BBC Worklife author brief

Work smarter. Live better. Think deeper.

What is BBC Worklife?

Worklife is a BBC.com features site about the way we work, live and think in a rapidly shifting world, where the boundaries between the professional and the personal are increasingly blurrier.

We offer trusted, insightful digital journalism from a global network of contributors, with a focus on reported narrative features.

What is our mission?

It’s an understatement to say our world will never be the same. How do people make sense of everything that’s changed in our personal and professional lives – and get ahead of what’s next?

BBC Worklife’s mission is to inform, inspire and empower readers to live a more fulfilling life personally, within their relationships and in their workplaces. We guide readers through the biggest issues of how to work, how to live and how to think today. From the new world of hybrid work, to the implications of inequality, to the forces that both breed and stifle success, we provide the insights needed to thrive as individuals.

We are not a news site. Instead, we provide deeper context, connecting headlines to an individual reader, enabling them to understand why their worlds are changing, and what it means for them personally.

Our writers tell reported stories with a global outlook. They speak to the foremost experts around the world, and dig into new research, to report objective narratives that inform, inspire and move readers to action, no matter where they live. Importantly, our stories are human centric: our writers speak to the people who are experiencing the phenomena we’re highlighting. If a reader doesn’t walk away understanding what a story means to them – whether helping shatter a bias, or giving an actionable takeaway – we’re not serving our audience.

Who is our audience?

Speaking of audience, BBC Worklife focuses on the individual worker. Some are just entering the workforce; others are already leaders, with years under their belts. Some are just beginning to discover their identities, and form their outlooks; others have deep life experience, and concrete opinions. Importantly, our readers are all over the world – BBC serves a global audience, with a wealth of experiences.

Our stories target ambitious, curious professionals aged 18 to 45. They’re keenly interested in why they live the way do, and how these environments and trends affect them; they also want to stay ahead of the curve to excel personally, professionally and intellectually.

How do we serve them?

Our stories:

• Are reported, narrative features, generally running 1,200 to 2,000 words
• Dig deeper than the headlines, adding context, not breaking news
• Are timely, with a clear ‘why now’ hook
• Focus on telling stories about global phenomena, or zoom in on a trend in a specific country or environment that has implications for people across the world
• Are human centric, bringing in real, illustrative case studies
• Speak to the individual, not the business
• Spotlight trends and developments that reflect the changing world of work and life
• Offer something relevant
• Understand systemic factors like inequality, and don’t construct narratives in a vacuum
• Provide the global reader with a connection to their own life, whether disrupting biases or behaviours, or providing tools to address real-life issues
• Are head of the curve, and will always give a straight answer

Our stories are not:

• Breaking news
• Generic how-to stories, such as “how to get a raise” or “how to save money”
• Surface-level listicles
• Industry-sector stories
• Op-eds, opinions and personal essays
• Investment advice and personal finance
• Pre-written in advance of pitching

We have three sections: How We Work, How We Live and How We Think. Our stories fit nicely into one of these sections (sometimes there’s overlap – that’s OK). Here’s what each section accomplishes:

• How We Work: These stories report on the professional world, covering what’s happening in workplaces and among workers, both now and down the line. We look at success, obstacles, inequality, culture and more.
• How We Live: These stories report on social phenomena and trends. We look at inequality, identity, relationships and sex, happiness, traditions and more.
• How We Think: These stories report on social psychology, and are often tied to new research. We look at biases, decisions, habits, personality and more.

What is our voice?

Brisk, authoritative and smart. If the site were a person, we’d be your well-travelled, well-read friend, who keeps you up to date with what’s going on.

Some greatest hits

We love everything we publish (or we don’t publish it, of course). Here are some stories from the past year that embody all of the above:

How We Work

• The entry-level workers earning six-figure salaries
• The death of 'mandtory fun' in the office
• The jobs employers just can't fill
• The bosses who silently nudge out workers
• Why hybrid work is emotionally exhausting
• How unpaid hours became part of the job
• How climate change is re-shaping the way Gen Z works
• Why worker loyalty is at a breaking point
• Why presenteeism wins out over productivity
• The pervasive problem of 'linguistic racism'
• Why do we buy into the 'cult' of overwork?
• Is extreme working culture worth the big rewards?
• Why long-term workplace trauma is a real phenomenon
• 'Failing up': Why some climb the ladder despite mediocrity

How We Live

• The millennials in sexless marriages
• The hidden load: How 'thinking of everything' holds mums back
• Family estrangement: Why adults are cutting off their parents
• ‘Situationships’: Why Gen Z are embracing the grey area
• Vasectomy: The US men embracing permanent birth control
• Why getting a name right matters
• The 'cannamoms' parenting with cannabis
• Are Gen Z more pragmatic about love and sex?
• The millennials choosing friends as sperm donors
• Why more women identify as sexually fluid than men
• Asexuality: The ascent of the 'invisible' sexual orientation
• The harmful ableist language you unknowingly use
• The darkly soothing compulsion of 'doomscrolling'

How We Think

• The mindset that brings unlimited willpower
• The complicated truth of post-traumatic growth
• How too much mindfulness can spike anxiety
• How thinking about 'future you' can build a happier life
• The complicated truth of post-traumatic growth
• Why we don't dole out many compliments – but should
• Why some narcissists actually hate themselves
• Why ambiverts are better leaders
• How a 'beginners’ mindset' can help you learn anything
• Why our relationship with young achievers is so complicated

How to pitch us

Please send along a pitch, no longer than three paragraphs, that includes:

• How you’d sell the story in fewer than 68 characters
• What the immediacy is, such as a news peg or new research
• What the story is about and will accomplish
• How you plan to report the story, such as relevant expert sources or case studies
• Your new take, or how you’re advancing an existing story
• What the reader will learn
• Where you’ve written, and why you’re the person to tell the story

We are not accepting pitches for columns or new series. We are accepting pitches for special existing series, including Family Tree, Equality Matters and Hello Hybrid.

Editing

It is BBC policy to give every piece of content at least two edits. Please file in Microsoft Word, in UK English.

If for any reason we cannot reach the editorial standards set by the BBC for publication, we reserve the right to pay a kill fee for your time.

Contact

Meredith Turits, Editor

[email protected]