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A recent Society for Human Resources Management study found that 47% of employees with invisible chronic conditionsillnesses or disabilities that limit activities and functions but lack visible symptomshave not disclosed their conditions to their employers. When I first read this statistic, I wasnt surprised. In a world where the majority of people with invisible disabilities fear discrimination and stigma should they disclose, where is the incentive to do so? I am part of the 53% who has disclosed her invisible illness to her employer, and fortunately received support, empathy, and understanding as a result. Without a doubt, privilege is at play here. Im a white, college-educated woman with five years in my career under my belt. This affords me access to opportunities and healthcare as well as social and cultural latitudes that, unfortunately, many do not share. I wish my experience could be the norm. As I reflect on the experiences that led me to this point, Im considering how organizations and their leaders can rethink these disclosures to better support employees. Who can afford the risk of disclosing For the majority of my career, Ive grappled with an acceleration in symptoms from my chronic illness, later found to be a likely result of the Lyme disease I contracted while in utero (something that impacts only a very small population of fetuses globally). My body could not sustain the consistent schedule and output needed to succeed in a traditional workplace, so I turned to self-employment, which allowed me to earn a living while managing decades of health challenges. With my health stabilized, I began seeking traditional employment in 2023. Inevitably, the question of why I was interested in working for someone else after so long working for myself would come up. I decided to be honest and candid, letting employers form their own opinions. While my health challenges were far less acute than they once had been, I knew that my chronic illness would always be a part of my professional storyso sharing that early on in the process would help me gauge reactions and understand whether an organization would be the right fit for me. Plus, I was largely targeting healthcare companies in my search, and I knew that my experiences on the patient-facing side could be an immense asset to leverage during the interview process. Still, each time I shared the reasons behind my unconventional résumé history with a recruiter, I felt a twist of nerves in my stomach, born of the instinctive thought that such an admission would be an overall detriment to the way I am perceived in the workplace. Im sure you can imagine how delighted I was at the number of recruiters and hiring managers who responded with empathy, kindness, and appreciation for my honesty. One recruiter thanked me for my bravery and shared that she also lives with an autoimmune disorder. Another commiserated with me about how challenging it is to live with Lyme disease, as his mother-in-law had just been diagnosed. These conversations typically segued neatly into discussions about my ability to adapt to and around my chronic illness, underscoring that I am the kind of employee (and person) who looks to leverage her lived experience toward positive outcomes for othersand am committed to using all the effort possible to do so. Ultimately, my approach paid off. Since the start of 2024, Ive been able to leverage my experience as a professional patient (a phrase I coined as a half-joking nod to my lifetime spent in and out of doctors offices) to better serve patients and providers through my work as a content marketing specialist for a healthcare startup. Advocating for truly accessible approaches When I joined the organization for which I now work, I once again chose to share my experience living with lifelong chronic illnessthis time, with colleagues and my manager. Thats because the internal culture is one that I knew would be accepting and accommodating. During an initial call with a new coworker welcoming me to the team, I learned that they also live with a chronic illness. The ease with which they disclosed, and the way they spoke about the organizations responsethat their disclosure had been met with reminders that their health is the most important thing, and encouragements to arrange elements of their work to be as accommodating as possibletold me that my disclosure would likely be met similarly. As it turns out, I was right. My disclosures sounded different depending on who I was talking to; I often deployed the professional patient joke when in conversation with clinicians or researchers, while I got a bit more granular with the people I collaborate with often, such as my team and my manager. Regardless of how the conversation started, it always ended the same way: They were gracious and thankful for my candor, and I was likewise thankful for their understanding and willingness to hear me. Unfortunately, researchers have consistently found that my experience is a rare one. A 2021 academic analysis found that most chronically ill and disabled office workers spend a disproportionate amount of energy concealing all visible symptoms of their condition for fear of discrimination or retaliation. That means their time spent away from work isnt spent preparing to return refreshed and renewed but rather managing their symptoms so they can continue to conceal them at work. This could include, but certainly isnt limited to, sleeping 10 to 12 or more hours on the weekends, fitting in all-day IV infusions between errand-running on Saturdays, or staying in their home and not speaking to any friends or family members to manage emotional and cognitive burnout. Is it any wonder that people with disabilities are part of the subgroup found to experience 26% higher work-related burnout? Like millions of other workers across the United States, the choices I make about my career and ways of working are driven primarily by the chronic condition with which I live. Employers, founders, and managers can help alleviate this mental burden for their employees with invisible disabilities by doing these three things: Rethink ending remote work. For many disabled or chronically ill employees, remote, hybrid, and/or flexible work isnt a nice-to-haveits an accommodation and an equalizer. In a remote-first workplace, chronically ill or disabled employees can have equal visibility on their work as their able-bodied and healthy counterparts without having to worry about being judged for their invisible condition. Prioritize curiosity and empathy. Two people ith the same invisible condition may have very different symptoms. Encourage managers and leaders to respond to disclosures with empathy and gratituderesponses that lead to massive increases in both employee engagement and well-being. Open the floor. While no one owes anyone a candid disclosure of their health status, consider offering opportunities to impact and shape diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) initiatives, such as employee resource groups (ERGs), to employees like me who have elected to do so. Their expertise in their own experience is uniquely valuable, and should be seen as such. To that end, ensure these opportunities are genuinely and thoughtfully offered, not just put together as a way to tick a box on a list of inclusive options. As some organizations choose to downsize DEI initiatives, and even stop using words like equity altogether, its never been more vital to ensure employeesregardless of health, ability, gender, race, and moreare supported so they can do their best work. Im living proof that these approaches work, and I hope that more organizations choose to follow suit.
