The graduate’s guide to the world of work

A collection of recent insights and interviews to help you hit the ground running at your new job or internship during a period of continuing—and profound—change.

Orientation | Podcasts | Author Talks | Sustainable, Inclusive Growth | Sustainability | McKinsey Explainers | Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | The LGBTQ+ Experience | Women in the Workplace | Health & Wellness | McKinsey Themes | McKinsey on Books

Orientation

Report

The State of Organizations 2023: Ten shifts transforming organizations
– Organizations today face ten significant shifts. Here’s what to do about them.
Article - McKinsey Quarterly

The Great Attrition is making hiring harder. Are you searching the right talent pools?
– People keep quitting at record levels, yet companies are still trying to attract and retain them the same old ways. New research... identifies five types of workers that employers can reach to fill jobs.
Article - McKinsey Quarterly

Hybrid work: Making it fit with your diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy
– New research details what empowered employees love about hybrid work models and the risks to diversity, equity, and inclusion... if managers get the evolving flexible workplace wrong.
Article

If we’re all so busy, why isn’t anything getting done?
– With endless meetings, incessant emails, and casts of thousands, companies have mastered the art of unnecessary interactions.... Winning in the next normal requires much more focus on true collaboration.
Article - McKinsey Quarterly

‘Great Attrition’ or ‘Great Attraction’? The choice is yours
– A record number of employees are quitting or thinking about doing so. Organizations that take the time to learn why—and act thoughtfully—will... have an edge in attracting and retaining talent.
Collection

My Leadership Journey
In our new interview series, participants from the private sector, academia, the arts, and other walks of life reflect on the... people and experiences that helped shape them, and the setbacks that made them even more determined to succeed.

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Podcasts

Podcast

New year, new tech, no problem
– McKinsey analyzed 14 new trends in its latest report on the most significant emerging technologies. Here are three for leaders... to focus on right now.
Podcast - McKinsey Health Institute

Beyond burnout: What helps—and what doesn’t
– Despite leaders’ best efforts, worldwide burnout persists. New research reveals why—and how to help employees begin... to thrive again.
Podcast

The boss factor
– How you get along with your manager can shape your health, happiness, and productivity.
Practice page

McKinsey Talks Talent Podcast
Helping you navigate a fast-changing landscape and prepare for the future of work by making talent a competitive advantage
Podcast

Social capital: Build back better relationships at work
– Companies are reporting a dearth of social capital since the start of the pandemic. How can they reestablish meaningful connections... among teams and individuals in today’s changed work environments?
Podcast

To slow down attrition, pay closer attention to what workers really need
– The Great Attrition continues, but if companies understand the differences among five common employee personas, they may be able... to find and retain talent more effectively.
Explore our podcasts

Mind the Gap
Sign up for this free weekly newsletter. Curated reads for Gen Z—and their Z-curious colleagues—on everything from hacking your workplace to grappling with inflation’s effects. Want to preview some sample issues? Right this way.

Author Talks

Interview

The world’s longest study of adult development finds the key to happy living
– Harvard study director Robert Waldinger provides the data-backed answer to what makes people live happier and longer lives and... shares the choices anyone can make to start feeling more fulfilled right now.
Interview

A lifelong labor economist shares five steps for making better choices about money and love
– Stanford professor emerita Myra Strober details her experience combatting workplace inequity and outlines the framework she teaches... for answering life’s biggest questions—like whether to move, marry, or accept a job offer.
Interview

A toolbox for social change
– Cofounder of Candid and former GuideStar CEO Jacob Harold details the tools—from design thinking to game theory—that... organizations can use to optimize their social-impact work.
Interview

Make anxiety your ally
– How can we reclaim our relationship with anxiety, so it works for, and not against, us?
Interview

Actor Terry Crews wants you to open up
– The Brooklyn Nine-Nine actor and former NFL player tackles the issue of toxic masculinity and explores how “tough... guys” can find strength in vulnerability.
Interview

How to handle your work jerk
– Half of the battle against toxic behavior is identifying your own inner jerk.
Explore more from our Author Talks series

McKinsey Insights Store
Download McKinsey’s signature reports and special collections on the management issues that matter, from leading sustainability to managing risk and digitizing operations.

Sustainable, inclusive growth

Article

Sustainable and inclusive growth: A weekly briefing

– Seven specific traits might determine a company’s ability to create financial value while also achieving positive social impact. Our weekly digest of McKinsey insights explores that topic and more.
Podcast

Achieving gender parity in Asia
– To make sustainable progress toward gender equality, businesses need to go beyond table stakes. What steps can companies in Asia... take to address this challenge?
Article

Seizing the momentum to build resilience for a future of sustainable inclusive growth
– The ‘resilience agenda,’ developed by the World Economic Forum with McKinsey & Company, is the first serious program... to coordinate long-term solutions throughout our disrupted world.
Podcast

