This week on Your Work Friends, we break down three headlines every professional should know:
- Career Catfishing: Monster’s 2025 report found 4 in 5 U.S. employees say they were misled about their job. We unpack what’s driving the trust crisis between workers and employers—and what good hiring should look like now.
- Open Enrollment 2026: Get ready for the biggest jump in healthcare costs in 15 years. We explain why premiums are spiking, how to protect your paycheck, and what to ask HR before you pick your plan.
- AI Actress Tilly Norwood: The entertainment industry just debuted its first fully AI-generated actress—and the actors’ union is calling it theft. We discuss why this moment matters for every industry that runs on creativity, identity, and human expression.
If you work in corporate America, HR, or leadership, this episode gives you the clarity and context to get ahead of what’s coming.
👉 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.
Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered professional advice. We are not responsible for any losses, damages, or liabilities that may arise from the use of this podcast. The views expressed in this podcast may not be those of the host or the management.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_02 (00:00):
Only 9% of employees know what their job actually is.
They show up, they're doing abunch of stuff, but if you ask
them what they actually do, whattheir role was, only 9% can
answer that question.
No one knows what the fuckthey're doing, but they're
getting paid.
SPEAKER_00 (00:29):
Welcome to your work, friends.
I'm Francesca Renieri.
And I'm Mel Plett.
And we are bringing you the nowand next of work, breaking it
down so you get ahead.
Mel, what's a good word?
It's October and 70 degrees.
SPEAKER_02 (00:42):
I don't know whether to to frolic and be happy or
being like concerned aboutclimate change.
So that's where I'm at today.
unknown (00:48):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (00:49):
You're living in the in-between, and I understand
that.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (00:52):
I can't tell if this is just New England as it always
is, or if I'm just sweating onOctober 7th for no reason.
So let's go with that.
Let's go with that.
Yeah.
How about you?
Yeah.
I need to stop watching thenews.
That's all I'm gonna say.
SPEAKER_00 (01:09):
But I am paying attention, like you, to the work
news stories.
And we're back with new week newheadlines.
What are you talking abouttoday, Mel?
SPEAKER_02 (01:17):
I am talking about career catfishing.
I did not know that was a thing.
I didn't either until I readabout Monster's 2025 career
catfishing report, where theysurvey individuals about this
phenomenon.
So we're gonna talk about that.
SPEAKER_00 (01:34):
All right.
And I am talking about twostories.
One is brace yourself, folks,healthcare costs are about to
explode right in time for openenrollment season.
Your paycheck will feel it.
2026 is about to bring thebiggest spike in medical
premiums in 15 years.
And it's not just aboutinflation.
So want to talk about what'sabout to hit and how you might
(01:54):
be able to ease the blow.
And then the last thing I wantto talk about is Tilly Norwood.
Mel, have you heard of TillyNorwood?
SPEAKER_02 (02:03):
I have, and it's just disturbing.
SPEAKER_00 (02:06):
Yeah, super creepy.
Anyway, if you haven't, TillyNorwood is an AI actress and she
just made her debut.
And the Actors Union is callingit theft.
But for leaders everywhere, evenif you're not in Hollywood or in
media, I really believe thatthis is a preview of our next
workplace crisis, and I want totalk about it.
SPEAKER_01 (02:25):
That sounds interesting.
SPEAKER_00 (02:26):
All right, let's just get into it.
SPEAKER_02 (02:32):
So I was reading Work Life and they were
reporting on Monsters 2025career catfishing report, which
immediately caught my eyebecause I'm like, what?
Didn't not know that reportexisted.
But here's the headline Four outof five US employees feel
catfished by their employer?
By their employer.
You know the term catfishing,obviously.
(02:53):
Yeah, like you it's like a baitand switch, right?
Like you Yeah, it's just likeyou were told one thing, show
up, it's a different thing.
SPEAKER_00 (02:59):
And then you you think you're being the hot girl
for drinks and you show up andit is not a hot girl.
Yeah, or hot guy.
Yeah.
Or hot guy or person.
Yeah.
There's that.
SPEAKER_02 (03:09):
Yeah.
So essentially that, but nowwith employers, when you have it
in that perspective, have youever been catfished in a role?
For a role?
unknown (03:20):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (03:20):
Yeah.
Like basically thinking I'mgetting hired for one role and
then showing up and realizingover the neck course of the
first month that it isabsolutely not that role.
Mm-hmm.
Yes.
Many times.
You?
SPEAKER_02 (03:33):
Oh, oh yeah.
Like an entire gig was sold tome as something it wasn't.
And then I showed up week oneand it was completely different
work.
And I questioned it, and theywere like, things changed.
Oh, okay.
Listen, folks, if you're incharge of hiring, that never
goes well.
And it's a waste of everyone'stime, and it really does hit
(03:53):
your pocket.
So here's what came out of thereport.
Here's a SOA.
Nearly four in five US workerssay they've been catfished into
a job that didn't match what waspromised during hiring.
The job looked great on paper.
They felt like this is this is ahuge fit.
This is a great win for me,blah, blah, blah.
Then reality hit, which you andI both have experienced.
(04:13):
Responsibilities are changing,the culture doesn't match, the
pay and perks weren't what wasadvertised.
So according to Monsters 2025report, it's not one-sided
either because candidates arealso saying they stretch the
tooth truth a little bit too.
But the breakdown is on trust onthe employer side in a big way,
in a big way.
And this lines up because I toldyou a couple of weeks ago I
(04:36):
attended a webinar where one ofthe stats that came out was only
9% of employees know what theirjob actually is.
They show up, they're doing abunch of stuff, but if you ask
them what they are actually do,what their role was, only 9% can
answer that question.
So I feel like this has legs.
Something is happening here.
No one knows what the fuckthey're doing, but they're
(04:57):
getting paid.
