The New Way We Work Fast Company

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.