Rise of the inclusive, sustainable consumers
– How can businesses attract and retain customers when sustainability and inclusion are no longer “nice to have” but... critical to business? And how can they do so successfully in this challenging economic environment?
Report - McKinsey Institute for Black Economic Mobility

Black consumers: Where to invest for equity (a preview)
– Effectively pursuing broad racial-equity goals can help consumer-facing companies better serve Black consumers.
Explore more insights on the new era of growth

Sustainability

Article

Consumers care about sustainability—and back it up with their wallets
– A joint study from McKinsey and NielsenIQ examines sales growth for products that claim to be environmentally and socially responsible.
Article

The net-zero transition: What it would cost, what it could bring
– This McKinsey report offers a detailed look at the economic and societal impact of the transition to net-zero carbon emissions... by 2050.
Collection

Decarbonizing the world’s industries: A net-zero guide for nine key sectors
The sectors that produce the majority of global greenhouse-gas emissions face a steep challenge to decarbonize, but our research... shows that solutions are within reach. In many cases, a transformation is well underway. This collection draws together articles and reports that lay out a pathway to net zero for nine emissions-intensive industries

Generation Z
Explore a special collection on what Gen Z’s influence means for work and society.

McKinsey Explainers

Article

What is influencer marketing?
– Influencer marketing is a collaboration between popular social-media users and brands to promote brands’ products or services.
Article

What is Gen Z?
– Generation Z comprises people born between 1996 and 2010. This generation’s identity has been shaped by the digital age,... climate anxiety, a shifting financial landscape, and COVID-19.
Article

What is the future of work?
– Just like the world at large, the world of work shifts and changes over time. The future of work refers to an informed perspective... on what businesses and other organizations need to know about how work could shift (given digitization and other trends), plus how workforces and workplaces can prepare for those changes, big and small.
Article

What is generative AI?
– Generative artificial intelligence (AI) describes algorithms (such as ChatGPT) that can be used to create new content, including... audio, code, images, text, simulations, and videos. Recent breakthroughs in the field have the potential to drastically change the way we approach content creation.
Article

What is diversity, equity, and inclusion?
– Diversity, equity, and inclusion are three closely linked values held by many organizations that are working to be supportive... of different groups of individuals, including people of different races, ethnicities, religions, abilities, genders, and sexual orientations.
Article

What is innovation?
– Innovation is the systematic practice of developing and marketing breakthrough products and services for adoption by customers.
Explore more McKinsey Explainers

Stay up to date on what’s new

The Daily Read
An article a day, picked by our editors

McKinsey Chart of the Day
A daily chart that helps explain a changing world—as we strive for sustainable and inclusive growth

McKinsey Quote of the Day
Daily insights from our publishing on what matters in business and management.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion

Article

Gen what? Debunking age-based myths about worker preferences
– Our latest analysis of talent trends suggests that employees of all ages seem to want the same things from their work experience—with... a few important caveats.
Podcast - McKinsey Institute for Black Economic Mobility

A guide to investing in Black economic mobility
– Large segments of the Black population in the United States are underserved on a range of socioeconomic dimensions. Here’s... how impact investors can help close that gap.
Article

Reimagining public health programs to deliver equitable impact
– By placing equity at the center of public health programs, government agencies could more effectively address disparities and... improve health outcomes for all Americans.
Article - McKinsey Institute for Black Economic Mobility

Corporate commitments to racial justice: An update
– In the two years since McKinsey first analyzed corporate pledges to fight racial injustice, companies have continued to pledge... money—but how it’s being spent remains unclear.
Article

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Lighthouses 2023
– Leaders need clarity on what works to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our 2023 report shows success factors that contributed... to significant, quantifiable, scalable, and sustainable DEI impact.
Report

Race in the workplace: The frontline experience
– Three of four frontline workers want to be promoted, but less than one in four achieves it. Companies can take targeted actions... to better support these workers.
Podcast

The state of burnout for women in the workplace
– Women are doing more to support employee well-being but face higher stress levels as a result. Here’s how leaders can help.
Report

The economic state of Latinos in America: The American dream deferred
– Addressing the barriers preventing Latinos from full economic participation could have a multitrillion-dollar impact, further... unleashing their entrepreneurial spirit, creating millions of jobs, driving consumer spending, and building intergenerational wealth.
Podcast

LGBTQ+ inclusion in the workplace
– How to take action to support LGBTQ+ employees—not just during Pride Month, but year-round.
Video

LGBTQ+ voices: Speaking out and looking ahead
– LGBTQ+ business leaders speak about the challenges they face and what it takes to make the workplace more inclusive.
Report - McKinsey Global Institute

The economic state of Black America: What is and what could be
– Closing racial gaps across the economy is not only about righting historic wrongs. It is also about choosing a more dynamic future... and realizing the full potential of a massively underutilized source of talent, to the benefit of all Americans.
Article

Black representation in film and TV: The challenges and impact of increasing diversity
– New research reveals the barriers that Black talent in the film and TV industry faces, the economic fallout, and solutions for... creating a more inclusive, equitable workplace.
Dive deeper on DE&I

McKinsey on Books
Searching for your next read? Explore this month’s best-selling business books prepared exclusively for McKinsey Publishing.

