Personal purpose and meaning at work

There is a view that work is something we only do so we can do something else. And part of the purpose of paid work for everyone is to support living and provide a livelihood for people and families.

But work can and should be more than this. Work is in fact a necessary expression of our humanity and sense of self-worth, not just because of the money it provides, but because it can and should be a source of meaning and dignity in life. The value placed by society on work and on jobs is often skewed by reference to monetary values, and the affirmation of the role of key workers in the Covid pandemic was a very powerful symbol – and necessary corrective to this myopic view.

Work can and should be seen as one arena where people explore their own personal purpose or vocation. Where there is little or no overlap between what an organisation does, the role an individual is being asked to play, and their own sense of personal purpose, the chances are that the person will not be happy or fulfilled in the role. Without awakening a sense of personal meaning and accountability the risk is that corporate purpose crowds out that sense of meaning and fulfilment – which contributes to people’ sense of realising their potential.

Example:

A well used story is that during a visit to the NASA space centre in 1962, where he was to present some speech or other, John F. Kennedy took a wrong turn and ended up in a service corridor where he noticed a janitor who was cleaning his mop. Kennedy said, “Hi, I’m Jack Kennedy. What are you doing?” The janitor replied: “Well, Mr. President, I’m helping put a man on the moon.”

Companies therefore often seek to find ways of exploring the best fit. This is welcome and desirable when it is done in an exploratory way to understand how best an employee might find personal fulfilment in a particular role or career. But no job can or should be thought of as completely fulfilling someone’s “personal purpose”. Each person has a human identity distinct from any organisation or role, and there are important limits to what we should expect of any employer or colleagues in terms of satisfying the deep desire for purpose and meaning in life through work.

Katie Bailey’s research has illuminated well the way in which the workplace can also be a source of meaning in life. There are important aspects of what an employer can provide and offer which can help create the conditions in which such meaning can be found. However, she cautions:

If employers want their staff to find their work meaningful, they need to tread carefully. People like to find their own meaning, by reference to what matters most to them as individuals, and organisational efforts to force the issue can lead to cynicism. However, organisations can nurture an environment that helps people to find meaning in their work through adopting authentic values, ensuring workers are in jobs that suit their skills and personalities, fostering a positive and respectful working climate, and helping workers see how their work has a positive effect on others.

Katie Bailey, How work can be made meaningful

Her research shows (as does that of Dan Ariely described in Payoff) that employers can deliver meaninglessness through thoughtless action which completely undermines the value of what people have been working on.

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