So that's a trend.
We're seeing.
But here's the problem.
We know trust is like a numberone thing when it comes to
retention, relationships,engagement, morale, all of those
things that hit your bottomline.
What monsters, Vicky Salemi, whohelped with part of this report,
put out, she said, when honestyis absent in the hiring process,
(05:19):
trust is broken before it caneven take root.
And we've experienced that.
Like, how long did you stay inthose jobs where you've been
bamboozled?
SPEAKER_00 (05:27):
One, I stayed for a long time.
The other I bailed reallyquickly because I was just like,
this is not even worth my time.
SPEAKER_02 (05:33):
You're already starting to look by week two,
because this is not what youwere promised.
So here are some of the numbersI want to share with you.
75, 79% of respondents had beencatfished into a job that didn't
match the recruiter'sdescription at all.
79%.
SPEAKER_00 (05:50):
Can I say something though?
Yes.
Having led teams andunderstanding how recruiting
works and all this good jazz.
Ask anybody that leadsrecruiting.
The majority of hiring managers,I'm not talking about a
recruiter, I'm talking about theperson that is hiring the role
on their team.
Are not great at defining whatexactly the role is.
(06:15):
They are not great at scope.
They're not great atresponsibility.
They're sure as hell not greatat job descriptions.
And so it doesn't surprise me atall.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (06:29):
At all.
Yeah, it you and I both havefeelings about job descriptions
in general.
Because they don't work.
They don't work.
And as someone who led talentacquisition, I will say there's
a lot of really good recruitersout there who are gonna listen
to this and be gritting theirteeth because they're like, I'm
trying.
SPEAKER_00 (06:45):
Oh, I know.
I every recruiter is trying.
SPEAKER_02 (06:48):
It's just it And they're only they can only
describe what they're being toldto get out there.
And then that nine percent statof people don't know what their
job is, it's because theirhiring manager still can't tell
them what the job is in theday-to-day.
That's that's the crux.
SPEAKER_00 (07:06):
This is the crux of this issue.
If you lead a team and you arenot able to define clearly what
someone is responsible andaccountable for, yeah.
And when that adjusts orchanged, be really clear about
that.
Yeah.
You really shouldn't be leading.
And the majority of people don'tdo that really well.
SPEAKER_02 (07:27):
The step that's missing here, there needs to be
a continuing conversation abouthow your role is evolving as the
work changes, as the strategychanges.
That's just missing entirelyfrom the equation.
49% said their job duties weredifferent than advertised.
21% said the company culture wasmisrepresented.
9% said payer benefits wereexaggerated.
(07:49):
67% think they currently workwith someone who may have also
misrepresented their own skills.
And 85% of respondents feel thatthis kind of catfishing is
morally wrong.
I don't know what's worse.
Like people get into new jobswith so much excitement.
Your employees are also yourstakeholders.
(08:10):
They're also your customers.
Imagine you were like, you'regonna give me$500 for this
goldfish, and then someone gavearound and gave you a cracker
instead of a real goldfish.
You'd be disappointed.
So that's what's happening, andthen they get on the job and
you're wasting all this money,and there's real heavy costs
around.
It's the churn that happensbecause of this.
SPEAKER_00 (08:31):
Agree.
Agree.
And this has always been anissue.
I think this is becoming moreand more of an issue because
things are changing so quicklythat we don't know how to define
them.
It's not a moment in time.
So to your point about jobdescriptions as well, I it's
almost like the minute you getinto a job, it actually might
(08:54):
change.
It actually might evolve.
The amount of people I talk toevery week, I know you're the
same way, that they're on theirat least second rework of the
year or their third leader intwo years, that's change every
single time.
SPEAKER_02 (09:07):
Yep.
I know.
And no re-level setting on whatthe gig actually is.
That conversation is justmissing.
So if you want loyalty, I'm justgonna put it out there.
Companies, start with honesty.
Start getting really honestabout what you need this to be.
Clear job descriptions.
They're gonna have to startreally thinking about redefining
(09:28):
the role of job descriptions.
I know it's like a legalrequirement, but job
descriptions don't cut itanymore if you're not clear
there.
And if you can't be clear in theongoing conversation, you're
gonna continue to be in thischurn.
All right.
What's going on over there?
SPEAKER_00 (09:48):
All right.
Okay.
So the healthcare premiums areabout to blow up.
A lot of us are gonna be goinginto open enrollment season
where we're picking our nextinsurance plan.
So I thought let's talk aboutwhat is about to hit.
I want to talk about what'sgoing on and more importantly,
what to do about it.
So 2026 is shaping up to be thebiggest jump in healthcare costs
in 15 years.
(10:09):
And whether you're on anemployer plan or on an exchange,
you're about to pay a lot more.
According to Mercer, employerhealth benefit costs are
projected to rise 6.5% evenafter plan tweaks.
It could be closer to 9% if youremployer hasn't really figured
out the good juju with theiremployee benefits plan.
And again, if you're on themarketplace, if Congress doesn't
(10:31):
renew the pandemic era premiumtax cuts, millions could see
their ACA plan costs more thandouble.
That's up to 136% higher.
Wow.
Yeah.
Wow.
It's a lot.
It's a lot.
Okay.
So why is this happening?
There's so many things right nowthat are like, this feels like
the perfect fucking storm.
(10:52):
Do you know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_02 (10:53):
Like it's it really the government shut down,
obviously.
They need to figure out somethings by November 1st because I
really feel for people who arein benefits right now and trying
to figure this shit out in orcsbecause this is not easy.
SPEAKER_00 (11:05):
Not easy at all.
And I think there's a couplethings you can think about as an
employee.
And I know a lot of companies,especially benefit teams, are
trying to figure this out andwe'll be very vocal this season
about what you can do, etcetera, et cetera.
