Part 1: 6 Squiggly Career Trends in 2026 - AI Agents, Disconnection & Employee Influencers

Squiggly Careers

AmazingIf

Business, Management, Careers

4.9 • 838 Ratings

🗓️ 23 December 2025

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

🦞 Join our Learn Like a Lobster Sprint: https://bit.ly/4oZzJ3F In this episode, Helen and Sarah kick off a two-part series exploring six Squiggly Career trends for 2026 — not as distant predictions, but as realistic changes that are already shaping how we work and build our careers. Rather than watching trends happen to you, this conversation is about anticipating what’s coming and choosing how to respond. Helen and Sarah explore three themes that are likely to affect everyone, whatever your role or industry: the rise of AI agents at work, the tension between connection and disconnection, and the growing influence of employees as visible advocates for their organisations. As always, you'll hear honest reflections (including mixed feelings about AI), and simple actions you can experiment with now — so you feel more intentional, confident, and in control as 2026 approaches. Episode 521 🦞 Pre-order Learn Like A Lobster 🇺🇸 PRH US – https://bit.ly/3KxTeBn 🇬🇧 Amazon UK – https://amzn.to/3KcRZaR ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 Why we’re talking about career trends for 2026 01:11 How to respond to trends with intention (not fear) 03:31 Theme #1: AI agents at work 05:11 Practical examples of AI agents you could use 08:32 Different reactions to AI — and why that’s okay 10:06 How AI can accelerate career development 11:26 Theme #2: Connection and disconnection at work 12:48 Why being back in the office isn’t the answer 14:28 Practical ways to create meaningful connection 18:13 Theme #3: The rise of the employee influencer 20:30 Risks, inclusion, and finding your own voice 24:41 What’s coming in Part 2 🎯 What You’ll Learn - What AI agents are — and how they could support your work - How to experiment with AI without feeling overwhelmed - Why loneliness at work is rising (and what actually helps) - Simple ways to build connection in hybrid working - What “employee influence” means for careers and organisations 📚 Resources Mentioned Microsoft Copilot and AI agent tool: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-copilot/copilot-101/copilot-ai-agents For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com More ways to learn about Squiggly Careers: 📩 Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ 🏃‍♀️ Join the Skills x AI Sprint: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNQl9gsac8BXnWe2qoGuHkLKwsygjP_Ma&si=l7kODG3JpopH0Irz 📮 Get Squiggly Careers in Action in your inbox: https://bit.ly/SquigglyCareersInAction 📚 Read our books: The Squiggly Career and You Coach You: https://www.amazingif.com/books/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	We're really excited that we are back again with another Squiggly Careers Skill Sprint. Over 25,000 people have learnt with us on our sprint and we'd love you to come and learn with us in January. We are going to be learning like lobsters. And the reason this matters is because learning has never been more important at work, but it's also never felt harder to do.
0:24.0	And we think that lobsters are the role models that we've all been missing.
0:29.2	So sign up for the Sprint at squiggly sprint.com and you'll join a community of people who all get to learn like a lobster and overcome those barriers that are getting in the way of their growth.
0:34.3	Hi, I'm Sarah.
0:35.8	And I'm Helen.
0:36.8	And this is the Squiggly Careers podcast, where every week we borrow some brilliance
0:41.2	and turn that curiosity into actions that we hope support you with your confidence, clarity,
0:47.5	to really accelerate your squiggly career.
0:50.4	And the next two episodes are going to feel a bit different.
0:53.6	So Helen and I have got our
0:55.3	predictor futurist hats on. I mean, you might not want to take it too seriously. I think
1:01.1	it's probably the caveat at the start. We are going to do two episodes, kind of part one and a part
1:06.8	two, exploring six squiggly career trends for 2026. So what we have tried to do is pick
1:14.7	things that we think are going to be important for all of us in our careers, no matter what
1:19.6	stage you're at or what industry you're in. We're going to talk a bit about what they are,
1:24.7	but then probably most importantly, like what they mean for us.
1:28.3	So how do you get curious? How can you learn more? How can you make sure that you are being,
1:35.2	kind of really creating rather than waiting? I always think you don't want to watch trends happen to
1:40.5	you. You want to take initiative and you want to be really intentional about them. And it's not that we are amazing at all or even any of these. I think it's fair to say. But I suppose they are things that are on both of our minds. So maybe that's a better word than trends, to be honest. Trends might feel a bit lofty. I know. I feel like we've both done like roles with trends and they both get unrealistic, you know, like the hoverboard is coming or something like that.
2:03.5	But so I think these are actually realistic things that we believe are very likely to be part of people's work in 2026.
2:12.9	So maybe trends are, I think they're just changes to what you're working on and the way you're
2:17.6	working that we want people to be aware of so that they can be ready for them and able to
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