Secrets Of The Most Productive People

Alabama's ecosystem of innovation is built on the strength of its entrepreneurs, workforce, policymakers, and community leaders. Leading economic development at HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Carter Wells has long worked at the intersection of these stakeholders, fueling innovation, collaboration, and impact across 45 biotech companies in the state. In this custom episode, learn how Carter connects Alabama's best institutions, organizations, and people behind HudsonAlpha's mission — and how Alabama creates an ecosystem for this mission to thrive.

For the past five years, Fast Company has published the annual Queer 50, a list of the most influential LGBTQ leaders in business, tech, and beyond. The list is a celebration of queer representation and influence in the highest ranks of business. Honorees include those working on addressing the most relevant topics of our time, including responsible AI, trans rights, healthcare, and the future of work. In this episode, we wanted to hear from some of our Queer 50 honorees about the strengths that enable their best work and what inspires them to work through challenges. To read more detailed profiles of 2024's Queer 50 honorees, go to fastcompany.com/queer-50.

Our show is based on the premise that work is changing everyday. But there's a big problem with that: Change is hard, scary . . . and necessary. Now more than ever, as AI is integrated into our jobs, we are asked to adapt to seismic shifts at a much faster rate than in the past. But it's human nature to resist uncomfortable changes, even if we know it might be for the best. So how can we make these shifts a little easier? Can we train our brains to become more adaptable? Sanam Hafeez is a neuropsychologist who has studied how our brains adapt to change, and she explains how underlying emotions affect our ability to adapt in the workplace.

One in five American workers have signed a noncompete clause in their employment contract, and many likely had no idea what they were agreeing to. Noncompete clauses typically prevent workers from joining competitors for a certain period of time after their employment; and although many people only expect to see those restrictions only in high-level positions, they actually apply to a surprising number of jobs. Low-wage workers in fast-food service, nurses and other healthcare professionals, and even temporary Amazon employees have all found themselves bound by noncompete clauses that make it nearly impossible to find another job. Earlier this spring, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) banned the use of noncompetes for most workers, prompting legal challenges from business organizations that will continue for many months. But if that ban goes into effect, the FTC believes it could raise wages by as much as $300 million. Evan Starr, an economist and professor of management and organization at the University of Maryland, studies noncompetes and believes the ban would also enable greater innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship.

Should you send an email, or is Slack the better way to communicate with your colleagues? Is it ever okay to text a client? Can you use emojis with your boss—and if you can, should you? Communication at work can be really fraught and depends on the subject matter, your industry, your company culture, plus your individual style and preference. And given all that, there's lots of room for mistakes and misunderstandings.In this LinkedIn Audio conversation with senior editors Lydia Dishman and Julia Herbst, we talked about navigating the world of workplace communication styles, and how to pick the best method for your particular situation.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 61 million adults in the United States have at least one disability, and for nearly half that population, the disability is invisible or at least not apparent. These conditions often don't manifest in ways that are immediately evident to others—such as chronic pain, diabetes, autism, ADHD, learning disabilities, arthritis, and more. And although the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed in 1990 to protect against discrimination, many employees or job candidates are reluctant or scared to disclose a disability for fear they wouldn't be treated fairly or even get hired in the first place. And it seems many employers are clueless about what they're doing wrong. So how can we make advocacy easier, open up opportunities, and build a world of work that works for everyone? Ludmila Praslova, a professor of psychology at Vanguard University, recently wrote about how her autism affected her onboarding experience at a new job. In her new book, ‘The Canary Code: A Guide to Neurodiversity, Dignity, and Intersectional Belonging at Work,' Praslova delves into the challenges of self-advocacy, disclosing a disability, and what employers need to change to create neuro-inclusive environments.

