From an Ally who’s living it.

Every issue features a Vanguard Story, first-person, from an Ally a few steps further down the trail. It's consistently our most-read writing, not because it's polished, because it's true.

Vanguard Story

Beyond the Circumstantial: Building an Intentional Network

One of the hardest parts when I needed to quit a job was realizing that too much of my social life was intertwined with my workplace. My external network was weak to non-existent and non-work friends were dispersed across the country. So, I made intentional changes and then quit.

The purpose of a school or office was never explicitly designed to make friends, build networks, and support our social needs as humans. 
School is an education system. The office is for getting a job done.

Written by Rachell Thompson • Raleigh-Durham, NC

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The Field Report

Evidence, Not Opinion

Every issue carries a Field Report. It's not a recap and it's not our take. It's proof: labor-market data, Outpost dispatches, named Ally results. If it can't be sourced to a stat, an event outcome, or a real person, it doesn't run.

• No advice

• No opinion

• No recaps for their own sake

• Runs every issue, regardless of that week's subject

The Field Report

Office mandates are not a loyalty test

The numbers back up what Allies already know. A new Minneapolis Fed analysis of Census data found remote work has plateaued, holding near 22% of the workforce through 2025, essentially flat year over year, even as RTO mandates piled up. Kastle's badge data backs it: 55% average office occupancy in June, nowhere near a full comeback.

The kicker: Pew found 46% of remote-capable workers would leave if the option disappeared. A Trip.com study cut in Nature found structured hybrid schedules dropped quit rates by a third, with no dip in performance.