Fulfilling work can add up to more productive, happier employees and perhaps a healthier bottom line
December 24th, 2009 | 1 | No Comments »
There are real tangible benefits to employees finding meaning in their work. People by nature need purpose. When employees understand their contribution in their role to the overall success of the organization they become more committed to the organisation. Commitment, leads to higher performance.
According to HR Consultant and Blogger, Mike Haberman, employees will commit to their work, if and only if that work is meaningful. When the organisation has a committed employee, the organisation has one that is performing at a higher level. This usually can result in better customer interactions. Organisations want the employees to be committed and engaged so that enthusiasm is reflected in the customer experience.
Employees need to understand how they are doing. To keep the work meaningful to the employee they need to understand how they are performing, what they can do to improve, and receive the appropriate reward and recognition for performing in a way that leads to increased results for the organisation.
Workers are not likely to find meaning in what they do unless they see themselves as a contributing part of something that is bigger than they are. In most work situations, this is a function of the relationship between the workers and the immediate boss. The leader at any level has two primary jobs. They need to accomplish the business mission and care for the people in the leader’s charge.
Accomplishing the mission includes communicating, repeatedly, what is required and why it is important. It also includes communicating what part of the work an individual has and why that is important. Caring for the people means, first of all that the manager works to keep them safe. Keep them safe from forces outside the organization that might harm them and from the organizational authorities.
It also means helping them grow and develop. The manager can help them develop skills to keep them out of trouble in the future. The manager can help them learn things and achieve their personal objectives. Finally, it also means creating a great working environment. Fortunately, managers know what that looks like.