Morning Brew - 📣 Lost in translation

Time-saving tools and products we’re really into rn.

For those of us who need (drink) options, Hitch’s Bottle and Cup can hold your coffee and your water (or any other drink combo). And it’s leakproof!

Support your local library with Hoopla, a site that uses your library card to give you access to movies, TV shows, magazines, music, and books for free. Streaming wars get all the hype, but only the real ones know the library did it first.

Reaching out and casually texting your friends means more to them than you might think. Give this NYT article a read.

Whether you’re presenting in a crowded virtual meeting, advocating for that raise or promotion, or resolving a conflict with a coworker, communication skills are key.

And if you live in fear of speaking up, fear not! It’s not actually difficult to train yourself to go from I’m-scared-to-speak-up to I’m-calm-and-I’ve-got-this. Sidekick tapped two communication powerhouses—people and culture consultant and author Maryanne O’Brien and TikTok career queen Alex Schudy—for tips on how to communicate directly.—MW

Tech tips and tricks.

Don’t want your old boss realizing you’re creepin’? We got you. Turn off profile views on LinkedIn by clicking on the Me icon at the top of the home page. Select Settings & Privacy from the dropdown menu and click Visibility. Then under Visibility of your profile & network, select Profile viewing options > Private mode. Now you’re stealth-mode Sherlock Holmes. —SS

Burning questions of our time.

The experience equation

When it comes to hiring and promotions, experience is key. Many young professionals work hard to pursue internships, campus jobs, and other gigs to develop and hone their skill sets, but there are still a lot of HR reps who believe that internships and the like “don’t count” because they aren’t full-time employment.

As a result, job seekers might be tempted to drop these lines from their résumés and underestimate their total career length. Should internships and work-study jobs count toward years of experience? Should they be given weight in promotions or hiring decisions? Hit Reply and let us know your thoughts in the Inbox!—SS

And now, your thoughts on workplace loyalty:

“The only thing that would make me loyal to a company is if the CEO were to donate a kidney to me. The relationship between a company and its employees isn’t a marriage. There's nothing unethical or wrong about a company finding a new me if my work doesn’t match what they want or expect. Similarly, there’s nothing unethical or wrong about me finding a new company if whatever it is that’s important to me—be that pay, WFH opportunities, benefits, etc.—is better somewhere else.”—John

“It’s tough to say. Unfortunately, many employees are treated like they’re expendable, so it’s definitely a two-way street. As a young millennial, I would say the younger generations’ biggest concern is flexibility. We need to be multifaceted and [have time for] different interests. Things like remote work, unlimited PTO, four-day work weeks, credit or reimbursement for courses/certificates/degrees (big one), etc. encourage loyalty. However, most companies just go the ‘golden handcuff’ route with amenities and health insurance, which feels more like they’re buying you.”—Jacob

Your punch list for when you punch out.

Read: You’d think that doggy playdates would be the most adorable, least problematic thing on the planet, right? Think again: The UES Frenchie community is absolutely rife with drama.

Watch: Once you learn why roller coaster loops aren’t perfectly circular, you won’t be able to stop blabbing about it to everyone in line at Six Flags.

Follow: You can’t resist this viral meme trend! As a Little Miss Hot Girl Bookstagrammer myself, I can assure you this Little Miss IG page will have you LOLing, crying, and shouting, “That’s so me!”