We take for granted the standard 40-hour, 5-day workweek, but this structured schedule was implemented to suit a very different reality than most of us work and live in today. In recent years, the 4-day workweek has gained attention. But that kind of restructuring seems to leave many with more logistical questions than answers: What about parents trying to match a school schedule, or sleep-deprived medical workers, or service workers who usually don't know their scheduling needs in advance? Is there a way to redesign the workday and workweek to accommodate the needs of both employees and businesses—in a way that's humane and can also work across industries? It's a problem that Mark Takano continues address in Congress, as the representative from California's 39th district. Takano introduced a 32-hour workweek bill in 2021 and is also pushing to restore the Overtime Act, which would increase the threshold for full-time salaried workers nationally.

Leaders have tried to sell work as ‘one big family' for years. With the proliferation of terms like ‘office besties' and ‘work spouses,' many employees have viewed work as a type of family too. But anyone who has been passed over for a promotion they deserved or laid off after years of hard work knows the hard truth: Work isn't your family. In fact, work can make people feel lonely by preventing them from connecting with their community, and some mental health experts have called loneliness a health epidemic. So, how can we prioritize our mental health and our ambition at the same time? How can we feel less alone at work and foster meaningful relationships while still protecting our ‘real lives'? To dig into these questions for answers, we talked with Ann Shoket, former editor-in-chief of ‘Seventeen' magazine; author of ‘The Big Life,' a guide for career-driven young women; and CEO of TheLi.st, a private community of innovators across media, technology, and business.

Even as the nature of work changes and innovations transform our jobs, the hiring process feels stuck in the same biased, ineffective rut. Too often, when companies finds themselves with an open position, they fall back on the same broken methods: mining leadership's narrow, professional networks, or posting the same ineffective job ads in the same places. So how can we fix a system that's so ingrained in the traditional corporate psyche? How can we really reach unexpected and underrepresented candidates? If it were possible to, say, burn the whole thing down and start from scratch, what would a new, more effective hiring process look like? We put that question to Kimberly Brown, founder of Manifest Yourself, a consulting company focused on career development for women and people of color. Brown, who sees both companies and job candidates struggling with poor communication and too few resources, believes that a few key changes could start to improve the experience for everyone.

No matter what job you have, you've probably felt at various points in your career that you don't make enough. And because money can be a taboo topic, we rarely reveal what our salaries are—even with the people we're closest to. In a recent survey, only about half the participants said they share their salary with family members, while just 32% said they share how much they make with close friends. This secrecy helps keep gender, racial, and executive-to-worker pay gaps thriving. Fortunately, the tide has been slowly turning in the past few years. More companies have adopted at least partial-salary-transparency policies, and even some states and cities have introduced laws supporting salary transparency or salary ranges. Hannah Williams, a content creator and host of the TikTok channel, Salary Transparent Street, has a knack for talking to people about salaries. She believes that it's a conversation we need to have in order to make work a better deal for everyone.

One of the secret problems with work is that hard work alone isn't enough to get ahead. It's a tough wake-up call for those of us who spent our school years working to get all As and doing all the things we were told were the key to a successful life. The truth is, work—and the rest of the “real world”—isn't a meritocracy. The most hard-working, and even the smartest or most-talented, people aren't always the ones who end up in power. So if hard work alone isn't what matters, what does? And is there a way to shift what we value to make things more fair? Jill Katz, founder of Assemble HR Consulting, focuses on answering these questions of culture and change in the workplace.

Fifty percent of people say they've quit a job because of a bad boss. Why are so many managers unable to effectively manage? And is there a way to learn how to be a better manager? Leadership coach Lia Bosch joins host Kathleen Davis to talk about what companies get wrong about management and how bosses can be better at their jobs.

Welcome back to Season 12 of ‘The New Way We Work'!Even in the best of times, there's always been an undercurrent of conflict between the priorities of corporate leadership and the needs of employees. But in the last several years, that tension has increased noticeably. Whether it's the ongoing battles over employees returning to the office (or not), the renewed uproar over executive pay, or missteps in handling layoffs, the conflicts between employees and management only seem to grow. This season on ‘The New Way We Work,' we're looking at the problems with work, how we got here, and how to solve them. For this first episode, Work-Life editors Julia Herbst and AJ Hess discuss the most fundamental problem with work: that employees and management don't see eye to eye.

