How to Create Meaningful Work Opportunities

Since the pandemic, people have attempted to understand the ways lockdown changed the nature of work. One of the takeaways for many people is that work should be meaningful. They believe that work should align with personal values and bring a sense of purpose to their lives. How can companies respond to this change in focus? Here are some ideas.

What Makes Work Meaningful?

For most people, work’s primary purpose is to make enough money to pay for needs like housing, food, and health care, and wants like entertainment, travel, and leisure. Some jobs are demanding physically, such as food harvesting, but demand little in the way of problem-solving or innovation. Other jobs, such as producing art, demand creativity and attention to fine detail. All types of work can be meaningful when they start by meeting the following criteria:

1. Decent work: includes productive employment, fair wages, workplace security, and an atmosphere of nondiscrimination where concerns are heard and respected by management.
2. Job craft: the ability for employees to make improvements to their jobs with adjustments to tasks, relationships, etc.
3. High-quality relationships: the ability to foster positive interactions with superiors, direct reports, colleagues, customers, and clients

With these basics met, other factors are important in defining meaningful work for both employer and employee.

Benefits of Meaningful Work for Employees

Research conducted by Evgenia I. Lysova, Professor of Organizational Behavior, and her colleagues found that employees can find greater meaning at work by being in a “state of awareness” about themselves and their work environment, which leads to a mindset of flexible thinking. “We believed that flexible thinking might allow people to reinterpret and reappraise information about their work in ways that clarify the worth, significance, and positive impact of what they do,” she writes.

They found that people in their study who achieved this state of awareness were more cognizant of their own reactions, thoughts, and actions, were more attuned to their co-workers, and were better listeners and communicators. “This awareness adds clarity and vividness to their experiences,” Lysova says, “allowing them to see previously unattended information that makes their tasks feel more purposeful.” 

The study asked participants to record their feelings about work events. They found that this awareness gave them new insights about how they interacted with others, how they responded to significant work events like finishing a big project, and how feedback affected their sense of purpose. Even those who experienced a range of emotions could still acknowledge feelings of meaning like:

• “A sense of worth: when others provided appreciation and recognition, conveyed trust, or included a participant in important work activities.
• A sense of care: when others directly offered help or assistance to a participant during stressful work situations.
• A sense of safety: when others let a participant openly communicate or speak up about a problem and encouraged them to raise their concerns.”

How to Create Meaningful Work Opportunities

For employers, the task is to create a work environment that fosters this sense of awareness so that every employee can find meaning. Here are some ideas:

Make sure work tasks align with stated company values

A strong corporate culture with clearly stated values gives potential and current employees a firm guidepost. The clients, projects, and work environment should reflect those values so employees can feel proud to represent your company.

Foster an environment of open communication

Employees should feel welcome to discuss ambitions, concerns, and conflicts with HR and all levels of management, with a proven track record of appropriate action.

Invest time in building relationships of trust 

Get to know those on your team. What are their hobbies? Struggles? Likes? Dislikes? Talents? You may find that knowing someone better can direct the kind of work you assign. You may see opportunities for people to shine far outside the bounds of their resume bullet points.  

Provide frequent feedback

Positive feedback energizes people and shows them they’re on the right path, which builds confidence and focus. If managers only provide feedback for mistakes or corrections, employees may feel like none of their work is valuable.

Make room for independent decision-making

Foster a company ethos that allows employees some level of autonomy, especially if they’ve been employed for some time. Room for independent thought inspires curiosity, creativity, and problem-solving.

Provide volunteer opportunities

Create opportunities for corporate volunteerism, with company-wide volunteer events, time off for personal volunteer projects, or employee-led charitable donations. This offers employees support for their beliefs and values.

Show results of work

Work can have meaning when employees can see the fruits of their labor. If your company designs a product to go to market, make sure everyone has a chance to see and use the finished product. If you receive positive feedback from a client or customer, make sure everyone who worked on the project hears about it and has their contributions noted.

Make an Effort to Create Meaningful Work Opportunities

Viewing your employees as interesting and unique people with individual ideas, skills, and talents to contribute can help them find and recognize meaningful work opportunities in your company.

WorkforceHub makes it easier to keep up with your efforts to make work more meaningful for your teams. Set up a recognition wall and watch the praise roll in. Set up a rewards program that encourages employees to continue to do great work and be rewarded. These tools, along with the key functions of automated timekeeping and scheduling, are all built into the platform.