Hello, Quartz at Work readers!
After Mikael Cummings, a 25-year-old entrepreneur in Brooklyn, New York, learned he was going to be a father this spring, he described a feeling of thrill. But after her arrival, the excitement shifted. He became anxious, whelmed with fear he hadn’t felt before; he dreaded work as he returned, his confidence shaken. The changes felt larger than a new-parent haze.
When he confided in his therapist, she suggested their cause might be a condition he hadn’t considered. It was postpartum depression.
As we’ve gained a greater understanding of postpartum depression (or PPD), our conversations often focus on mothers: how to recognize the symptoms, along with how to find support on and off the job. But new research reveals that fathers can experience PPD, too. And workplaces—from leaders and managers to colleagues and teammates—may want to start taking notice.
“People don’t really think about men when it comes to PPD because there is a lot of literature on the hormonal triggers for women in postpartum depression,” said Dr. Katie Morel, a clinical psychologist in New York City. But hormones aren’t the single cause of PPD, and other factors can also apply to men. Plus, symptoms can present differently in men than they do in women, often with more physical manifestations—fatigue, insomnia, changes in appetite—than emotional ones.
When overlooked in fathers, postpartum depression becomes a silent crisis, contributor Brianna Holt writes for Quartz—one that workplaces should be supporting, too. For one, it makes equitable family leave and benefits all the more imperative. Read more in Quartz.
THE JOB MARKET IS GETTING GREENER
Great news for the planet: The green jobs industry (say, that of climate tech or renewable energy) is growing steadily. Less-great news: The number of green jobs is overtaking the number of green-jobs workers who can fill them.
The clean energy industry—which includes projects like electric vehicles, sustainable batteries, or solar power—is expected to create tens of thousands of jobs in the US and Europe. With employers hungry to hire for those open roles, it could be time to start greening up your skills.
PUT ME IN, CAREER COACH
Pop quiz: The premier self-help book of the twentieth century—a guide to career success and wealth—was authored by which of these professionals?
A. An opulent oil tycoon
B. A rising real estate magnate
C. A major motor founder
D. A capricious career criminal
The origins of Think and Grow Rich mark the beginnings of a lucrative industry: that of life coaching. But as investigative journalist Jane Marie explains, there’s more to coaching, career or otherwise, than meets the eye. On one hand, coaching can contain some smoke and mirrors. On the other, it just might work for you.
NARCISSUS WAS ON TO SOMETHING
“Every leader should have a touch of narcissism,” Quartz contributor Diana Gasperoni writes, “and contrary to conventional belief, it’s the catalyst to people having what it takes to lead effectively.”
It’s a bold claim to say your boss should be egocentric. But if you’re managing people or stepping into a more visible project, Gasperoni makes a compelling case for why you could crib a few traits from the self-involved—as long as you know where to draw the line.
Can you enjoy being seen? That’s a pro. But needing admiration for it? Stop short of that one.
EVEN KNITTERS ARE ORGANIZING THEIR
“They want to swoop into a community they don’t even care about and take whatever they can.”
—A post on Indie Untangled, a blog for knitters
The domain Knitting.com was on sale for well over a decade. But when two Silicon Valley profiteers scooped it up to make a buck, their disdain for the craft caught knitters’ notice. Rather than accept the new corporate owners in their community, digital knitting circles—from online forums to full social networks—rose up with mass protest.
Their revolt against Knitting.com set the stage for other online groups banding against their corporate platforms, from strikes staged by Reddit moderators to boycotts waged by Etsy sellers.
🧶 Quartz’s Julia Malleck examines how online communities are starting to organize like unions—and how it begins with the knitters who sharpened their needles.
YOUR WEEKLY WORK HACK
“Role-to-role” relationships can help you sort out real jerks from the people just doing their jobs. It’s a common misunderstanding on the job: when you and a colleague tend to disagree, you might see your conflict as a matter of motive or personality. She’s so negative, you might think. And he needs to micro-manage everything.
When you bump up in these conflicts, leadership consultant Blair Glaser writes, reconsider: are they just performing their role really well?
That mental shift allows you to understand what she calls role-to-role relationships—and it helps you take conflict less personally, too. As Glaser explains, four principles can point the way there.
QUARTZ AT WORK’S TOP STORIES
⚙️ Luddites saw the problem of AI coming from two centuries away
🏈 What’s it like to work as a player in the NFL? The union’s team scorecard gives us a peek
✏️ AI companies are hiring creative writers—and here’s what they’re looking for
💨 We need whistleblowers. Here are 9 ways workplaces can make it safe to speak up
🔭 Andreessen Horowitz’s tested advice for conducting executive searches
YOU GOT THE MEMO
Send questions, comments, and tales of narcissism gone right to [email protected]. This edition of The Memo was written by Gabriela Riccardi.