The New Way We Work

When the Supreme Court ruled in June that race-based affirmative action practices in college admissions was unconstitutional, it not only sent universities scrambling, but it also caused a lot of confusion within companies. What would it mean for diversity, equity, and inclusion departments and initiatives? It didn’t help that as soon as the decision was issued, opponents of DEI efforts capitalized on the confusion with fear-mongering and misinformation. So, how does the affirmative-action ruling actually change both hiring and DEI initiatives at companies? LaFawn Davis, senior vice president of Environmental, Social, and Governance at Indeed, helped to parse out exactly what the ruling changes . . . and what it doesn’t.

We’re in an era where employee fulfillment and purpose are essential, but have management principles caught up? Today’s episode was recorded live at the Fast Company Innovation Festival last week in New York City, with Rachel Korberg, founder and executive director of the Family and Workers Fund, and Sarah Kalloch, executive director of the nonprofit Good Jobs Institute. We talked about the science behind what makes a good job, how that meaning has changed, and why getting employee satisfaction right is so important right now.

Find it difficult to focus at work? Is the environment the problem, or is it our own brain? In this special conversation from LinkedIn Audio, Fast Company's Work Life team breaks down what’s really behind our inability to focus, how to deal with distractions and train your brain to concentrate, and how to find motivation in your work.

We’ve all heard of FOMO, fear of missing out, but what about . . . JOMO? Podcast producer Blake Odom joins this episode to talk about the ‘Joy of Missing Office,’ with input from a few ‘Fast Company’ staffers who work remotely. Besides the comforts of home and skipping a terrible commute, what else do we love to miss about office life?

Many companies are still trying to figure out how to coax employees back to the office and how to design hybrid models that work for everyone. Not going so well yet: Bosses are clashing with employees who want to continue working remotely or at least maintain some of the flexibility they’ve had over the past few years. Gleb Tsipursky, frequent ‘Fast Company’ contributor and CEO of the future-of-work consultancy, Disaster Avoidance Experts, says that a top-down RTO approach is sure to backfire. He talks about how to avoid resentment and instead foster more engagement from employees—also, the importance of managing skills specifically for the hybrid workplace.

The next season of The New Way We Work starts next week! This fall, we might not be heading back to school but policies around coming back to the office (or not!) are still on a lot of people's minds. We'll also be digging into how the Supreme Court's ruling on affirmative action in college admissions might affect the workplace, anxiety over AI, and the pushback against productivity culture. Plus, what would your dream office look and feel like?

Thinking of quitting your job? Whether you are miserable and dream of quitting your job in a dramatic TikTok-worthy fashion, or if you’re just feeling stagnant and uninspired, leaving your job is a huge decision. In this special LinkedIn Audio conversation, Fast Company Editors Kathleen Davis, Julia Herbst, and AJ Hess offer advice on red flags to look out for, steps to take once you know it’s time, and how quitting can be a good career move.

In this special interview from LinkedIn Audio, Judith Humphrey, Fast Company contributor and author of the new book "The Job Seeker’s Script" gives her best advice for job searching. What pieces of your resume can you trim, and what parts should you highlight? How important are cover letters...really? And once you land the interview, how do you answer the classic prompt, "Tell me a bit about yourself"?

Fast Company's fourth annual Queer 50 list, which publishes on Tuesday June 13th, celebrates the representation and influence of LGBTQ women and nonbinary leaders across industries. The individuals on the list have a seat at the table among the highest ranks for billion-dollar companies and powerful positions in advocacy, politics, and entertainment. They are also, in many cases, doing critical work to ensure that other marginalized folks have access to the same positions in the future.

On June 6, 2018 the first episode of this podcast aired with an episode titled “What’s ruining our sleep.” The show at the time was called “Secrets of the Most Productive People” a nod to Fast Company's annual magazine package of the same name where we ask people from across industries how they get things done. Since then, this show has covered nearly every area of work life from imposter syndrome to ambition to DEI issues.