But why is this happening?
A labor costs.
Hospitals and clinics are payingmore to keep nurses, techs,
doctors.
It's all getting more expensive.
(11:26):
There's also a utilizationsurge.
So people are finally gettingthe care that they delayed
during the pandemic.
It's like traffic, right?
We're experiencing kind of thedelayed reactions of that.
Things like more screeningsurgeries, mental health care
visits, et cetera.
Inflation isn't helpinganything.
The cost of everything fromgloves to an MRI machine, it
just all costs more.
And all this stuff starts to addway up.
(11:48):
Drugs like GLP ones are moreexpensive.
Great, but more expensive.
And there's just other thingshappening too, like healthcare
consolidations.
There's fewer plans, there'sfewer competitors.
There's also like policy clips.
Federal subsidies expire in2025, like the ACA premiums, and
that'll spike it overnight.
And again, employees arereacting to this.
(12:11):
59% of companies are redesigningplans.
So they're raising deductibles,they're tightening networks, and
they're adding cost sharing.
Sharing meaning employees aregoing to have to pick up the
Slack here.
I don't know if anyone enrolledin their benefits like last
year, for example.
You probably started to see moreoptions around flexible spending
accounts, more optionality whereyou can get more of a stipend to
(12:34):
pay for your health care asopposed to your insurance plan
paying for your health care.
That was by design.
You and I talked two years ago.
There was going to be thisuptick in a stipend, like
getting rid of insurance andpulling into a stipend where
we're we as a company will giveyou$25,000 and then you go out
(12:57):
and you figure out your owninsurance plan.
This is like the slow movementtowards that.
SPEAKER_02 (13:02):
Oh, I see that definitely happening in the
future, where it's more of abenefit marketplace.
You have to go out on your own.
And that's just considered partof your salary package.
Yes, a thousand percent.
Like a lump sum for healthinsurance, professional
development, all of thosethings, those added benefits,
they're gonna give you this isfor that.
And then you have to figure outhow you divide it.
(13:25):
And they'll call itpersonalization.
Yes.
SPEAKER_00 (13:28):
But at the end of the day, it is probably less
benefits for the same amount ormore money.
All right.
So what do you do about this?
Your prices are gonna go up.
Whether again, whether you're inan employer plan or you're on
the exchange.
There are moves you can make,though, to make the right
choices for you.
So a few thoughts here.
One is do not autopilot youropen enrollment.
(13:50):
I am absolutely someone that I'mlike, oh shit, I forgot to open
enroll.
And then your plan just rollsover.
Don't do that.
Check your plan in details.
If you're gonna do it, this isthe year to do it.
Look line by line, especially ifyou get massage therapy or
mental health, or if you knowyou're someone that's gonna need
surgery or something like that,figure out networks,
deductibles, prescriptioncoverage, out-of-pocket
(14:12):
maximums.
You really want to pay attentionto all of that.
Don't autopilot your openenrollment.
Please don't.
And compare total cost, not justpremium.
Like lower monthly rates oftenhide higher deductibles.
That happened to me one yearwhere I was like, why is my
prescription and my OBGYN visitand all this good jazz so
expensive?
It's because I accidentally didthis.
SPEAKER_02 (14:34):
Oh, I did that one year too.
And it was the worst year.
And I had an HSA account to payto offset expenses.
It didn't matter.
It was like out of control.
SPEAKER_00 (14:45):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Which brings me to my third.
Use an HSA account.
Absolutely.
If you have one and can affordit, do it.
Your 2026 limits are going to be$4,400 for an individual,$8,750
for a family, plus$1000 catch upfor$55 plus.
These are triple tax advantaged,pre-tax contribution.
(15:06):
It will save you money, believeme.
So take advantage of that.
And then definitely ask youremployer a question around
what's changing.
Hopefully they're proactive withthat communication.
But most of your employers havepeople on staff that can answer
any questions that you haveabout new benefits like
telehealth or credits orwellness stipends so you can
offset costs, figure out whatyour employer is offering.
(15:28):
If you're on the exchange, watchCongress.
The decision to extend or endsubsidies will directly affect
your 2026 premium.
Period, point blank, big time.
So the other thing you can donow is model your what-if
scenarios.
If they extend it, what happens?
If they don't, how does 136%increase impact your budget?
(15:48):
Exactly that.
SPEAKER_02 (15:49):
I'm also one of those people that was on
autopilot when it came to annualselection and then be like, oh
shit, I got one data.
So many things.
Don't do what we've done.
Don't do what we've done.
Yeah.
You've got a few weeks.
Really sit down, talk to yourbenefits folks.
If you have questions, like downto your specific prescriptions,
you should be reaching out tofind out what changes are coming
(16:12):
with your prescription, all ofthose things.
Like get into the weeds.
It's annoying because it is notan easy process, as you and I've
talked about at all.
It's just like painful.
You're gonna need the time forfrustration and reviewing the
details.
SPEAKER_00 (16:26):
So make the time.
Take the time.
Absolutely take the time.
Listen, the bottom line, we'repaying more to get less this
year.
But if you really figure outwhat's right for you, great.
If Congress doesn't act,millions will face premium hikes
they can't absorb, most likely.
So to your very good point, donot sleep on open enrollment and
don't assume your average iswhat it was last year.
(16:46):
It will not be.
So there's a new actress inHollywood, and her name is Tilly
Norwood.
She's beautiful, expressive, andentirely fake.
Have you seen the pictures ofher?
SPEAKER_02 (17:02):
I have two bones to pick.
Sure.
Why do these Mega Techs alwayscome out with a woman?
It's always a woman character.
It's never a male character,even when Siri came out.
Alexa came out.
Even GPS.
It's always like a weird womancharacter that you can control
and command and ask to do thingsfor you.
