From Career Optimism To Unpaid Internships: This Week’s Top Leadership Stories

This week we learned what we still don’t know about standing desks and productivity, which fields have the most optimistic workers, and why unpaid internships’ legality is still an open question.

These are the stories you loved in Leadership for the week of July 18:

1. These Are The Most Optimistic Employees In The U.S.

A recent PayScale survey finds that a solid majority of U.S. workers are optimistic about the future of their careers. But some industries, jobs, and even U.S. states boast greater proportions of glass-half-full workers than others. Here’s how it all breaks down.

2. 5 Jobs That Will Be The Hardest To Fill In 2025

Experts say there’s a serious labor shortage on the horizon, and national employment and immigration policies over the next decade could either ease or exacerbate it. These are the five fields likely to be affected the most.

3. The Truth About Standing Desks And Productivity

Science has shown that sitting for long periods not only wrecks our health but hurts our productivity, and that standing up at work is the antidote—hasn’t it? Not quite. Turns out some of that research is far from definitive.

4. Are Unpaid Internships Still Legal? Here’s Why The Law Is Fuzzier Than Ever

After five years in court, Fox Searchlight Pictures is finally settling a lawsuit over its internship practices. But as writer Christopher Zara explains, while the case “did much to advance conversations about fair wages and labor rights, it never really settled the more basic question of when it’s okay for businesses to employ unpaid interns.”

5. How To Turn Your Professional Envy Into A Career Tool

It’s normal—and even healthy—to feel jealous of your friends’ and colleagues’ career successes every now and then. But you can’t let it consume you. Here’s how to convert that negative energy into motivation.