans for the new year, I got you covered with our brand new, FREE 2 Day Job Search Bootcamp. You can save your seat here and I’ll see in January live and up close virtually 🙂

See you soon!

Let’s be honest: quitting is one of the most powerful tools in your career toolkit, but most of us are taught to see it as a failure. We’re told to build stability, to get the pension, to never leave a job until you have another one lined up.

But what if the job you’re in is draining your energy, capping your growth, or damaging your mental health? Sometimes, the smartest thing you can do is quit. Not just your job, but the mindsets and situations that hold you back.

Here are a few things it’s perfectly okay to be a “quitter” on:

• Quit Your Toxic Workplace
  A toxic job is like a toxic relationship: the longer you stay, the more damage it does. The mental health benefits of leaving a negative environment are immediate. You can’t think clearly about your next step when you’re constantly in survival mode.
  

• Quit Being Underpaid (Especially When They Know It)
  If your manager acknowledges you’re underpaid but does nothing to fix it, that’s a huge red flag. Staying put in this situation just teaches them that your work can be bought at a discount.
  

• Quit Feeling Drained 24/7
  If you feel exhausted going to work and even more exhausted when you leave, your job isn’t just a job—it’s an energy vampire. No salary is worth your well-being.
  

• Quit a Job With No Growth
  People who stay in the same role for too long often do so because they don’t know what else is out there. They prioritize stability and miss out on pay bumps, new skills, and bigger opportunities. As I always say, if you want to make big money, you should be looking to jump every 2-3 years.
  

• Quit Connections That Don’t Serve You
  This goes for that coworker who only complains or the mentor who gives you outdated advice. Your network should energize you, not drain you.
  

• Quit the Fear of a Resume Gap
  Taking time off to recharge, learn a new skill, or travel can be a huge asset. If an interviewer asks, frame it with purpose: tell them what you learned and how it made you a better professional.
  

Reminder:
Quitting isn’t giving up. It’s making a strategic decision to invest in your own future.

Try This: The Pre-Quitting ChecklistThinking about quitting? Don’t just rage-apply. Follow this simple, 3-step sequence to leave the right way, without burning bridges.

1. Get the Verbal Offer First. Before you even think about telling your current boss, get a verbal confirmation from the new company. Once you have that, negotiate the salary, start date, and any bonuses.

2. Wait for the Written Offer. A verbal offer is good, but it’s not official until it’s in writing. Once you’ve received and reviewed the written contract, sign it. Only then is it safe to resign.

3. Tell Your Manager Before You Tell HR. Schedule a one-on-one meeting with your manager to let them know you’re leaving. It’s a sign of respect and helps you leave on good terms. After that conversation, you can send the formal resignation email, CC’ing HR.

Leave a comment

• Job Hopping for Dollars: The old advice was to stay put for years. The new reality? A 2022 survey from the Conference Board found that about a third of professionals saw a salary increase of at least 30% when switching jobs. As it seems, strategically changing roles every few years remains one of the fastest ways to boost your income.

• The Price of a Bad Team: One of the top reasons people quit isn’t the work—it’s the people. A Gallup poll concluded that 50% of employees have left a job specifically to get away from their manager. Research from MIT Sloan Management Review also found that a toxic culture is the #1 predictor of attrition, beating out low salary and burnout.

• Quitting is the New Self-Care:Burnout is still a major reason people leave. One survey found that 29% of employees who resigned cited burnout as a key factor. This growing trend shows that professionals are increasingly unwilling to sacrifice their mental health for a job, making “quitting” a strategic move for long-term career sustainability.