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E-Commerce
Many things are considered distinctly millennial: a man bun, avocado toast, axe-throwing bars. Now you can apparently add millennial burger joints to that list. On February 11, TikToker fairylights2007 shared a clip using Kyle Gordons 2011 Millennial parody song, along with a caption that read: This song is so truffle fries overpriced burger brick walls metal tin of ketchup. @fairylights2007 #overpricedburgerplace #millenial #trufflefries #help We Will Never Die (feat. Kody Redwing and The Broken Hearts) (Cut 1) – Kyle Gordon You know the type. As the video points out, the burgers are typically overpriced$19 to be exactalways with a brioche bun. Fries are extra and come served in a fryer basket with a special house sauce (i.e., ketchup mixed with mayo). Somewhere in the restaurant, a chalkboard lists local IPA beers. The menu includes sections like “handhelds” and “sweet treats.” The decor? Exposed piping, string lights, and Edison bulbs. Commenters on the video were quick to point out other telltale signs of millennial burger joints. A pbj burger on the menu, one wrote. Games no one has ever played but every bar has, suggested another. Chances are, youve frequented one of these places at least oncewhether you wanted to or not. Gordons song has since become the soundtrack to a number of TikTok videos jumping on the trend. YES were a millennial burger joint; YES we overprice everything; YES our truffle fries are mediocre at best; YES were two guys with a crazy idea; NO we dont offer comfortable seating; YES we serve water in mason jars, one post read. It was about time all these burger places with the same aesthetic get called out, another creator added. @quietwhitegirl #xyzbca #fyp #burger #fry #millenial We Will Never Die (feat. Kody Redwing and The Broken Hearts) (Cut 1) – Kyle Gordon These burger joints became popular in the mid-to-late 2010s, right around the time millennials were launching their first businesses. But now theyve become prime targets for the online generation, who love to poke fun at millennials for everything from their cringe humor to their love of Harry Potter. And yet, for all the mockery, these places arent going anywhere. The millennial burger joint may now be shorthand for a style-over-substance hipster eatery, but I, for one, will be enjoying my basket of mediocre truffle fries with garlic aioli. So sue me.
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E-Commerce
OpenAI released a new base model on Thursday called GPT-4.5, which the company said is its best and smartest model for chat yet. Its not a reasoning model like OpenAIs o1 and o3 models, but it can be used to train other models to be reasoning models. Notably, GPT-4.5 was trained using 10 times the computing power (scores of GPUs in data centers) than its predecessor, GPT-4o. The result is a model whose outputs feel more natural and human, OpenAI said in its press release, and demonstrate a better general understanding of the world. Its writing and programming skills are better, and it hallucinates less. It also displays a higher level of emotional intelligence about the user and what theyre trying to do. For example, when prompted with Im going through a tough time after failing a test, the model responded: Aw, I’m really sorry to hear that. Failing a test can feel pretty tough and discouraging, but remember, it’s just one momentnot a reflection of who you are or your capabilities. OpenAI cofounder and former researcher Andrej Karpathy, who got early access to the model, posted on X that the improvements are subtle but meaningful. Everything is a little bit better and it’s awesome, but also not exactly in ways that are trivial to point to, Karpathy continued; also, the model appears to have improved by 20% in everything it does rather than improving by several times over in certain domains or skills. OpenAI said GPT-4.5s performance proves that supersizing models, training data, and computing power can still produce significant performance gains. However, a debate has been raging over this assertion on X. Karpathy saw evidence of this in his tests: [I]t is incredibly interesting and exciting as another qualitative measurement of a certain slope of capability that comes for free from just pretraining a bigger model. Of course, free is stretching it: Training costs for a model as big as GPT-4.5 could approach $1 billion. OpenAI is releasing GPT-4.5 as a research preview to ChatGPT Pro users and to developers who pay to access OpenAI models through an API. It will become available to ChatGPT Plus and Team users next week, the company says.