(17:24):
Just putting it out there.
It's a pattern I'm recognizing.
SPEAKER_00 (17:28):
Yeah, it's a control and command.
And then I think I have onethat's a not PG reason why they
always bring a woman in too.
SPEAKER_02 (17:34):
Yeah, it's just like, okay.
But yes, I've seen Tilly, andI'm not a huge fan of the
synthetic characters for thingsthat like I don't know.
I appreciate the art ofanimation and the all of those
things, but this feels like it'scrossing a weird line.
SPEAKER_00 (17:50):
Yeah.
This is the thing.
Tilly Norwood is an AI generatedtrained on real performers, zero
human behind the scenes at all.
And last week at SAG AFTRA, theactors union basically totally
lost it rightfully.
And they said, quote unquote, tobe clear, Tilly Norwood is not
an actor.
She's a computer program trainedon the work of countless
(18:10):
professionals without permissionor pay.
And that scenario, friends, youmight think, uh, it's Hollywood,
and maybe it's an actor today,and maybe it's music tomorrow,
but it's actually a little bitof a signal and a canary in a
coal mine of what might becoming in your industry.
And I want to talk about what'sactually happening here because
(18:32):
the studio that created herclaims that talent agents are
interested.
But the truth is no majorproduction is hiring AI
performers yet.
This is more of a stress test,like a cultural experiment to
see how far the industry canpush before humans revolt.
Yeah.
And listen, these actors are notalone.
(18:53):
In Bollywood, performers aresuing to block AI-made films
using their likeness in musicrecord labels like Universal and
Warner are striking deals so AIcompanies can train on their
catalogs legally.
And everyone's trying to figureout where's the line, right?
unknown (19:09):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (19:11):
Again, this to me is a massive signal that I think
most people should pay attentionto, especially beyond Hollywood,
because it's not just againabout deep fakes or digital
doubles.
I think it's about the future ofcreative labor and who owns what
we make.
SPEAKER_02 (19:27):
Not just that, it's the what's the life experience
going to be when everything'ssynthetic.
SPEAKER_00 (19:32):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (19:33):
I think the thing I really love about film is the
imperfection of humans that doit, like the actors, like what
makes them special, what theybring to it.
Any AI character or synthetickind of character I've seen is
just, it sucks.
It's not great.
(19:53):
It doesn't feel human.
It doesn't even sound human.
It sounds that way, but itdoesn't really.
There's just something slightlyoff.
And that would be so distractingfor me.
I wouldn't even enjoy watchingit.
And never mind that, but theimpact to Hollywood's already
been ripped to shreds the lastfew years as an industry.
But the number of jobs, likecreative artistic jobs that will
(20:16):
go away as a result of somethinglike this, down to things like
costume designers, setdesigners, how far does it go
that we're going to rip kind ofthe fabric of what makes us
human out of society?
SPEAKER_00 (20:31):
I think that's the question at hand, right?
Because what you're talkingabout is also happening in
design.
It's happening in marketing,it's happening in journalism,
it's happening in customerservice.
And it's the same pattern thatwe see, right?
AI tools get trained on humanwork, the company profits, and
the humans realize they've beenturned into unpaid data.
(20:54):
Yeah.
And hop, listen, Hollywood, itjust happens to be the story
this week because the faces arefamous.
We love Hollywood stories, etcetera.
But it's coming for everyindustry that runs on any kind
of human expression.
It just is.
I think you're going to startseeing a lot more fights over
(21:15):
compensation, around consent,who gets paid when AI uses your
work, your voice, your face.
I'm hoping we see that.
It feels like there's so muchjust being steamrolled right
now, but I'm hoping we see waymore discussions and legality
around that.
I think you can expect unions,guilds, and eventually
governments to step in.
(21:35):
Maybe.
Definitely in like othercountries for sure, but hoping
this happens in the US.
And there'll be licensingsystems like transparency laws,
maybe even digital fingerprintsthat trace how your likeness is
being used in AI training.
It's such an interestingdiscussion because to your
point, the word synthetic is theright word for it.
And then it just feels likecommodity.
When I was at Limited Brands,Michael Weiss was the CEO of
(21:56):
Express for a long time.
Fashion is interesting becauseit's a period in time.
And once it's done, it's likeleftovers in the fridge.
You just don't want it anymore.
And I feel the same way aroundlike they're just, it's just
like leftover food.
It's just like filler.
SPEAKER_02 (22:10):
It's not the good stuff you want to eat.
It's the gross grilled cheese Ileft in your fridge last week.
No, by the way, Jeff did eatthat.
Delicious.
I'm just saying, but I did leavea block of cheese in your
fridge.
But I just but again, you'rejust like, seems like a good
idea at the time.
And then you're like, actually,I don't want to eat that again.
SPEAKER_00 (22:27):
This all goes back to listen, AI is here, right?
And we're going to be havingthese discussions.
You and I are not Luddites, butI do think this keeps on
begging.
The question we keep coming backto to make sure things are,
again, clear, durable, alwaysbidding on humans.
The big question we would loveleaders to ask is what can AI do
and what's worth keeping human?
(22:49):
And there are always elements inany discussion, and especially
in a creative realm, that areworth keeping human.
SPEAKER_02 (22:57):
Like number one litmus test for me is if it
can't have the lived experience,it can't add value.
And that's a big differentiatorto me.
We exist in the world andexperience the world as it is.
Like AI doesn't experience anyof it.
And there's no amount oftraining that's ever going to
provide them that level ofcontext or emotion or feeling
(23:19):
that human beings have.
So if the work requires that,you shouldn't be using AI for
it.
This episode was produced,edited in all things by us,
myself, Mel Platt, and FrancescaReneri.
(23:40):
Our music is by Pink Zebra.
