Squiggly Careers Podcast: Part 1 — 6 Squiggly Career Trends in 2026

Episode: Part 1: 6 Squiggly Career Trends in 2026 - AI Agents, Disconnection & Employee Influencers
Date: December 23, 2025
Hosts: Sarah Ellis & Helen Tupper

Episode Overview

In this forward-looking episode, hosts Sarah and Helen set aside their usual interview format to put on their “futurist hats” and discuss key “trends” — or as they later prefer, “themes” — they anticipate will shape careers in 2026. Their focus: What’s likely to change, what these shifts mean for individuals at any career stage, and practical actions listeners can take to feel more prepared and empowered. The tone is hopeful and pragmatic, with an emphasis on actionable insight rather than doom-and-gloom.

This is the first of a two-part special exploring six major themes. This episode covers the first three:

1. The rise of AI agents at work
2. The paradox of connection and disconnection
3. The emergence of the employee influencer

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Rise of AI Agents (“Agentic AI”)

[04:00–11:35]

• Definition & Context

  • Helen demystifies “agentic AI” as simply “little AI activities that we set up on platforms like ChatGPT or Perplexity and they operate alongside us so you don’t need to be there.”

    “Agentic AI is you, like, set it up and then it works alongside you in parallel.” (Helen, 04:33)

  • Distinguishes agent AI from today’s direct prompting — the agent runs in the background and acts according to your preferences.

• Examples of AI Agents

  • Inbox agents that can sort, prioritize, and draft email replies in your preferred tone.
  • Energy agents that optimize your calendar and tasks for peak focus.
  • Learning agents that proactively find resources based on personal learning goals and assemble a ready-made agenda for dedicated learning time.

  “If I can save the six hours I was spending triaging and replying to emails, and I spent three hours last night just doing that because—and I would, I’d much rather something save that time so I could spend my brain on things that I think are much more enjoyable.” (Helen, 09:36)

• How to Get Started

  • Both agree the technology and how-tos (like YouTube guides or Copilot links) are accessible; an hour of experimenting is recommended.
  • It’s not about becoming an expert overnight, but taking the next step from learning to prompt, to creating simple agents.

• Personal Comfort Levels

  • Sarah feels “uncomfortable” about delegating email tone and energy management but is interested in a learning agent.
  • Helen is eager for systems to take over “energy-draining” tasks so she can focus more on creative work.
  • Recognition that not everyone will like or want to use every kind of AI agent, underlining the personal, “squiggly” nature of modern careers.

• Career Implications

  “The people who have confidence and competence in using AI tools, I think will accelerate their career, regardless of level, tenure and all the traditional things that resulted in people progressing…this kind of AI ability helps people leapfrog.” (Helen, 10:14)

  • More important than technical brilliance is the willingness to experiment and share results; “initiators” stand out.

2. Connection and Disconnection

[11:39–18:59]

• Theme Overview

  • New research shows people are feeling lonelier at work, less connected both to colleagues and to the work itself.
  • Sarah cautions against blaming remote work for the problem:

    “When you read the research, there is no relationship between where you spend your time and how lonely you feel. So the answer isn’t get everybody back in the office…” (Sarah, 13:02)

• Flexibility vs. Adaptability

  • Many organizations rely on “old models” of connection from office-bound days versus inventing new rituals or approaches.

    “Adaptability is recognizing, oh, actually we need a new way.” (Sarah, 13:54)

• Practical Approaches

  • Helen and Sarah swap stories about what has made them feel more or less connected:

    • Regular “When are we better together?” check-ins—identifying those moments in teams.
    • Helen’s “accountability partner” WhatsApp group that started with a vision board and resulted in deep, supportive connections outside of her core work team.
    • Sarah finds genuine connection in “curious conversations” — non-agenda chats with people outside the immediate team.

  • Both note that deep connection is more likely during open, non-task-focused conversations.

• Self-Reflection Prompt

  • They recommend listeners reflect on “When do you feel most and least connected?” and “How could you dial up what works for you?” (Helen, 18:33)

3. The Employee Influencer

[19:03–25:00]

• The New Face of Employee Advocacy

  • Increasingly, organizations recognize the value of employees posting about their workplace, products, and culture on platforms like LinkedIn and Instagram.

  • What’s new: Some are now hiring specifically for this role or directly rewarding it.

    “What is new is people are now being remunerated for it…some people actually have it as a specific job.” (Helen, 19:33)

  • Helen jokes this might be her “dream job”:

    “Imagine I go around Microsoft and being like let me tell you about the amazing things that we do in Microsoft and why like everyone should care about them.” (Helen, 19:49)

• Nuances and Cautions

  • Sarah is wary that these roles can bias towards extroverts:

    “I wonder whether it sort of places a value on extra extroverts behaviors…there are lots of ways to lead and there are lots of ways to be successful.” (Sarah, 20:59)

  • Emphasizes the need for diversity — influencers can express themselves in writing, visuals, events, not just as video vloggers or public speakers.
  • If organizations want to foster this, they should encourage a variety of authentic voices, not create echo chambers.

• Case Study

  • Both praise Sherry (an M&S employee) for authentic “employee influencing” showcasing products she truly loves—an example of how aligning your advocacy to your genuine interests is most effective and rewarding.

  “You would have done that. Whereas I would probably do more, like, I don’t know, events or people or. So I think finding a way to do it that you actually enjoy…” (Helen, 24:14)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “I always think you don’t want to watch trends happen to you. You want to take initiative and you want to be really intentional about them.” — Sarah (00:58)
• "We’ve both done roles with trends… like the hoverboard is coming or something like that. But these are actually realistic things that we believe are very likely to be part of people's work." — Helen (01:57)
• “Flexibility is... working within the same toolbox. Adaptability is recognizing: Oh, actually, we need a new way.” — Sarah (13:54)
• “When do you feel most and least connected are probably useful reflections for people.” — Helen (18:33)
• “If this is something you want to do in this kind of employee influence theme...finding a way to do it that you actually enjoy.” — Helen (24:14)

Important Timestamps

• 00:36 — Framing the episode: why “trends” matter; approach and aim
• 04:00–11:35 — Deep dive into agentic AI and practical applications
• 11:39–18:59 — The shifting landscape of connection and disconnection at work
• 19:03–25:00 — Exploring the rise (and risks) of the “employee influencer”

Takeaways for Listeners

• AI agents aren’t just for techies: A bit of curiosity and willingness to play can quickly pay career dividends.
• Connection at work requires new habits and intentional practices; don’t just default to old routines.
• Employee influencer roles offer new opportunities — if approached inclusively and authentically.

What’s Next?

Teaser for Part 2:

• Navigating restructures and redundancy
• Autonomy times accountability
• The future of recognized and rewarded workplace learning

These highlights distill the core discussions, valuable insights, and characteristic warmth and humor of Sarah and Helen. For practical details and personal stories, jump to the indicated timestamps above.