Creating Value and Purpose at Work Post-pandemic

Employers have a lot of concern right now about the Great Resignation and how it is affecting their business. Unfortunately many articles do not discuss the way people are rethinking their relationship to work. As people develop a new sense of awareness about their relationship to work, they are demanding more purpose and personal value from their work.

The key for employers to retain the talent, and ensure good performance across teams, is to acknowledge this and offer a more purpose-driven approach to work.

Why should organizations account for employee wellbeing?

According to the Gallup report only 21% of employees are engaged at work and this is strongly correlated with employee wellbeing – with only 33% of employees thriving in their overall wellbeing (Gallup, 2022).

Every organizations strategic plan contains goals that cannot be met without people. Ensuring your team finds value and purpose at work is important to help them achieve those goals and keep them engaged.

This suggests that employers need to prioritize employee engagement as part of their HR initiatives and take responsibility for the wellbeing of their workers, which in turn will result in productive and thriving organizations.

What should employers do?

While pay remains an important factor in employee satisfaction, people are also motivated when they feel valued and empowered, through growth opportunities, acknowledgement of success and trust.

Organizations must provide employees with autonomy to balance work commitments and personal needs. Not only through making hybrid work models location-centric, but people-centric. Thoughtfully applied technology can make employers achieve this goal, through systems that reduce the amount of administrative work employees need to do, to software that aids effective communication and project management between teams. Allowing people to focus on tasks that fill them with a better sense of purpose at work.

Managing employee performance will also have to change, moving beyond the outcomes of their work to reflect more context. To entice sustainable performance, without compromising their long-term well-being, mental health days could be a great benefit. They allow employees to take a break when they start to feel burnt-out.

Ultimately, to feel more engaged and feel a sense of purpose at work, employees of today need to be able to take control over their work and work environment that allows them to maximize their productivity. Not all humans operate in the same way, some have different family commitments, or different styles of working. Therefore, the environment and the resources they need to work at their best, differs for all.