Inside Job

You did it. You landed your dream job. When all of a sudden, the boss who hired you does a complete 180. This week, ‘Kenya’s’ attentive, supportive boss from her interview has turned into a toxic, micromanaging nightmare.  What do you do when reality is much, much worse than the expectation? And how do you sniff out a ‘bad boss’ in the interview process? Comedian Chanel Ali joins us to talk about...

In the wake of last week's shocking assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump and the ensuing chaos, the nation is grappling with unprecedented uncertainty. How do employees and employers cope with such turmoil? Join the TLO crew as we explore the impact on the workplace and discuss strategies for finding stability and productivity in these challenging times.  Hosts: Matt Sunbulli htt...

Sometimes you’ve got a game-changing idea, but your boss says no. This week, ‘Dylan’ ignored direction from his boss and now has the CEO’s attention.  Should you always listen to your boss? Is it worth going over their head? We’ve got advice for everyone whose boss is holding them back. Hosts: Matt Sunbulli https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunbulli/ https://www.threads.net/@mattsunbulli https://www.fir...

Scrolling through preachy lectures on LinkedIn can leave us all squirming in our seats. This week, a wholesome moment between ‘David’ and his family quickly turns into a cringey, performative post.  What’s spurring this invasion of cringe on professional networking sites? And who is liking these posts? We dive into the answers on this week’s episode. Hosts: Matt Sunbulli https://www.linkedin.com/i...

At-will employment makes posting about your political beliefs a risky game. This week, ‘Brandon’s’ controversial social media posts led to an HR meeting and ended up getting him fired.  Is it legal? Are your posts covered under the First Amendment? Labor and employment lawyer Chris Collins joins us to talk about free speech and employee protections. Hosts: Matt Sunbulli https://www.linkedin.com/in...

Politics has infiltrated the workplace, from performative CEOs to anonymous town hall comment sections. This week, 'Tabitha' is divorcing her work husband after a controversial political post on LinkedIn. Tune in for a talk about politics. Does it belong in the workplace? Should it impact your career choices? And more. Hosts: Matt Sunbulli https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunbulli/ https://www.threads....

Do you compare your income to others? At what point does seeing where you stand turn into an anxiety-filled obsession? This week, ‘John’ is feeling major income anxiety and wondering if all his hard work was worth it. Join us for a chat about salary transparency, what it is, why it’s important, and how it can quickly turn ugly. Hosts: Matt Sunbulli https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunbulli/ https://www...

From endless rounds to take-home projects, interview horror stories are everywhere. This week ‘Jordan’s’ hard work on an interview project didn’t net her the job, but it did show up on the company’s website months later.  Should you say no to take-home interview projects? Should you get paid if you say yes? Join us for advice on how to protect yourself and increase transparency during the intervie...

Getting fired can leave you shell-shocked, speechless, and in no place to negotiate. Like' Dylan,' he just got fired over Zoom, and now his severance package consists of a career services subscription to help him "improve his resume." 'Dylan's' IRL layoff story got us thinking: are you ready for what's next? This week, we're talking about how to get fired, negotiate a fair severance package, and m...

Is job loyalty an asset or a liability? Is passion for your work overhyped? This week, inspired by the story of 'Alexandra'—a recent graduate who took a comedian's unconventional advice to heart—we explore the rocky path from graduation to the workforce. Joining us to unpack 'Alexandra's' experience is Matt Higgins, Shark Tank co-host and co-founder and CEO of RSE Ventures. Together, we discuss th...

Don’t trust the headlines: whether you’re a new graduate or a seasoned professional, the job market feels anything but robust. And like recently-laid-off “Roland,” you find yourself receiving thoughts and prayers in lieu of offers on LinkedIn. Glassdoor's expert on the current two-track labor market, Chief Economist Aaron Terrazas, joins the show to talk about the recession hitting white-collar wo...

From the vault of The Lonely Office is one of our greatest hits—a horror story for the remote work era: going through endless rounds of interviews, wondering whether you’ve wasted your time. On this episode, we dive into a real 11-round-interview incident endured by one candidate named “Mike”. We’ll debate the risks and merits of a lengthy interview process, getting caught in the crosshairs of a c...