And if you loved thisconversation and you want to
contribute your thoughts withus, please do.
You can visit us atyourworkfriends.com.
But you can also join us over onLinkedIn.
We have a LinkedIn communitypage and we have the TikToks and
Instagram.
So please join us in thesocials.
(24:02):
And if you like this and you'vebenefited from this episode and
you think someone else canbenefit from this episode,
please rate and subscribe.
We'd really appreciate it.
That helps keep us going.
Take care, friends.
Bye, friends.
Bye friends.
Only 9% of employees know what their job actually is.
They show up, they're doing abunch of stuff, but if you ask
them what they actually do, whattheir role was, only 9% can
answer that question.
No one knows what the fuckthey're doing, but they're
getting paid.
SPEAKER_00 (00:29):
Welcome to your work, friends.
I'm Francesca Renieri.
And I'm Mel Plett.
And we are bringing you the nowand next of work, breaking it
down so you get ahead.
Mel, what's a good word?
It's October and 70 degrees.
SPEAKER_02 (00:42):
I don't know whether to to frolic and be happy or
being like concerned aboutclimate change.
So that's where I'm at today.
unknown (00:48):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (00:49):
You're living in the in-between, and I understand
that.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (00:52):
I can't tell if this is just New England as it always
is, or if I'm just sweating onOctober 7th for no reason.
So let's go with that.
Let's go with that.
Yeah.
How about you?
Yeah.
I need to stop watching thenews.
That's all I'm gonna say.
SPEAKER_00 (01:09):
But I am paying attention, like you, to the work
news stories.
And we're back with new week newheadlines.
What are you talking abouttoday, Mel?
SPEAKER_02 (01:17):
I am talking about career catfishing.
I did not know that was a thing.
I didn't either until I readabout Monster's 2025 career
catfishing report, where theysurvey individuals about this
phenomenon.
So we're gonna talk about that.
SPEAKER_00 (01:34):
All right.
And I am talking about twostories.
One is brace yourself, folks,healthcare costs are about to
explode right in time for openenrollment season.
Your paycheck will feel it.
2026 is about to bring thebiggest spike in medical
premiums in 15 years.
And it's not just aboutinflation.
So want to talk about what'sabout to hit and how you might
(01:54):
be able to ease the blow.
And then the last thing I wantto talk about is Tilly Norwood.
Mel, have you heard of TillyNorwood?
SPEAKER_02 (02:03):
I have, and it's just disturbing.
SPEAKER_00 (02:06):
Yeah, super creepy.
Anyway, if you haven't, TillyNorwood is an AI actress and she
just made her debut.
And the Actors Union is callingit theft.
But for leaders everywhere, evenif you're not in Hollywood or in
media, I really believe thatthis is a preview of our next
workplace crisis, and I want totalk about it.
SPEAKER_01 (02:25):
That sounds interesting.
SPEAKER_00 (02:26):
All right, let's just get into it.
SPEAKER_02 (02:32):
So I was reading Work Life and they were
reporting on Monsters 2025career catfishing report, which
immediately caught my eyebecause I'm like, what?
Didn't not know that reportexisted.
But here's the headline Four outof five US employees feel
catfished by their employer?
By their employer.
You know the term catfishing,obviously.
(02:53):
Yeah, like you it's like a baitand switch, right?
Like you Yeah, it's just likeyou were told one thing, show
up, it's a different thing.
SPEAKER_00 (02:59):
And then you you think you're being the hot girl
for drinks and you show up andit is not a hot girl.
Yeah, or hot guy.
Yeah.
Or hot guy or person.
Yeah.
There's that.
SPEAKER_02 (03:09):
Yeah.
So essentially that, but nowwith employers, when you have it
in that perspective, have youever been catfished in a role?
For a role?
unknown (03:20):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (03:20):
Yeah.
Like basically thinking I'mgetting hired for one role and
then showing up and realizingover the neck course of the
first month that it isabsolutely not that role.
Mm-hmm.
Yes.
Many times.
You?
SPEAKER_02 (03:33):
Oh, oh yeah.
Like an entire gig was sold tome as something it wasn't.
And then I showed up week oneand it was completely different
work.
And I questioned it, and theywere like, things changed.
Oh, okay.
Listen, folks, if you're incharge of hiring, that never
goes well.
And it's a waste of everyone'stime, and it really does hit
(03:53):
your pocket.
So here's what came out of thereport.
Here's a SOA.
Nearly four in five US workerssay they've been catfished into
a job that didn't match what waspromised during hiring.
The job looked great on paper.
They felt like this is this is ahuge fit.
This is a great win for me,blah, blah, blah.
Then reality hit, which you andI both have experienced.
(04:13):
Responsibilities are changing,the culture doesn't match, the
pay and perks weren't what wasadvertised.
So according to Monsters 2025report, it's not one-sided
either because candidates arealso saying they stretch the
tooth truth a little bit too.
But the breakdown is on trust onthe employer side in a big way,
in a big way.
And this lines up because I toldyou a couple of weeks ago I
(04:36):
attended a webinar where one ofthe stats that came out was only
9% of employees know what theirjob actually is.
They show up, they're doing abunch of stuff, but if you ask
them what they are actually do,what their role was, only 9% can
answer that question.
So I feel like this has legs.
Something is happening here.
No one knows what the fuckthey're doing, but they're
(04:57):
getting paid.
So that's a trend.
We're seeing.
But here's the problem.
We know trust is like a numberone thing when it comes to
retention, relationships,engagement, morale, all of those
things that hit your bottomline.
What monsters, Vicky Salemi, whohelped with part of this report,
put out, she said, when honestyis absent in the hiring process,
(05:19):
trust is broken before it caneven take root.
And we've experienced that.
Like, how long did you stay inthose jobs where you've been
bamboozled?