The New Way We Work is back for a new season next week and we are unpacking the biggest problems with work! Problems like lack of pay transparency, how hard work too often goes unrewarded, how the wrong people end up as managers, and so much more.

The impact of AI on finance departments will be huge.

How artificial intelligence is shaping the product journeys from procurement to end customers.

In this podcast, leaders in HR and AI reveal what it will take for businesses to get their staff on board.

According to surveys, the average employee spends more than 4 hours a week in meetings, but around 90% of people consider their meetings to be unproductive. While it's tempting to eliminate meetings altogether, they are often a necessary part of getting work done. In this recent LinkedIn Audio conversation with ‘Fast Company' senior editor Julia Herbst, we talked about how to drastically cut down on the number of meetings and make the ones that remain more productive and inclusive. 

Work has changed a lot in the last few years: from the shift to remote work to the struggle over returning to the office, from the great resignation to mass layoffs at tech and media companies, from the rise in union organizing to the rise in AI in workplaces. So what does 2024 hold for companies, leaders, and employees?  Today's episode is a recording of a recent LinkedIn Audio conversation with Fast Company Staff Editor AJ Hess breaking down advice and predictions for what to expect next.

The end of the year brings a lot of office traditions: holiday parties, year-end bonuses if you're lucky, and often performance reviews. In this LinkedIn Audio conversation with senior editor Julia Herbst, we talk about common biases to avoid, what to say about areas of improvement, and how to get the most out of the process.

Kate Davis is joined by Fast Company podcast hosts KC Ifeanyi, Yasmin Gange and Josh Christensen to discuss the biggest stories from 2023

Workplaces move through design trends and conceptual themes just like other parts of modern interior commercial design. Remember the evolution of the cubicle farm, or the early 2000s' startup office with a long communal desk (and ping pong table nearby)? But now, with our in-office and work-from-home routines in flux, what design elements will the future office feature? Fast Company writer Nate Berg talks through several design proposals centered around Gen Z employees, remote workers, and hybrid work styles with some of the top office design firms. Check out our deep dive into new office design concepts, including what both employers and employees are looking for, plus images of these hypothetical workspaces: RTO in 2024: Fast Company's 8-point guide for designing an office your workers actually want to return to.

Sometimes, taking a scary, big career risk is the move that changes everything. We asked attendees at the Fast Company Innovation Festival a few months ago to share the biggest career risks they've ever taken. We heard everything, from switching to a new industry to dedicating their work to a cause they care about.

Emotional intelligence remains a workplace buzzword that confuses many people. On this episode from our LinkedIn Audio series, Farah Harris, author of ‘The Color of Emotional Intelligence,' discusses how emotional awareness and management play into our office lives. It's a skill often treated as optional, but mastering emotional intelligence—the ability to manage your emotions and understanding the emotions of those around you—is essential for weathering transitions, maintaining healthy relationships, and communicating clearly.

Quitting a job is a huge decision, so what are the signs that it's time to go? Chronic burnout or toxic colleagues might be a few of the red flags.

For decades, the typical image of a midlife crisis has been a man buying a sports car or getting a divorce and marrying a younger woman. Whether or not that still rings true, for women in the workplace that has nothing to do with reality. Midlife for women is the time when menopause, family caregiving, career ambitions, and a range of other personal shifts come together. In fact, author and consultant Lucy Ryan calls it the “midlife collision” and advocates for workplaces to offer much more flexibility for women in this stage of life. She says we need to reframe the typical career timeline to include a robust, energetic, and creative period of work later in life, when women with a supportive workplace can adapt to these changes while staying engaged and productive in their jobs.

"What's your biggest weakness?" remains one of the trickier job interview questions frequently posed to an interviewee. How do you tout your skills and accomplishments while being honest about your challenges?

After hearing from experts about how AI is changing the office, we decided to test out a few AI tools and report back on how they brilliantly changed our workflow. But as it turns out, some of these tools are definitely not ready to deliver the productivity boosts they promise. 

Writing a cover letter, especially when not required by a job application, can feel like a big pain. But it really makes a big difference—here's why. 

