Podcaster and producer Tara McMullin spent most of her career trying to overcome social and emotional difficulties as a "skills gap," but a diagnosis of autism at 38 led McMullin to be upfront about personal needs and find more fulfilling work. "My sincere hope is that all autistic people would have the chance to work in an environment that not only accepts us for who we are, but sees our unique traits as strengths," McMullin writes.

Remembering to make time for personal relationships is vital to a healthy work-life balance, and prioritizing transparency in professional relationships has helped PepsiCo Foods North America overcome pandemic-related challenges, said CEO Steven Williams. "I firmly believe, and I tell the team all the time, that transparency builds trust and trust adds speed," said Williams.

Leaders can better mentor and retain high achievers by creating a culture of learning that challenges them and plays into their natural passions, writes Alaina Love, CEO of Purpose Linked Consulting. "When you model the behaviors that high achievers value, you create a powerful force for organizational success," Love writes.

From shooting Nerf guns to rotating who picks a restaurant, rituals give employees a sense of purpose in their work, which can increase productivity, motivation and happiness, according to a recent study. Leaders can create effective rituals -- which share physical, communal and psychological elements -- by tapping into what employees are already doing and providing resources, says Harvard Business School's Michael Norton.

Surging fuel prices around the world have many policymakers creating plans to offer more free public transit. Most people think such ideas will benefit working-class commuters the most. However, researchers in Australia make the case, with a litany of maps, that it is the affluent who benefit most from some of the plans.

While pharmaceutical companies have made great strides in developing treatment for the symptoms of cat allergies, another group of researchers is tackling the problem from another angle. They've only scratched the surface, but experts say gene-editing technology CRISPR might soon enable the creation of hypoallergenic cats.