Quartz at Work is a guide to navigating the modern workplace. Since our launch in October 2017, we’ve been particularly obsessed with eight workplace topics, including the delicate arts of managing others and ourselves, the shifting purpose of companies, and the sometimes exasperating challenge of juggling work and parenthood.
While pursuing a deeper understanding of these topics, we laughed, we cried, and—in one case—we ate a lot of pastry.
To celebrate our first anniversary, we’ve combed through the archives to compile the very best of the resulting stories.
Managing
Being the boss can be as terrifying as it is rewarding. Our 10 best stories about managing people address tough questions about the best way to give feedback, how to build career paths for those who don’t want to manage, and, importantly, the difference between a snafu, a shitshow, and a clusterfuck.
Productivity and creativity
Managing yourself is no less of an art than managing other people. Our 10 best stories on productivity and creativity include guides for getting your email in check, an invitation to consider whether you’re on “event time,” and evidence in support of taking a break—as well as (of course!) input from the The Rock and Questlove.
The purpose of companies
Companies and individual employees alike are, perhaps more than ever, seeking a “sense of purpose.” Our 10 best stories on the purpose of companies cover socially conscious policy changes at companies like Amazon, Weight Watchers, and Walmart; qualms about established norms like the Harvard Business School case study; and the debate over whether there can even be such a thing as “conscious capitalism.”
The lives of working parents
Kids change everything, including our work lives. Our 10 best stories on the lives of working parents include resources for new parents, a look at the economics of childcare, and research-backed reassurances that it really is all going to be OK.
Identity and inclusion
As Quartz at Work editor Heather Landy put it, “The HR-office definition of diversity probably doesn’t reflect the whole story of what happens when people from different genders, races, religions, sexual orientations, countries, political persuasions, or economic backgrounds come together to work.” Our 10 best stories on identity and inclusion include explanations of privilege and emotional labor; a call to end “mompreneurship”; and an explanation of why your company’s Slack is probably sexist.
The office
How and where people come together to work is changing quickly. Our 10 best stories on the office examine how everything from cheesy posters and snacks to time and god are handled in the workplace.
Careering
Careers no longer look like paths: Jungle gyms, dotted lines, and portfolios are probably better metaphors. Our 10 best stories about what we call “careering” help navigate the changing resume, LinkedIn etiquette, and career jumping. And also, whether you should get a dog (yes).
Leaders and leadership
What does it mean to be a good leader? Our 10 best stories on leaders and leadership explore this question through leadership profiles, trends, and lessons.
Contributors
In our contributors section, we’ve heard from CEOs, recruiters, HR professionals, researchers, and a Buddhism expert. In our 10 best stories from contributors, experts share how to make work more equitable, efficient, and better for parents; personal experiences with everything from harassment to parenting a child with special needs; and advice on both the big and small dilemmas in our modern workplace.
Thanks for reading Quartz at Work. Find us on Twitter or email us at hi@qz.com (subject line: Quartz at Work).