PROGRAM HIGHLIGHT:

Finding meaning at work:

Even more important than money.

Did you know that 9 out of 10 people consider meaningful work more important than the salary ?

That is what is shown in this amazing report from BetterUp Labs, “Meaning and Purpose at Work”.

People are hungry for meaning, and that includes finding purpose in what they do at work

BetterUp conducted a nationwide survey of:

American professionals, across 26 industries and a range of pay levels, company sizes, occupations and demographics

“To understand how widely held the belief is that meaningful work is of monetary value.”

BetterUp is a mobile-based
leadership development platform
used by Fortune 500 companies.

What did the research show?

1. On average, employees say their work is about half as meaningful as it could be

This absence of meaning hurts organizations—and it’s up to a company’s leadership team to fix it.

2. Employees who place a higher value on meaningful work occupy more senior, skilled positions, and stay longer.

In addition to providing meaningful work, companies can focus on hiring employees who strongly believe in the idea that work should be meaningful.

3. Employees whose work feels meaningful work longer weeks and are absent less

Highly meaningful work motivates employees to work an extra hour per week, and to take two fewer days of paid leave per year.

4. Meaning and workplace social support are closely related

Employees who experience strong workplace social support score higher on the workplace meaning scale than do employees who work in unsupportive environments.

5. Workers are willing to trade money for meaning

More than 9 out of 10 employees are willing to trade a percentage of their lifetime earnings for greater meaning at work. Across age groups, workers want meaningful work badly enough that they’re willing to pay for it.

6.Employees are more satisfied at work when their jobs feel meaningful

The resulting gains in worker productivity add up to over $9,000 per worker, per year.

7. Raises and promotions are more common for employees who have meaningful work

Employees who find their jobs highly meaningful are more likely to have received a raise in the past year, and are also more likely to have received a promotion in the past six months.

8. Alignment of values with company leadership is essential

Employees who feel strong values alignment with company leadership report higher job satisfaction than employees who feel misaligned.

This quote probably never made more sense.

What DID this report tell us?

Our relationship with work has changed. Before the pandemic brought us the “home office revolution”, work dynamics were already presenting many changes compared to previous generations, where, in Brazil for example, the mark of a good job was one where the employee simply had a salary above average and could build a career for a lifetime.

Today, more than ever, a “good job” is one where there is a purpose (at least for most people). This purpose should not be just a nice phrase on the “About Us” page of the company’s website. It needs to be present in all the company’s actions, in its goals, in its relationship with employees and society. Work becomes even more meaningful when you get to see the fruits of your labour, reflected by a clear company purpose, clearly communicated to the world.

You can find the full report/study at:

https://www.betterup.com/en-us/resources/reports/meaning-and-purpose-report/