The LGBTQ+ Experience

Article

Active allyship: Do your LGBTQ+ employees feel supported and included?
– Companies highlight their outreach efforts during Pride Month, but LGBTQ+ workers persistently report microaggressions and feelings... of isolation at work. Here’s how LGBTQ+ employees report their workplace experience.
Article

Supporting employees in the work-life balancing act
– Work-life balance often feels elusive. But same-gender working couples take different approaches to dividing responsibilities—have... they cracked the code?
Article - McKinsey Quarterly

Being transgender at work
– Although corporate America has stepped up its public support of LGBTQ+ rights, it still has a long road ahead to foster a truly... inclusive environment for transgender employees.

Women in the Workplace

Report

The business of sports and the quest for inclusion for women
– For all the progress toward equality on the field, sports administration remains dominated by men. A fairer, more inclusive industry... would benefit everyone.
Podcast

Women in the workplace: Breaking up to break through
– Record numbers of women leaders are leaving their jobs. Research reveals what’s behind the “great breakup”—and... how employers can reverse the trend.
Article

Women in the Workplace 2022
– Women leaders are switching jobs at the highest rates we’ve ever seen, and ambitious young women are prepared to do the... same. To make meaningful and sustainable progress toward gender equality, companies need to go beyond table stakes. That’s according to the latest Women in the Workplace report from McKinsey, in partnership with LeanIn.Org.

The McKinsey Crossword
Sharpen your problem-solving skills the McKinsey way, with our weekly crossword.

Health & Wellness

Article

The secret to great health? Escaping the healthcare matrix

– The blueprint to achieve a lifetime of great health is increasingly clear and within our control. But unlocking it requires challenging the orthodoxies currently guiding individuals and institutions.
Interview - McKinsey Health Institute

Dame Sally Davies: ‘Make the healthy choice the easy choice’
– UK physician and healthcare leader Dame Sally Davies says governments, employers, and individuals share responsibility for good... health.
Interactive - McKinsey Health Institute

Prioritizing brain health: Scaling what works to add years to life and life to years
– How many more years can be spent in optimal health if our society viewed mental and substance-use disorders as we do other conditions?... The McKinsey Health Institute and the Healthy Brains Global Initiative collaboration sought to answer this question through a series of interactives.
Article - McKinsey Health Institute

Present company included: Prioritizing mental health and well-being for all
– A McKinsey Health Institute survey across 15 countries highlights how employers can make mental health a reality, especially for... young workers.
Podcast - McKinsey Health Institute

Beyond burnout: What helps—and what doesn’t
– Despite leaders’ best efforts, worldwide burnout persists. New research reveals why—and how to help employees begin... to thrive again.
Report - McKinsey Health Institute

Adding years to life and life to years
– At least six years of higher quality life for everyone is within reach.
Article

Addressing the unprecedented behavioral-health challenges facing Generation Z
– A series of consumer surveys and interviews conducted by McKinsey finds Gen Zers reporting the least positive life outlook, including... lower levels of emotional and social well-being than older generations.

McKinsey themes

Collection

The McKinsey guide to problem solving
Become a better problem solver with insights and advice from leaders around the world on topics including developing a problem-solving... mindset, solving problems in uncertain times, problem solving with AI, and much more.
Blog Post

The McKinsey guide to managing yourself—and others
Become better at managing yourself, and others, with insights and advice from leaders around the world who can help improve your... professional and personal life.
Blog Post

Take control of your inbox—and your productivity
– If you’re reading this, it’s thanks to Ray Tomlinson, an engineer who secured his place as a global icon of the internet by sending... the first network email message in 1971.
Blog Post

Why investing in nature is vital to our collective future
– Human activity is deemed to be outside the “safe operating space” for at least six out of the nine so-called planetary boundaries:... biodiversity loss, chemical and plastic pollution, forest cover loss, freshwater consumption, greenhouse-gas emissions, and nutrient pollution.
Blog Post

Is your business alert to this generation-defining technology?
– Quantum computing, an emerging technology that uses the laws of quantum mechanics to produce exponentially higher performance... for certain types of calculations, offers the possibility of major breakthroughs across sectors.
Explore more from McKinsey Themes

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McKinsey on Books

Book - Featured Insights

CEO Excellence
What if the world’s highest-performing CEOs held a master class to share the skills and practices that have driven their success... over the years?
Book - Featured Insights

Power to the Middle
Is 2023 the year of the middle manager?
Book - Featured Insights

Rewired
The McKinsey guide to outcompeting in the age of digital and AI
Book - Featured Insights

The Titanium Economy
How industrial technology can create a better, faster, stronger America
Book - Featured Insights

Deliberate Calm
How to learn and lead in a volatile world
Book - Featured Insights

The Ecosystem Economy
Prepare your organization for a transformed competitive landscape.

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