Today’s episode is an edited version of a recent LinkedIn Audio conversation with Senior Staff Editor Julia Herbst. We dug into research on the different forms procrastination can take and explore strategies for overcoming it.

Is AI coming for our jobs?? ‘Fast Company’ senior staff editor Max Ufberg explains that it is . . . but that it’s not all bad news. And Yaz chatted with Loom CEO Joe Thomas—Loom is essentially TikTok for business, which sounds crazier than it is—about how video conferencing is here to stay. Also, a special thanks to Marfa Public Radio for helping us out with some recording on this episode!

Today’s episode is an edited version of a LinkedIn Audio discussion I had recently with Senior Editor Julia Herbst and Staff Editor AJ Hess where we covered how to manage your manager and offered advice for managers to make sure they aren’t making missteps that could make employees disengage.

Kate Davis talks with Fast Company Editor, Christopher Zara, about his book "Uneducated: A Memoir of Flunking Out, Falling Apart, and Finding My Worth"

Kate Davis talks with Lars Schmidt about what a progressive, employee-centric human resources department would look like? What roles would it contain? And, If there is a future where HR is no longer the butt of office jokes? Lars is the founder of the HR consultancy Amplify, speaker, host of the Redefining Work podcast, author of the book Redefining HR, and a regular contributor to Fast Company

How is retirement changing for those with a few years versus a few decades left in the workforce? How can you plan for retirement at any age or career stage? How is retirement likely to change over the next generation? On this week's episode, Kate Davis talks with Emily Guy Birken to answer these questions. Birken is an author, money coach, and retirement expert who has written several books including "Choose Your Retirement" and "The 5 Years Before You Retire". She’s also written several personal finance articles for Fast Company.

Earlier this season, Kate Davis talked to New York Times columnist Jessica Grose about a piece Grose wrote called “the hour between babe and hag”. The article examines gendered ageism. Jessica writes that there seems to be about 10 years when a woman can hope to be taken seriously at work. Roughly from age 35-45. On either end of that, women are more likely to face ageism. On one side for being perceived as too young, and on the other side as being past their prime. In this episode, we hear a conversation between two women on other side of the this "hour".

Kate Davis and the work life team at Fast Company talk about what different generations of employees want out of work

Kate Davis talks with Albert Fox Cahn about what employers tracking and what tools are they using, If there any regulations around employee surveillance, and if your boss even has to tell you that you are being monitored. Albert Fox Cahn is the founder and executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project. He’s also a fellow at Yale Law School’, and at The Harvard Kennedy School.

The earliest Artificial Intelligence program was written way back in 1951 but outside of science fiction AI didn’t enter the mainstream conversation until decades later. At Fast Company we’ve been covering AI technologies for many years but nothing has compared to the excitement and fear that Open AI and their artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT has caused since it launched this past November. These new AI tools can feel at times like a novelty or at other times a harbinger of doom. But we’ve seen the panicked headlines that “the robots are taking our jobs” for years. How disruptive is AI? How can we use AI to our advantage? And is there anything we, as regular humans can do to not only keep our jobs but hold on to our humanity?

On today's episode, Kate explains how AI might change our jobs. A 2021 poll found that 48% of Americans fear that automation will reduce the number of jobs, but is there really something to be afraid of?

Kate Davis talks with Amber Cabral about diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace. Amber is an Inclusion Strategist, certified coach, speaker and author of Allies and Advocates: Creating an Inclusive and Equitable Culture.

On the latest episode of ‘The New Way We Work,’ we discuss what happens when companies cut their DEI departments to save money. Wema Hoover, a global diversity, equity, and inclusion expert noted that many companies may be trimming DEI roles because they never took it seriously to begin with.

Kate Davis talks with Fast Company Senior Editor Julia Herbst about an article she recently wrote looking at whether employees are still feeling as empowered and in control of their careers as they did a year ago.

