Employees are looking for more meaningful, fulfilling work. But what can you do to give them it?
Two-thirds of employees say COVID-19 has caused them to reflect on their purpose in life, and 70% say their sense of purpose is defined by their work. Businesses that are able to tap into that desire for purposeful work will see higher engagement, stronger cultural unity and greater loyalty.
Below are five ways you can make your employees feel more fulfilled and engaged at work:
- Set personalised goals
The concept of goal-setting has been around in HR for a long time. But most KPIs are designed to indicate how an individual’s performance serves the company they work for – not the individual’s only sense of purpose.
Leaders should correct this. By developing goals in collaboration with individual workers, you should look for ways that an individual’s sense of meaning can be aligned with business incentives.
- Enable flexibility
Many employees enjoy their job but feel it gets in the way of meaningful pursuits outside of work. personal life. Whether they have a caring role or an artistic passion, work that is perceived as an impediment to other parts of life will never be properly fulfilling.
By allowing workers to assert more control over how and when they work, you can ensure their work is not in conflict with their personal pursuits. However, flexibility does not mean unpredictable: stable and sustainable work patterns are a growing priority for workers.
- Redescribe the role
At its root, the desire for meaningful work is simple: workers want to believe what they do matters. The problem is, many important roles within a company are so disconnected from the final product that workers are unaware of the impact their work has.
Management should be tasked with making these connections clearer. By making clear how a particular role relates to a meaningful end product, workers will see their job – and themselves – in a new, more positive light.
- Provide learning opportunities
Many workers are disengaged at work because they feel stagnant. Having learned how to do their job, they are simply going through the motions – with no real sense of progress or achievement.
Employers should tackle this by ensuring every worker has the opportunity to continue learning or progressing in their career. Even those that are no in a position to offer a linear career trajectory should provide opportunities for lateral moves or to develop transferable skills.
- Recognise individuals
While fulfilment can come from within, the majority of people require external validation to feel they are doing something worthwhile. So when employees feel their work is not being sufficiently recognised, they begin to wonder: what’s the point?
Leaders must ensure workers feel their efforts are appreciated – and promote individual achievements. From improved benefits to better compensation, you must ensure each individual feels satisfied with the level of recognition they recieve.