SPEAKER_00 (05:27):
One, I stayed for a long time.
The other I bailed reallyquickly because I was just like,
this is not even worth my time.
SPEAKER_02 (05:33):
You're already starting to look by week two,
because this is not what youwere promised.
So here are some of the numbersI want to share with you.
75, 79% of respondents had beencatfished into a job that didn't
match the recruiter'sdescription at all.
79%.
SPEAKER_00 (05:50):
Can I say something though?
Yes.
Having led teams andunderstanding how recruiting
works and all this good jazz.
Ask anybody that leadsrecruiting.
The majority of hiring managers,I'm not talking about a
recruiter, I'm talking about theperson that is hiring the role
on their team.
Are not great at defining whatexactly the role is.
(06:15):
They are not great at scope.
They're not great atresponsibility.
They're sure as hell not greatat job descriptions.
And so it doesn't surprise me atall.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (06:29):
At all.
Yeah, it you and I both havefeelings about job descriptions
in general.
Because they don't work.
They don't work.
And as someone who led talentacquisition, I will say there's
a lot of really good recruitersout there who are gonna listen
to this and be gritting theirteeth because they're like, I'm
trying.
SPEAKER_00 (06:45):
Oh, I know.
I every recruiter is trying.
SPEAKER_02 (06:48):
It's just it And they're only they can only
describe what they're being toldto get out there.
And then that nine percent statof people don't know what their
job is, it's because theirhiring manager still can't tell
them what the job is in theday-to-day.
That's that's the crux.
SPEAKER_00 (07:06):
This is the crux of this issue.
If you lead a team and you arenot able to define clearly what
someone is responsible andaccountable for, yeah.
And when that adjusts orchanged, be really clear about
that.
Yeah.
You really shouldn't be leading.
And the majority of people don'tdo that really well.
SPEAKER_02 (07:27):
The step that's missing here, there needs to be
a continuing conversation abouthow your role is evolving as the
work changes, as the strategychanges.
That's just missing entirelyfrom the equation.
49% said their job duties weredifferent than advertised.
21% said the company culture wasmisrepresented.
9% said payer benefits wereexaggerated.
(07:49):
67% think they currently workwith someone who may have also
misrepresented their own skills.
And 85% of respondents feel thatthis kind of catfishing is
morally wrong.
I don't know what's worse.
Like people get into new jobswith so much excitement.
Your employees are also yourstakeholders.
(08:10):
They're also your customers.
Imagine you were like, you'regonna give me$500 for this
goldfish, and then someone gavearound and gave you a cracker
instead of a real goldfish.
You'd be disappointed.
So that's what's happening, andthen they get on the job and
you're wasting all this money,and there's real heavy costs
around.
It's the churn that happensbecause of this.
SPEAKER_00 (08:31):
Agree.
Agree.
And this has always been anissue.
I think this is becoming moreand more of an issue because
things are changing so quicklythat we don't know how to define
them.
It's not a moment in time.
So to your point about jobdescriptions as well, I it's
almost like the minute you getinto a job, it actually might
(08:54):
change.
It actually might evolve.
The amount of people I talk toevery week, I know you're the
same way, that they're on theirat least second rework of the
year or their third leader intwo years, that's change every
single time.
SPEAKER_02 (09:07):
Yep.
I know.
And no re-level setting on whatthe gig actually is.
That conversation is justmissing.
So if you want loyalty, I'm justgonna put it out there.
Companies, start with honesty.
Start getting really honestabout what you need this to be.
Clear job descriptions.
They're gonna have to startreally thinking about redefining
(09:28):
the role of job descriptions.
I know it's like a legalrequirement, but job
descriptions don't cut itanymore if you're not clear
there.
And if you can't be clear in theongoing conversation, you're
gonna continue to be in thischurn.
All right.
What's going on over there?
SPEAKER_00 (09:48):
All right.
Okay.
So the healthcare premiums areabout to blow up.
A lot of us are gonna be goinginto open enrollment season
where we're picking our nextinsurance plan.
So I thought let's talk aboutwhat is about to hit.
I want to talk about what'sgoing on and more importantly,
what to do about it.
So 2026 is shaping up to be thebiggest jump in healthcare costs
in 15 years.
(10:09):
And whether you're on anemployer plan or on an exchange,
you're about to pay a lot more.
According to Mercer, employerhealth benefit costs are
projected to rise 6.5% evenafter plan tweaks.
It could be closer to 9% if youremployer hasn't really figured
out the good juju with theiremployee benefits plan.
And again, if you're on themarketplace, if Congress doesn't
(10:31):
renew the pandemic era premiumtax cuts, millions could see
their ACA plan costs more thandouble.
That's up to 136% higher.
Wow.
Yeah.
Wow.
It's a lot.
It's a lot.
Okay.
So why is this happening?
There's so many things right nowthat are like, this feels like
the perfect fucking storm.
(10:52):
Do you know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_02 (10:53):
Like it's it really the government shut down,
obviously.
They need to figure out somethings by November 1st because I
really feel for people who arein benefits right now and trying
to figure this shit out in orcsbecause this is not easy.
SPEAKER_00 (11:05):
Not easy at all.
And I think there's a couplethings you can think about as an
employee.
And I know a lot of companies,especially benefit teams, are
trying to figure this out andwe'll be very vocal this season
about what you can do, etcetera, et cetera.
But why is this happening?
A labor costs.
Hospitals and clinics are payingmore to keep nurses, techs,
doctors.
It's all getting more expensive.
(11:26):
There's also a utilizationsurge.
So people are finally gettingthe care that they delayed
during the pandemic.
It's like traffic, right?
We're experiencing kind of thedelayed reactions of that.
Things like more screeningsurgeries, mental health care
visits, et cetera.
Inflation isn't helpinganything.
