At professional services firm KPMG, managing director Rob Breakiron feels more popular among his entry-level colleagues than he should be as a 45-year-old. He has an unlikely ally in building this office reputation: Taylor Swift.
Breakiron’s affinity for Swift has made him, like many of the “Mastermind” singer’s songs, a hit. He often wears Swift’s merchandise or friendship bracelets from her ongoing Eras tour on team calls. The visual cues aren’t missed by fans of the 14-time Grammy winner’s music, and it helps build connections that can establish him as a trusted mentor.
“It very much directly impacts my ability to connect to the younger generation,” said the northern Virginia resident. “I don’t think it should be underestimated.”
Breakiron is known within his division as the “Swiftie Dad.” After attending multiple tour stops with his daughter, and with more planned over the summer, he’s become a go-to source for teammates seeking concert-related advice.
Coming out of the remote-work era, companies are attempting to reset expectations around norms such as what to wear and how to communicate. In a period rife with headbutting on everything from politics to return-to-office mandates, superstar performers Swift and Beyoncé are providing co-workers across generations and seniority levels with safe terrain to bond over.
The trend first sprouted last year as the pop icons crisscrossed the U.S. on tour. Now, with new albums from both performers topping charts in recent weeks and Swift’s show restarting this month, the two are once again often the topic du jour by water coolers or at the sometimes-awkward start of virtual meetings.
This can be welcome in the post-pandemic world of work, given the continued difficulty of building relationships in hybrid or all-online settings, according to associate professor Angela Hall of Michigan State University’s School of Human Resources and Labor Relations. These ties can help people feel more supported and happy in their roles, she said, which is a plus for both employees and executives at a time of worker apathy.
“Anything that can get people to form a connection, a bond, an affinity, is really important — whether it’s Beyoncé or Taylor, whether it’s the fact that they like to bake, or they have pets,” Hall said. “If people can connect on that level, it can only make things better.”
Hall pointed to a recent survey by the Society for Human Resource Management that showed 45% of workers surveyed feel “emotionally drained” by their jobs and more than half feel “used up” at the end of the workday. Those stats contribute to a sour picture of American labor sentiment following years defined by “quiet quitting” and the “great resignation.”
And employees who report feeling burned out are almost three times more likely to be actively looking for a new job, the research found. But there’s a key caveat: Those who feel a strong sense of belonging in their company are 2½ times less likely to feel burned out in the first place.
A ‘unifying’ interest
Self-proclaimed “Swiftie” Andrew Boyagi agrees with Hall. Other managers might see discussing personal interests during work as a waste of time. But the Atlassian senior director views these moments as essential to forming relationships that can prove beneficial down the road.
“When you’re in the trenches at work, knowing someone personally really helps,” said Boyagi, who oversees a team of more than 20 people located around the world from his home in Australia.
He’s seen updates on Swift’s music and personal life as something employees from across generations jump in to discuss on a team messaging forum. It’s common ground for a group that isn’t always in complete cultural harmony, he said.
For instance, a younger team member informed more senior colleagues that the thumbs-up emoji could be considered passive-aggressive. Boyagi said high-five emojis have emerged as a popular — and subtext-safe — replacement.
“Having been around when ‘thumbs up’ was one of the only emojis available, some of us were very shocked,” he said.
The Swift/Beyoncé buzz has reached the top of major corporations, with business moguls from Amazon’s Jeff Bezos to Bridgewater’s Ray Dalio attending the artists’ concerts. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted photos of his face bejeweled and wrists covered in friendship bracelets, which have become a hallmark accessory of Swift’s tour.
And it’s earned clout from subordinates for executives such as Susan St. Ledger, president of worldwide field operations at cloud company HashiCorp. St. Ledger, 59, referenced Swift during a sales kick-off speech and walked on stage to the song “Fearless.” Afterward, employees gave her friendship bracelets, one of which had lettered beads spelling out “fearless leader.”
“It’s a reality that a title distances you from people, whether you like it or not,” St. Ledger said. Despite that, she said, Swift’s music has been a “universal language” that’s helped her connect with everyone from the fathers of fans to women who see themselves in the singer.
Some businesses profited from the tours’ creation of a cultural phenomenon. Software business Air flew three workers, including Megh McLaughlin, to Florida as part of an incentive trip that included a night at Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour. McLaughlin organized a recurrent virtual gathering with the topic “Run the World (Girls)” for the three female guests to catch up with one another when they returned.
This enthusiasm has been brought to work by others. At the Austin location of financial technology company Wise, Amani Albertsen arranged a screening of the movie adaptation of Swift’s Eras tour, which debuted onDisney+ in March.
When Albertsen announced the event to the whole building, he was a little anxious about what those who weren’t Swifties might say. Some coworkers politely watched the festivities through the glass doors as guests from various departments gathered for pre-movie quizzes and friendship bracelet crafts.
“I felt like we were going to be laughed at,” Albertsen said, before going on to say that the event was well-received and a “unifying” experience.
“A real serving of personality”
As several conflicts rage overseas and the United States heads toward a contentious presidential race, Swift and Beyoncé provide uncontroversial talking points, according to Michigan State’s Hall. According to her, workers facing financial difficulties including growing inflation and the expense of housing may find it distracting to watch the celebrities.
Several generations may all be interested in these artists at the same time since they have been well-known for more than ten years. Through younger family members or popular culture, non-fans have had time to at least become familiar with the performers.
For several workers that CNBC spoke with, the artists have provided them with an opportunity to express themselves more at work.
When one of the co-founders said that she adored Swift, Atlan product marketing lead Sharif Karmally stated his ears pricked up. It occurred during one of the “Jeffersonian dinners” hosted by the data company, when guests had one long talk at the table rather than many little conversations.
This inspired Swift’s new album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” to serve as the inspiration for a clever music video that would publicize Atlan’s most recent fundraising round. The whole band—from the original members to the newest additions—participated in the lyrics written by Karmally.
While creating tour-related material for a customer of their advertising business, Raeah Smith was approached by a colleague who asked her about Beyoncé when she made a stop in Atlanta. As a conversation starter with new recruits, Smith discusses her admiration for Beyoncé in a group chat with her coworkers about the 32-time Grammy winner.
“I was able to contribute a small amount of insider knowledge to the article,” Smith said.
Smith said that while Beyoncé’s devoted followers, dubbed the “Beyhive,” haven’t discovered the Swiftie friendship bracelet’s counterpart, the coworkers have spoken about purchasing cowboy hats and boots in light of the Texas-born singer’s recent move into country music.
In order to fly from Chicago to Minneapolis for Swift’s performance last year, Matt Lindner took a leave of absence from his job in media marketing. In an out-of-office email alerting people to his intentions, Lindner, aware of her fame, included allusions to her songs—or Easter eggs, as some admirers refer to them.
The 41-year-old added, “You’ve drawn my blank space.” He went on, “Don’t just brush it off if it’s urgent.” “Having any ill will toward you is the last thing I want.”
Upon returning to his remote work, Lindner would often discuss his favorite songs and whether or not other people were watching the program with his coworkers or outside customers. Think of the virtual ice as shattered.
About his marketing role, he said, “It’s kind of my job to put out good vibes in general.” Furthermore, “an authentic touch of personality—even if it’s something as basic and unremarkable as an out-of-office message—kind of helps reinforce the notion that, yes, there is a person behind the screen.”
