My husband sent me an post from the Harvard Business Review blogs about worthwhile work. The point of the post is that people need to feel their work has meaning to be engaged, productive, and happy. Some work is clearly meaningful—discovering cures for cancer, educating children, counseling families. But how do people find meaning in work that’s not as obviously mission-driven?
The post gives the example of a woman who works as a housekeeper in a hotel. She states that she finds her work worthwhile because she helps to make someone who’s away from home feel more comfortable. That’s great. Maybe it’s even true. But it seems like a contrived answer to me.
When I was between jobs, I spent a lot of time thinking about the job I wanted next and about the kind of company or organization I wanted to work for. My entire professional career has been in academia and non-profits, and I really feel good about working in those industries. It gives my job instant meaning. I also had a profession that, when done well, was also worthwhile in and of itself. So when I considered a new profession, I decided I wanted to work for a company or organization that was “doing good work,” some place that was trying to improve the world, so even as I left my former profession, I could still feel good about making a difference.
But if I’m honest about it, I’m not sure that I’d have to work in a do-gooder organization—even in my new profession—to feel like my work was worthwhile. It’s important to me to always do a good job, so if I can be effective and appreciated for my work, that’s worthwhile. If I’m challenged and learning new things, that’s meaningful for me. The connections I make with people are also important to me.
And in my experience, even meaningful work can’t keep some jobs from being horrors if the boss is a micromanager, you face never-ending roadblocks to getting your job done, everyone is constantly worried about being laid off, or any of the other nightmares frequently found at work.
A leader’s responsibility is not only to help people identify meaning in their work, but to also create an environment in which that meaning is not overwhelmed by frustrations. And it’s each person’s responsibility to define what’s worthwhile to them, to seek out and connect to the meaning in their jobs, and to make a conscious effort to not impede their co-workers’ effort to find their work worthwhile.
How do you find meaning in your work?