The cost of everything fromgloves to an MRI machine, it
just all costs more.
And all this stuff starts to addway up.
(11:48):
Drugs like GLP ones are moreexpensive.
Great, but more expensive.
And there's just other thingshappening too, like healthcare
consolidations.
There's fewer plans, there'sfewer competitors.
There's also like policy clips.
Federal subsidies expire in2025, like the ACA premiums, and
that'll spike it overnight.
And again, employees arereacting to this.
(12:11):
59% of companies are redesigningplans.
So they're raising deductibles,they're tightening networks, and
they're adding cost sharing.
Sharing meaning employees aregoing to have to pick up the
Slack here.
I don't know if anyone enrolledin their benefits like last
year, for example.
You probably started to see moreoptions around flexible spending
accounts, more optionality whereyou can get more of a stipend to
(12:34):
pay for your health care asopposed to your insurance plan
paying for your health care.
That was by design.
You and I talked two years ago.
There was going to be thisuptick in a stipend, like
getting rid of insurance andpulling into a stipend where
we're we as a company will giveyou$25,000 and then you go out
(12:57):
and you figure out your owninsurance plan.
This is like the slow movementtowards that.
SPEAKER_02 (13:02):
Oh, I see that definitely happening in the
future, where it's more of abenefit marketplace.
You have to go out on your own.
And that's just considered partof your salary package.
Yes, a thousand percent.
Like a lump sum for healthinsurance, professional
development, all of thosethings, those added benefits,
they're gonna give you this isfor that.
And then you have to figure outhow you divide it.
(13:25):
And they'll call itpersonalization.
Yes.
SPEAKER_00 (13:28):
But at the end of the day, it is probably less
benefits for the same amount ormore money.
All right.
So what do you do about this?
Your prices are gonna go up.
Whether again, whether you're inan employer plan or you're on
the exchange.
There are moves you can make,though, to make the right
choices for you.
So a few thoughts here.
One is do not autopilot youropen enrollment.
(13:50):
I am absolutely someone that I'mlike, oh shit, I forgot to open
enroll.
And then your plan just rollsover.
Don't do that.
Check your plan in details.
If you're gonna do it, this isthe year to do it.
Look line by line, especially ifyou get massage therapy or
mental health, or if you knowyou're someone that's gonna need
surgery or something like that,figure out networks,
deductibles, prescriptioncoverage, out-of-pocket
(14:12):
maximums.
You really want to pay attentionto all of that.
Don't autopilot your openenrollment.
Please don't.
And compare total cost, not justpremium.
Like lower monthly rates oftenhide higher deductibles.
That happened to me one yearwhere I was like, why is my
prescription and my OBGYN visitand all this good jazz so
expensive?
It's because I accidentally didthis.
SPEAKER_02 (14:34):
Oh, I did that one year too.
And it was the worst year.
And I had an HSA account to payto offset expenses.
It didn't matter.
It was like out of control.
SPEAKER_00 (14:45):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Which brings me to my third.
Use an HSA account.
Absolutely.
If you have one and can affordit, do it.
Your 2026 limits are going to be$4,400 for an individual,$8,750
for a family, plus$1000 catch upfor$55 plus.
These are triple tax advantaged,pre-tax contribution.
(15:06):
It will save you money, believeme.
So take advantage of that.
And then definitely ask youremployer a question around
what's changing.
Hopefully they're proactive withthat communication.
But most of your employers havepeople on staff that can answer
any questions that you haveabout new benefits like
telehealth or credits orwellness stipends so you can
offset costs, figure out whatyour employer is offering.
(15:28):
If you're on the exchange, watchCongress.
The decision to extend or endsubsidies will directly affect
your 2026 premium.
Period, point blank, big time.
So the other thing you can donow is model your what-if
scenarios.
If they extend it, what happens?
If they don't, how does 136%increase impact your budget?
(15:48):
Exactly that.
SPEAKER_02 (15:49):
I'm also one of those people that was on
autopilot when it came to annualselection and then be like, oh
shit, I got one data.
So many things.
Don't do what we've done.
Don't do what we've done.
Yeah.
You've got a few weeks.
Really sit down, talk to yourbenefits folks.
If you have questions, like downto your specific prescriptions,
you should be reaching out tofind out what changes are coming
(16:12):
with your prescription, all ofthose things.
Like get into the weeds.
It's annoying because it is notan easy process, as you and I've
talked about at all.
It's just like painful.
You're gonna need the time forfrustration and reviewing the
details.
SPEAKER_00 (16:26):
So make the time.
Take the time.
Absolutely take the time.
Listen, the bottom line, we'repaying more to get less this
year.
But if you really figure outwhat's right for you, great.
If Congress doesn't act,millions will face premium hikes
they can't absorb, most likely.
So to your very good point, donot sleep on open enrollment and
don't assume your average iswhat it was last year.
(16:46):
It will not be.
So there's a new actress inHollywood, and her name is Tilly
Norwood.
She's beautiful, expressive, andentirely fake.
Have you seen the pictures ofher?
SPEAKER_02 (17:02):
I have two bones to pick.
Sure.
Why do these Mega Techs alwayscome out with a woman?
It's always a woman character.
It's never a male character,even when Siri came out.
Alexa came out.
Even GPS.
It's always like a weird womancharacter that you can control
and command and ask to do thingsfor you.
(17:24):
Just putting it out there.
It's a pattern I'm recognizing.
SPEAKER_00 (17:28):
Yeah, it's a control and command.
And then I think I have onethat's a not PG reason why they
always bring a woman in too.
SPEAKER_02 (17:34):
Yeah, it's just like, okay.
But yes, I've seen Tilly, andI'm not a huge fan of the
synthetic characters for thingsthat like I don't know.
I appreciate the art ofanimation and the all of those
things, but this feels like it'scrossing a weird line.