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E-Commerce
The Fast Company Impact Council is a private membership community of influential leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. Members pay annual membership dues for access to peer learning and thought leadership opportunities, events and more. Ageism in Hollywood is a tale as old as time. Its well-documented that older women have been less represented in mainstream media and female actors over 40 are less likely to get work compared to their male counterparts. The stigma surrounding aging women in entertainment has been so pervasive that many actresses have felt forced to hide the natural realities of aging. Actress Naomi Watts recently revealed, I was told I would never work again if I admitted to being menopausal. Her experience is not uniquemany women in the industry have echoed similar sentiments, facing a shrinking pool of opportunities as they age. This years award show season has shown that the tides are turning. Weve started to see a shift with actresses in Hollywood experiencing success later in life. One of the most discussed films of the past year, The Substance, tackles ageism head-on. And in a historic moment, Demi Moore44 years into her careerwon her first Golden Globe at 62 and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. During the Golden Globes, we saw seven of the Best Actress nominations go to women over the age of 40. These nominations signal a growing recognition that talent doesnt have to have an expiration date. For decades Hollywood has created the perception that women in their 40s and beyond, often when they are perimenopausal or menopausal, are past their primes and reaching the end of their careers. Moore previously shared that she almost quit acting because of ageism and how difficult it can be, particularly for women over 50. However, this cultural shift in Hollywood’s acceptance and celebration of aging women could change how this demographic is represented. Now the question is, will we see other industries shift their perceptions of midlife women? Heres why they should. Outdated research has failed menopausal women Before looking ahead, we have to understand how we got here. The societal stigma around aging has often overlapped with menopause, and unfortunately, thats led to a negative perception of this transitional period of a womans life. Menopause has been widely understudied. For example, a study in Nature Aging has shown that researchers havent properly considered menopause in 99% of studies of the biology of aging. Furthering the stigma, outdated research has led to a lack of treatment options for women experiencing menopause symptoms. The use of hormone therapy to treat menopause symptoms stopped nearly overnight due to a study showing that hormone therapy increased the risks of cancer. However, recent studies have debunked that theory and shown the benefits of hormone therapy outweigh the risks. The lack of research and controversial history around hormone therapy has hurt menopause care and prevented aging women from getting the adequate support they need. That all is changing. What the entertainment industry can teach Companies can take a page from Hollywoods playbook by supporting and empowering its female senior talent. Women in their 40s, 50s, and 60s are some of the most experienced managers, leaders, and mentors in the workplace. As they age, they are also often at the height of their careers. McKinsey and Lean In found that female leaders contribute more to employee engagementincluding creating an inclusive workplace and mentorshipthan their male counterparts, and another McKinsey report found that organizations with gender diversity of executive teams were 25% more likely to have above-average profitability compared to those who didnt. Senior female leaders are an essential part of the workforce. Yet according to our 2022 Menopause in the Workplace report, 46% of working women experiencing menopause said their 50s have been the most difficult time in their careers. Our latest data also showed that 50% of Gen X women have experienced ageism at work. Now is a critical time for companies to step up and support. Organizations must invest in meeting the evolving needs of their midlife female workforce. Investing in menopause support for senior women leaderssuch as access to specialized providers, educational resources, and coverage for hormone therapyenables these women to manage their symptoms effectively, remain at peak productivity, and pave the way for the next generation of female leaders. What happens in Hollywood strongly influences culture, including workplaces. On March 2, Moore is up for her first Oscar for her critically acclaimed role. No matter who wins, its a victory for Moore and all aging women at work. Asima Ahmad, MD, MPH, FACOG is cofounder and Chief Medical Officer of Carrot Fertility.
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E-Commerce
From the rising cost of eggs and the staggering cost of housing, the constant chaos from mass government firings to the tariff threats against Canada and Mexico, Americans are struggling to cope with rampant economic uncertainty the best way they can: doom spending. One in 5 Americans say they are buying more than usual, “purchasing items excessively or impulsively in response to fears or anxiety about future events,” according to a recent report by CreditCards.com. The act of buying things as a way to self-soothe and cope with discomfort can be particularly problematic, especially when you’re worried about your personal finances and the economy at large in the first place. The survey, published in February 2025, examines consumer spending habits since President Donald Trump took office and focuses on the role economic factors and uncertainty play. Here are some key findings. Americans are buying more, driven by Trump tariffs President Trump’s proposed tariffs are weighing heavily on many people’s minds. In fact, more than one in 4, or 29%, of respondents say fear of Trumps tariffs greatly impacts their desire to make additional purchases. Trump has said, starting March 4 (next week!), he will slap a 25% tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico and may in the future even broaden the scope to include automobiles, pharmaceuticals, and semiconductorsall of which means higher prices for American consumers already dealing with cost of living concerns and inflation. Digging a little further, the report shows 19% of respondents say they are buying significantly (5%) or slightly more (14%) items than usual, and of this group, 29% say fear of Trumps tariffs greatly impacts their desire to make additional purchases, while 37% say its having some impact. Another pandemic also prompts spending The report found that 3 in 10 respondents are purchasing items to prepare for another pandemic. Meanwhile, 42% say they are, or will start, stockpiling items, mainly food and toilet paper. Also, since November 2024, 28% of respondents say they have made one large purchase (over $500) and 21% say they soon plan to. The most common of those large purchases were electronics (39%), home appliances (31%), and home improvement materials (25%). People also bought furniture (22%) and cars (17%). Finally, and perhaps the most worrisome finding of the report, is that 34% of respondents say they are likely to worsen or go into credit card debt this year to secure purchases.
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E-Commerce
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