We’ve all worked with great communicators. On the one hand, they razzle and dazzle during presentations, woo the C-suite, rally the troops. On the other, they can overinflate their own achievements, and take credit where no credit was due. This week, inspired by the story of “Maria,” a flaky strategist who’s earned a reputation as a great actress at her company, we discuss the role of communicatio...

As the unemployment rate for recent graduates climbs higher than the national average, qualified white-collar workers are turning to unlikely sources for their next job. This week, we discuss a sticky situation involving “Mark,” an Ivy League marketer, and his stint at a Canadian adult entertainment company. What are the moral implications of taking a job in a taboo industry, and how does it impac...

Have you ever been ghosted by an interviewer, only to be officially rejected a year later? That’s the story of Karen Young the recruiter. Hers is the inspiration for our episode this week, and in an unprecedented first, she’s also our special guest on the show. We discuss ghosting as an industry-wide plague, how to bring your humanity to these interactions, and the wider cultural phenomena at play...

“Harold” is a disillusioned quiet quitter who finds himself impassioned to act after the House passed a bipartisan bill to ban TikTok. Harold represents some of the younger 175 million Americans fighting to keep the app around, whether as a source of information, entertainment or livelihood. On the other side of the generational divide, there are those who perceive TikTok to be, at best, an app dr...

Film, with all of its cinematic magic, was supposed to be creativity’s last line of defense against artificial intelligence. But when OpenAI’s impressive text-to-video generator Sora is taking meetings with Hollywood’s heads of production, what hope does that leave the rest of us? This week, inspired by the real story of “Lee,” a young film editor who sees his future thwarted by Sora, we discuss t...

Picture this. You’re the fly on the wall in a layoff call. The employee isn’t getting any of the answers they want. The HR representative isn’t allowed to deviate from their rote, clinical script. It’s all very, very awkward. That’s this week’s topic, inspired by the mortifying tale of “Jenna” the HR newbie, and the viral video from TikToker Brittany Pietsch. In this episode, we chat about what em...

Here’s a staggering stat: through 2045, the wealth to be inherited by Generations X-Z is estimated to be 53 trillion dollars, an unprecedented sum in modern times. In this episode we cover the story of “Rich,” a 30 year-old screenwriter who, after receiving a financial windfall left by an uncle, finds himself losing his sense of purpose and creative motivation. Rich’s example and others' have us t...

Unlimited vacation is often lauded as a workplace perk, but who does it actually benefit? On this episode, we reflect on our previous experiences with this “generous” perk, and whether it served us. We also discuss why employers might be incentivized to adopt unlimited PTO policies—and why employees might be getting the short end of the stick. Hosts:  Matt Sunbulli https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunb...

You just found out that the new, fresh-out-of-college hire at work… makes the same salary you do. What would you do next? That’s the true story from “Lorrie” that inspired this conversation around salary transparency and fair pay. This week, we share some of our own experiences with speaking up (or not) for ourselves, ideas on what companies could do to promote salary transparency, and some tactic...

This week, truth is stranger than fiction. We’re discussing real anonymous stories from professional double-timers: two jobs, two time zones, and even two identities. It has us wondering: Socially, how did we get here? And legally, what are some complexities one should watch out for, if inspired to do the same? Hosts:  Matt Sunbulli https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunbulli/ https://www.threads.net/@ma...

This week, we’re inspired by the real revenge story of an electrician named Jerry. With massive government funding of new industries in clean energy and semiconductors, Jerry represents a new cohort of trade workers finding success in today’s job market, despite the social stigma surrounding blue-collar jobs. From the astronomical costs of higher education today to economic factors that create dem...

So you messed up at work. How do you move forward? This week, we’re inspired by a real workplace snafu, shared with us by “Zach.” From accidental all-staffs to awkward client commentary, we share some of our own professional mistakes on this episode—and our seasoned tactics on how to move past them.  Hosts:  Matt Sunbulli https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunbulli/ https://www.threads.net/@mattsunbulli...

From baseball player Shohei Ohtani’s highly unusual (and highly lucrative) contract to Michael Jordan’s “Love of the game” clause, uncommon terms of agreement might be more common than you think. On this episode, we discuss the creativity of contract negotiations—and our tips for getting more out of your next professional engagement.