Morning Brew - 🐰 The big leap

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

• Step up your work lunch game from sad salads and vending machine snacks with W&P’s meal prep bundle, which includes reusable sandwich bags, a leak-proof bowl, and an ice cube tray for saving leftover soup.
• BeReal, a “casual” social media app, encourages users to share the mundane parts of their lives by randomly prompting them to post a photo or video of themselves once a day.
• Career expert Kimberly Brown has taken her talents to The Cut in a new biweekly column called Your Next Move. The first column tackles the tricky task of moving from mid-level jobs into leadership roles (more from her below!).

What’s top of mind at the watercooler.

If you’ve ever Googled “how to get a raise,” you’ve probably read how job-hopping is a surefire way to increase your earnings. Job-hoppers, or people who change companies every year or two, have credited frequent moves for significant pay bumps throughout their careers. But what are the pros and cons? Sidekick spoke with career development coach Kimberly Brown (yes, the same one writing for The Cut!), and the chief people officer of Relay Payments, Amy Zimmerman.

Brown only considers frequent moves job-hopping if there is no “real intention” behind them. “If you’re moving to a new job because it’s time and you’ve exhausted all your possibilities at your [current] job, I wouldn’t even use the term job-hopping.” While changing jobs to make more money is a common motivator, make sure that’s not your only reason.

Brown and Zimmerman agree—you can make more money when you move. But before you call your boss and throw up deuces, consider:

• Frequent moves may stunt upward mobility. “You’re still learning the ropes when you haven’t been [at a job] long enough. So if you keep moving from company to company, you’re never able to get settled and master what you’re there to do,” Brown said. “When you don’t have mastery, you end up making lateral move after lateral move,” which makes it difficult to get promotions.
• Employers are skeptical about job-hoppers. Companies may question your commitment to them, which could make you a weaker candidate, Brown said. Zimmerman agreed: “Do I [as an employer] want to invest in somebody who doesn’t seem like they’re ever going to just settle and stick to something?”
• Moving around makes you adaptable, however. “You’re used to the onboarding process, and you [may] do it fairly efficiently. You’re also able to build relationships quickly and are able to get up to speed and learn fast,” Zimmerman said.
• Moving can be necessary for growth. Especially when you want to learn new skills, Zimmerman said, though she thinks the best move is to find a company that supports your growth and stick with it.—SS

Your punch list for when you punch out.

Make: Plant lovers, assemble! If you want to bring more green into your life and help the environment, create an indoor garden using DIY upcycled hanging planters. Who would’ve thought shampoo bottles could look so chic?

Read: If you’re constantly anxious about unopened emails, and losing sleep over late-night pings, it may be time to take a page out of Gen Z’s book. In this New York Times op-ed, Margaret Renkl suggests the kids got it right by pretending email doesn’t exist.

Eat: Everyone has that one skillet that does the job right, every single time. Break out ol’ reliable and test your skills with this veggie fried rice with frizzled eggs recipe.

For your four-legged fam: ASPCA® Pet Health Insurance lets you customize your plan based on your li’l buddy’s needs and your budget. That way, your pet—and your wallet—can be protected from the unexpected. Learn more here.*

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Pearls of career wisdom.

What career advice would you give your younger self?

“Create and update your career hype doc early, consistently, and often! A career hype doc documents your big and small accomplishments, and is a powerful tool to track your career progress while it’s fresh on your mind. It includes three phases: Now (current and past achievements), Next (what you want to accomplish over the next few quarters), and Future (long-term career goals).”—Upasna Gautam, product manager at CNN