Dell
The team at Dell runs an annual Acts of Kindness Challenge where everyone commits to doing 10 kind deeds (big or small), chips into a donation pool, and the winner gets to choose where the money goes. It’s fun, heartfelt, and turns generosity into something everyone’s excited to join in on.
👉 Learn more about Dell

Nextdoor
Nextdoor makes rest part of the culture. Every year, they shut down the entire company until January 2 so employees can actually disconnect. No emails. No Slack. No “quick pings.” Just real recovery time. This is what it looks like when a company values people over productivity.
👉 Learn more about Nextdoor

Braintree
At Braintree, the holidays come with real magic. Each year, employees join the Letters to Santa program and help fulfill wish lists from local elementary school students. Hundreds of gifts go out, and the joy? Even bigger. A small tradition that leaves a lasting impact.
👉 Learn more about Braintree

SeatGeek
SeatGeek keeps the giving spirit alive with GiveGeek, their employee-led volunteer program. Teams organize holiday drives to support kids, write heartfelt cards to seniors, and pitch in at local food banks. It’s a feel-good way to end the year, and a reminder that giving doesn’t need to be complicated to be meaningful.
👉 Learn more about SeatGeek

Procore
Procore’s Austin office ends the year with their “Week of Giving.” The team leads donation drives, hands-on volunteering, and writes notes to kids in local shelters. It’s not just a one-off thing. It’s how they show up for their community, every single year.
👉 Learn more about Procore

This book takes timeless ideas from history’s greatest thinkers and turns them into lessons you can actually use today. It doesn’t just quote philosophers to sound smart, it instead shows how these ideas apply to real life, real decisions, and real growth.

It’s reflective without being fluffy, and def practical without being preachy. So if you’re into sharpening how you think and act, this one’s a hit.

• You feel stuck repeating the same patterns and want better ways to think through life and career decisions.

• You’re tired of trendy advice that sounds good but doesn’t actually change anything.

• You want principles that hold up no matter your age, job, or season of life.

• You’re craving clarity, perspective, and mental frameworks that actually compound over time.

• You care about building a meaningful life, not just chasing the next milestone.
  

BUY THE BOOK HERE »

Hi @jjjjjjj3886 from YouTube.

I completely get this. After years of climbing, you reach a point where you just want to do meaningful work without the constant distractions of meetings and “performative collaboration.”

The good news is, you can absolutely build a career around this. The key is to find roles that value “Deep Work”—the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. These jobs pay you for your output and expertise, not your presence in meetings.

Instead of another high-pressure role, you might want to look at career paths that reward quiet focus. Here are a few examples that can still pay six figures:

• Medical Writer:
  You do deep research and write precise documents for pharmaceutical companies. It’s a role that demands hours of solitary focus.

• Data Analyst:
  Your job is to find the story in the numbers. This requires diving into complex datasets for long stretches, a perfect “deep work” task.

• Direct Response Copywriter:
  You write words that sell (emails, ad copy, landing pages). Your success is tied directly to one metric: results.

You don’t have to be the loudest person in the room to be valuable. In fact, in a world full of distractions, the ability to work deeply and quietly is becoming a superpower.

If you’re ready to move on to a career that values deep work (or just another job for that matter), check out my vodcast on how to quit your job the right way. I discuss:

• When to quit

• How to quit (and what NOT to do)

• A resignation email script you can use

• The aftermath and bonus tips for a smooth exit

Got a career Q that you want to me to answer? 🤔

I’m starting a quick Q&A series where I answer real questions every other week.Ask me about job stuff, interviews, resumes, awkward convos w/ your manager…
I’ll help you figure all of that out!

Just drop a (3–5 sentences) comment or DM me your situation and how I can help.
If you want it anon, just say so. Let’s get into the good stuff.

Got questions? Send it here

• Save your seat to our brand new, FREE Job Search Bootcamp that starts in January 2026! It’ll be jam packed with all our best stuff on interviews, negotiations, and everything you need to get hired & paid in the new year.
  See you there!

• If you need career-related advice or got some stories to share, send them here or email them to: podcast@workhap.com.

• For Career Tips and Work Happiness related contents, follow me on social media:
  Sho Dewan in LinkedIn and @workhap in Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, and Youtube

Always rooting for you,

Sho