SPEAKER_00 (17:50):
Yeah.
This is the thing.
Tilly Norwood is an AI generatedtrained on real performers, zero
human behind the scenes at all.
And last week at SAG AFTRA, theactors union basically totally
lost it rightfully.
And they said, quote unquote, tobe clear, Tilly Norwood is not
an actor.
She's a computer program trainedon the work of countless
(18:10):
professionals without permissionor pay.
And that scenario, friends, youmight think, uh, it's Hollywood,
and maybe it's an actor today,and maybe it's music tomorrow,
but it's actually a little bitof a signal and a canary in a
coal mine of what might becoming in your industry.
And I want to talk about what'sactually happening here because
(18:32):
the studio that created herclaims that talent agents are
interested.
But the truth is no majorproduction is hiring AI
performers yet.
This is more of a stress test,like a cultural experiment to
see how far the industry canpush before humans revolt.
Yeah.
And listen, these actors are notalone.
(18:53):
In Bollywood, performers aresuing to block AI-made films
using their likeness in musicrecord labels like Universal and
Warner are striking deals so AIcompanies can train on their
catalogs legally.
And everyone's trying to figureout where's the line, right?
unknown (19:09):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (19:11):
Again, this to me is a massive signal that I think
most people should pay attentionto, especially beyond Hollywood,
because it's not just againabout deep fakes or digital
doubles.
I think it's about the future ofcreative labor and who owns what
we make.
SPEAKER_02 (19:27):
Not just that, it's the what's the life experience
going to be when everything'ssynthetic.
SPEAKER_00 (19:32):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (19:33):
I think the thing I really love about film is the
imperfection of humans that doit, like the actors, like what
makes them special, what theybring to it.
Any AI character or synthetickind of character I've seen is
just, it sucks.
It's not great.
(19:53):
It doesn't feel human.
It doesn't even sound human.
It sounds that way, but itdoesn't really.
There's just something slightlyoff.
And that would be so distractingfor me.
I wouldn't even enjoy watchingit.
And never mind that, but theimpact to Hollywood's already
been ripped to shreds the lastfew years as an industry.
But the number of jobs, likecreative artistic jobs that will
(20:16):
go away as a result of somethinglike this, down to things like
costume designers, setdesigners, how far does it go
that we're going to rip kind ofthe fabric of what makes us
human out of society?
SPEAKER_00 (20:31):
I think that's the question at hand, right?
Because what you're talkingabout is also happening in
design.
It's happening in marketing,it's happening in journalism,
it's happening in customerservice.
And it's the same pattern thatwe see, right?
AI tools get trained on humanwork, the company profits, and
the humans realize they've beenturned into unpaid data.
(20:54):
Yeah.
And hop, listen, Hollywood, itjust happens to be the story
this week because the faces arefamous.
We love Hollywood stories, etcetera.
But it's coming for everyindustry that runs on any kind
of human expression.
It just is.
I think you're going to startseeing a lot more fights over
(21:15):
compensation, around consent,who gets paid when AI uses your
work, your voice, your face.
I'm hoping we see that.
It feels like there's so muchjust being steamrolled right
now, but I'm hoping we see waymore discussions and legality
around that.
I think you can expect unions,guilds, and eventually
governments to step in.
(21:35):
Maybe.
Definitely in like othercountries for sure, but hoping
this happens in the US.
And there'll be licensingsystems like transparency laws,
maybe even digital fingerprintsthat trace how your likeness is
being used in AI training.
It's such an interestingdiscussion because to your
point, the word synthetic is theright word for it.
And then it just feels likecommodity.
When I was at Limited Brands,Michael Weiss was the CEO of
(21:56):
Express for a long time.
Fashion is interesting becauseit's a period in time.
And once it's done, it's likeleftovers in the fridge.
You just don't want it anymore.
And I feel the same way aroundlike they're just, it's just
like leftover food.
It's just like filler.
SPEAKER_02 (22:10):
It's not the good stuff you want to eat.
It's the gross grilled cheese Ileft in your fridge last week.
No, by the way, Jeff did eatthat.
Delicious.
I'm just saying, but I did leavea block of cheese in your
fridge.
But I just but again, you'rejust like, seems like a good
idea at the time.
And then you're like, actually,I don't want to eat that again.
SPEAKER_00 (22:27):
This all goes back to listen, AI is here, right?
And we're going to be havingthese discussions.
You and I are not Luddites, butI do think this keeps on
begging.
The question we keep coming backto to make sure things are,
again, clear, durable, alwaysbidding on humans.
The big question we would loveleaders to ask is what can AI do
and what's worth keeping human?
(22:49):
And there are always elements inany discussion, and especially
in a creative realm, that areworth keeping human.
SPEAKER_02 (22:57):
Like number one litmus test for me is if it
can't have the lived experience,it can't add value.
And that's a big differentiatorto me.
We exist in the world andexperience the world as it is.
Like AI doesn't experience anyof it.
And there's no amount oftraining that's ever going to
provide them that level ofcontext or emotion or feeling
(23:19):
that human beings have.
So if the work requires that,you shouldn't be using AI for
it.
This episode was produced,edited in all things by us,
myself, Mel Platt, and FrancescaReneri.
(23:40):
Our music is by Pink Zebra.
And if you loved thisconversation and you want to
contribute your thoughts withus, please do.
You can visit us atyourworkfriends.com.
But you can also join us over onLinkedIn.
We have a LinkedIn communitypage and we have the TikToks and
Instagram.
So please join us in thesocials.
(24:02):
And if you like this and you'vebenefited from this episode and
you think someone else canbenefit from this episode,
please rate and subscribe.
We'd really appreciate it.
That helps keep us going.
Take care, friends.
Bye, friends.
Bye friends.
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