The New Way We Work

Fast Company has been writing about how to beat distractions and find more focus at work for years, but right now all of the normal advice feels less practical. Between the stress and worry that has accompanied the pandemic and economic crisis--coupled with the tumultuous presidential election--staying focused can feel impossible.On today's 'Best Of' episode, we go back to November of 2020 when Kate Davis talked to Dr. Art Markman about how to manage stress and focus when it's all just too much.

In this episode, we’re talking about biotech and health. If this past year and a half is any indication, investment in these sectors is critical. We’ve seen how we can confront a global pandemic with fast-tracked RNA-based vaccines. We’ve harnessed genomics to track and diagnose illness as it spreads. And the rise of telemedicine has made healthcare more accessible to all. Amy talked with Twist Bioscience CEO and Co-founder Emily LeProust about the MIC winner's cutting-edge technology that has pioneered what’s known as synthetic DNA. It’s used in therapeutics and precision medicine, but has applications across agriculture, biomaterials, and even data storage.

Once upon a time, putting your head down, doing good work, and staying loyal to a company may have been enough to get a promotion. But these days, that's no longer the case. In today's constantly changing workforce, companies reward employees who can bring results and aren't afraid to be vocal about it. It's often on the individual to devise their own strategies and sometimes even design their own path. Sometimes, that preparation may take longer than you think.In this 'Best Of' episode of The New Way We Work, Kate and Anisa examine how to ask for--and land--that promotion.

On this week's 'Best Of' episode, we go back to 2019 when Kate and Anisa broke down how to prepare for a job interview and what employers are really asking with those common interview questions.

We're talking about AI in this episode. Once the villain of Sci Fi thrillers, AI is one of the most crucial—and misunderstood—sectors that we cover here at Fast Company. The truth is, AI—in some form or another—underpins the operations of just about every company these days, from powering self-driving technologies in our cars to serving up product recommendations when we’re shopping online. And though we’re increasingly aware of how algorithms can perpetuate and amplify inequities, AI is also being used by companies to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems, increasing crop yields, fighting disinformation, and helping us track and control a global pandemic. We're featuring one such company: Pachama, an MIC honoree that’s taking on climate change with the help of some advanced AI and data science. Amy speaks with Co-founder and CEO Diego Saez Gil about how Pachama is revolutionizing the fight against global warming. 

On this "Best of The New Way We Work" episode, we go back to 2019 when Kate and Anisa dove into all things career-related, starting with the most basic tool to get your foot in the door: your resume. What are some resume mistakes you should stay away from? Are there common advice you’ve unknowingly follow that hiring managers and recruiters actually hate? The cohosts answer listener questions about resumes and Kate challenges her boss to debate common resume advice.

Of all the decisions that you'll have to make over the course of your career, one of the biggest is when it's the right time to leave a job? Like many career decisions, the answer isn't straightforward. As we discuss in this week's "Best Of" episode of The New Way We Work, some signs are more obvious than others. For starters, a toxic workplace is almost always never worth staying in. When a role or company no longer offers you the opportunities to grow, it might be time to look elsewhere. And when your job starts to impact other areas of your life in a negative way, you should, at minimum, assess the possibility of change.

Taking a vacation is not a given in our work culture and if you do, it's likely that you'll check a few work emails here and there. But not taking the time to disconnect can actually make you less productive.

On this episode, The New Way We Work is back with another one of our greatest hits. This one is from late 2019 and it’s a fun bonus episode where Kate Davis debates VP of Entertainment, Scott Mebus, on the controversial topic of unlimited vacation. The idea that employees can choose how much vacation they take has inspired passionate opinions on what’s appropriate for workers to expect, what a company hopes for in offering something so elusive, and how it plays out differently in practice than in theory. This is another one that’s gotten more relevant with time as the pandemic saw burned our workers taking even fewer vacation days. 

This episode is from early 2019 where Kate Davis and former co-host, Anisa Purbasari-Horton, spoke to former lawyer turned burnout and resilience expert Paula Davis-Laack about why our work and achievement-centric culture might be to blame for the high rates of burnout in America, along with what signs we should look out for, and how we can prevent it from taking over our lives.