Kate Davis talks with Jessica Grose, New York Times opinion writer, about her new book “Screaming on the inside: the Unsustainability of American Motherhood”

We are back with new episodes on February 20th!

This week we have a panel recorded at the Fast Company Innovation Festival in New York last fall. This discussion was one of my favorites from the Festival - Fast Company editor Morgan Clendaniel spoke to Sara Nelson, President of the Flight Attendants union; Christian Smalls, President, Amazon Labor Union; and Saket Soni, Founder, Resilience Force about the future of the labor movement, how covid changed workplaces and the dynamic between employees and management. The three labor leaders explain the forces that led up to this new worker moment and share their insights on what’s permanently changed for businesses and the economy.

Today’s episode was recorded at the Fast Company Innovation Festival in New York last fall. Bhavik Shah, principal from Mind Share Partners presented a workshop about how to support mental health of employees. He joined me in the podcast booth on the festival floor to talk about how he thinks the workplace will change over the next few years, how leaders can address and support mental health for their employees beyond benefits, and more.

When it comes to New Years Resolutions, why do so many of us fail – and what’s the secret to those few that manage to follow through? For this LinkedIn Audio from Tuesday 1/10, Fast Company's Work Life editors comb through all the best advice around goal setting and share their tips.

Last year, Dr. David Rock of the Neuroleadship Institute came on The New Way We Work to talk about the factors that make work meaningful. He pointed to five forms of motivation, using the acronym "SCARF" which stands for status, certainty, autonomy, relatedness, and fairness. On today's episode Kate Davis and producer Josh Christensen take the SCARF assessment and discuss their results.

Kate Davis, KC Ifeanyi, and Amelia Hemphill discuss the biggest stories at Fast Company this past year and share their favorite moments from Fast Company podcasts. Kate highlights The New Way We Work's 4-part miniseries "Ambition Diaries," which examined the effects of the pandemic on women's progress in the workplace. KC reviews some of the biggest trends in the creator economy. Amelia explains some of the most innovative approaches to sustainability, including a toilet that incinerates your bowel movement under water. Finally, Kate, KC, and Amelia share their New Year's resolutions. Subscribe to The New Way We Work, Creative Control, and World Changing Ideas on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.

In good economic times and bad. Fresh out school, mid-career, in your second or third act. After a layoff or a resignation. Following a short stint or a long tenure. We will all find ourselves looking for a job at several points in our lives. Which is probably why resume advice has always been among the most popular content on Fast Company. We’ve all written one, but no one knows if they are getting it right: Should you include an objective statement? Do you really need to keep your résumé to one page? How important is it to tailor your résumé for each job? Is it okay to omit your graduation date? There are a lot of long held beliefs about résumé dos and don’ts. Fast Company’s Work Life editors have been covering job-hunting for years, so earlier this fall I teamed up with Senior Editor Julia Herbst and Staff Editor AJ Hess to highlight the most common résumé mistakes, offer advice and take questions on a LinkedIn Audio event.

Kate Davis is joined by Fast Company editors Lydia Dishman and Julia Herbst to debate what office jargon is the absolute worst.

Kat Davis talks with Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic about miscommunication in the workplace

Kate Davis explains five red flags to watch out for when interviewing for a job. For more tips, check out the article link below. https://www.fastcompany.com/90734998/10-signs-you-shouldnt-take-the-job

It’s Thanksgiving tomorrow and what better way to spend it than examining how our food is produced? While we can’t live without food, we also can’t afford to have the current agricultural industries, which grow and produce our food, continue contributing to climate change at such a rapid pace. The global population is larger than ever before, but in order for industrial agriculture to provide for everyone while not destroying the planet in the process, a lot has to change. Could bioengineered food be the next world-changing idea? We looked at three companies working on revolutionizing the food landscape: Meatable is headed by Daan Luining, who was part of the team that created the first cultivated burger. Cultivated meat requires only three months to develop versus the three years it takes for a cow to mature before it’s slaughtered for food. But how will the end product’s taste and texture measure up to traditional animal meat? Neggst is creating a completely vegan egg made from fava beans, sweet potatoes, and peas. It may fry like a chicken egg, but will it help decrease environmental degradation? Perfect Day has made an animal-free ice cream that contains the same protein found in milk but it doesn't come from cows. Its taste might be indistinguishable from our beloved cow-derived ice cream, but the verdict is still out on whether this cellular-fermentation process will make a significant dent in greenhouse gas emissions.

