Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
In this episode of WORK: Conversations, Erika is joined by Mita Mallick, Wall Street Journal bestselling author and workplace strategist, to dig into the biggest sources of friction at work. They cover role clarity after layoffs, survivor’s guilt for those who stay, alignment and priority setting, simple systems like start–stop–continue and weekly one-on-ones, and how to manage up when your boss is avoidant or unclear. They also get into remote team hygiene, boundaries when coworkers overstep, and generational differences in loyalty and expectations. Mita previews her new book, The Devil Emails at Midnight: What Good Leaders Can Learn from Bad Bosses, including the bad boss archetypes and how to avoid becoming one.
Chapters
00:00 – Welcome to WORK: Conversations
00:04 – Meet Mita Mallick
00:33 – The Mission: Fixing What’s Broken at Work
01:27 – The Three Biggest Sources of Friction
02:07 – Role Clarity After Layoffs
03:04 – Why It Hurts More for the People Who Stay
04:12 – Strategy, Priorities, and the Missing Reset
05:10 – How to Regain Clarity When You Missed It
06:09 – The Archetypes of Unclear Managers
07:13 – How to Communicate Expectations Clearly
08:08 – The Power of One Weekly Priorities Meeting
09:24 – Managing Up When Your Boss Isn’t Clear
12:42 – Generational Differences and Workplace Tension
17:11 – Bad Boss Archetypes and Mita's New Book
Follow WORK here:
Substack: erikaayersbadan.substack.com
Instagram: instagram.com/workwitherika
TikTok: tiktok.com/@workwitherika
Follow Erika here:
Instagram: instagram.com/erika
TikTok: tiktok.com/@erika_
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/erikanardini
Twitter: twitter.com/erika_
Follow Work Like A Girl here:
Instagram: instagram.com/worklikeagirl
Slack Channel: join.slack.com/t/worklikeagirl/shared_invite/zt-3a7fiqzf8-NEf3DUArSMz76vTspihC5w
In this episode of WORK: Conversations, Erika is joined by Mita Mallick, Wall Street Journal bestselling author and workplace strategist, to dig into the biggest sources of friction at work. They cover role clarity after layoffs, survivor’s guilt for those who stay, alignment and priority setting, simple systems like start–stop–continue and weekly one-on-ones, and how to manage up when your boss is avoidant or unclear. They also get into remote team hygiene, boundaries when coworkers overstep, and generational differences in loyalty and expectations. Mita previews her new book, The Devil Emails at Midnight: What Good Leaders Can Learn from Bad Bosses, including the bad boss archetypes and how to avoid becoming one.
Chapters
00:00 – Welcome to WORK: Conversations
00:04 – Meet Mita Mallick
00:33 – The Mission: Fixing What’s Broken at Work
01:27 – The Three Biggest Sources of Friction
02:07 – Role Clarity After Layoffs
03:04 – Why It Hurts More for the People Who Stay
04:12 – Strategy, Priorities, and the Missing Reset
05:10 – How to Regain Clarity When You Missed It
06:09 – The Archetypes of Unclear Managers
07:13 – How to Communicate Expectations Clearly
08:08 – The Power of One Weekly Priorities Meeting
09:24 – Managing Up When Your Boss Isn’t Clear
12:42 – Generational Differences and Workplace Tension
17:11 – Bad Boss Archetypes and Mita's New Book
Follow WORK here:
Substack: erikaayersbadan.substack.com
Instagram: instagram.com/workwitherika
TikTok: tiktok.com/@workwitherika
Follow Erika here:
Instagram: instagram.com/erika
TikTok: tiktok.com/@erika_
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/erikanardini
Twitter: twitter.com/erika_
Follow Work Like A Girl here:
Instagram: instagram.com/worklikeagirl
Slack Channel: join.slack.com/t/worklikeagirl/shared_invite/zt-3a7fiqzf8-NEf3DUArSMz76vTspihC5w