Companies now have mountains of data to help drive decisions and develop products, but a holistic approach to product development must also prioritize customers' needs and preferences. In this podcast interview, Stephanie Mehta, CEO of Mansueto Ventures, the parent of Fast Company, sits down with Emily Roberts, Senior Vice President and Head of Enterprise Consumer Product at Capital One to hear how to harness the power of technology and customer feedback loops to innovate products and experiences.

This year, funding for AI-related startups has surpassed $23 billion dollars, and thousands of AI tools promise to automate tasks in every type of job. But instead of thinking about how technology can replace humans, Aneesh Raman, vice president and head of the Opportunity Project at LinkedIn, believes this system-level change will bring more humanity into the workplace. Aneesh shared his thoughts on a skill-first approach to job searching, why philosophy and ethics are in-demand areas of expertise, and how to think about the growth of AI in the long term.

Giving negative feedback at work may feel uncomfortable, but it's a necessary part of communication. Here are some tips for making the process constructive.

The company's director of finance explains how her job goes well beyond accounting. Tina Hetzer, director of finance at Pink Lily, is one of the rising financial stars who are helping to bring their businesses to the next level. She built Pink Lily's finance team from scratch and has helped the company become one of the fastest-growing retailers in the country. In this podcast, part of the SAP-sponsored Growth Agents series, Hetzer discusses the cash-flow challenges unique to fashion retailers and explains how working at a smaller, founder-run company can fuel greater collaboration across the organization.  

The housing crisis in the U.S. continues to get worse, with the highest mortgage rates in a generation currently and rents outpacing inflation by more than 40%. And the problem isn't just in cities like New York and San Francisco. It's affecting many other places where tourism is a major industry or high-cost areas that have unique jobs (like being a ski patroller), which don't pay enough to actually afford the rent there. ‘Fast Company' writer Pavithra Mohan has been interviewing people in a variety of occupations about the real-life struggles of being priced out of housing in the place where your job requires you to be. For more, check out our ongoing series of firsthand accounts on the topic: I make $60,000 working in the Hamptons. Here's how the other half lives What it's like to be a ski patroller in an expensive mountain town

If your boss is constantly checking up on you, looking over your shoulder—literally, figuratively, even virtually—here are some strategies for creating a better working relationship.

Duolingo's freemium subscription model, beloved brand and strategic investments have allowed it to execute its educational mission and become a cultural touchstone. Matthew Skaruppa, CFO of Duolingo, is one of the rising financial stars who are helping to bring their businesses to the next level. Since he joined the company in 2020, Duolingo has grown its base of monthly active users by more than 80%. Each month, 75 million users hone their language skills on the Duolingo app. In this podcast, part of the SAP-sponsored Growth Agents series, Skaruppa discusses how his analytical background has allowed to him to be a more strategy-oriented CFO. For him, that has meant balancing big aspirations and finite resources, and turning the uncertainties of tomorrow into action today.

A couple of weeks ago, the U.S. went over the “childcare cliff” as billions of dollars of pandemic-era federal funding for childcare expired. But childcare providers have been struggling since well before the pandemic, with rising costs and little recourse but to raise their own prices. The chain reaction now for providers, children, and parents could mean a large decrease in women in the workforce and lower wages for workers. Fast Company staff writer Pavithra Mohan explains why the childcare industry has been so difficult to unionize, and what new efforts are starting to emerge.

It's nerve-racking to negotiate your salary, especially with a new employer! Here's how to reframe the conversation and ask for what you want.

Mitch Reback, CFO of Sweetgreen, is one of the rising corporate financial stars who is helping to take their companies to the next level. When he started, Sweetgreen had 25 stores; today, there are more than 220—and Reback says the company is still in its “infancy.” In this podcast, part of the SAP-sponsored Growth Agents series, Reback takes a deep dive into his role as a growth agent. Capital is the engine that drives growth, and Reback says his job is to make sure the company has adequate capital to grow as well as determining how best to allocate it, including investments in stores, marketing, staff, and technology—or, as he puts it, to push innovation forward in a way that's capital efficient.

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?