Kate Davis talks with Dorie Clark about how to future proof your career (as much as possible). Dorie has been a guest on the show before, she’s also a contributor to Fast Company, Harvard Business Review and others and has been named the #1 Communication Coach and one of the Top 50 Business Thinkers in the World. She teaches at both Duke and Columbia Business Schools, and she is the author of several books, including The Long Game: How to Be a Long-Term Thinker in a Short-Term World.

How do you prepare for a looming recession and the possibility of layoffs? Is there such a thing as a recession proof job? Kate Davis is joined by Amanda Augustine to answer these questions. Amanda is an expert in career advancement, ranging from developing one’s professional brand to acing job interviews. She’s a speaker and contributor for many publications including Fast Company and has served as a career expert for Top Resume since 2015.

Kate Davis is joined by Kim Rittberg, host of the podcast Mom’s Exit Interview, to discuss what the next career chapter is for some of those women who left the traditional workforce in 2020

In this special podcast episode, hear the latest on what’s taking place in edge computing and hybrid cloud from a top industry executive at AWS. Also learn how these innovations can ultimately help you transform your business.

On this fourth and final episode of Ambition Diaries, Kate examines is ambition really matters anymore after the pandemic and how we are recalibrating in the new world of work.

In this episode we’ll hear from several of the mothers and daughters in the series about how decisions around marriage and children played out in their homes and careers. From the cost of childcare limiting career options, to delegating responsibilities to a babysitter. From grappling with questions of fulfillment in motherhood to approaching child rearing in more creative ways. And finally how mothers navigate model for their daughters what it’s like to love their jobs, even when it means less time at home.

On the second episode in Ambition Diaries, we hear stories of workplace discrimination. ” it calls to mind a bygone era of Mad Men style overt sexism and racism. And while that kind of egregious behavior does still happen, the discrimination most prevalent in workplaces of all types can fly under the radar of those note experiencing it. It’s in many of the issues that we try to root out regularly on The New Way We Work

Over the course of several months, seven reporters from across the country recorded intimate conversations between mothers and daughters about issues like unpaid labor, discrimination, pay gap, career advancement, work life balance, and how the pandemic has changed our relationship to work. The result is a 4-part mini series called Ambition Diaries. In this first episode of the series we explore economic mobility.

Kate Davis hosts a live episode of The New Way We Work at Fast Company Innovation Festival. She talks about burnout and why so many employees are unhappy at work with Ludmila Praslova and Phoebe Gavin. Ludmila is a professor of Organizational psychology at Vanguard University of Southern California with extensive experience in talent systems, inclusion and wellbeing. She is a frequent contributor to Fast Company and Harvard Business Review. Phoebe is a career and leadership coach specializing in career strategy, negotiation, and self-advocacy. She’s also the Executive Director of Talent and Development at Vox.com where she oversees the employee life-cycle from candidate to employee to alumni. A new season of The New Way We Work starts October 3rd with a special four-part mini series called Ambition Diaries.

On this week's Most Innovative Companies Podcast, Nicolas Julia, CEO and cofounder of Sorare talks about his vision for democratizing NFTs through the world’s biggest sports.

On this week’s Most Innovative Companies Podcast, Alexandr Wang, CEO and founder of Scale AI, explains how his company is using data to tackle problems from access to healthcare to supplies for the war in Ukraine.

On the latest episode of the Most Innovative Companies podcast, Irving Fain, founder and CEO of the vertical farming company Bowery, explains how being an outsider to agriculture has helped him come up with new ideas.