Enhancing the Employee Experience: Purpose and Fulfillment
According to a McKinsey study from 2021, 70% of employees surveyed derive their sense of purpose from their work — with a total of two-thirds working in nonexecutive roles. And while 85% of upper-level leadership feel they are fulfilling their purpose through their work, only 15% of frontline workers agreed — and nearly half of them disagreed. As far back as 2016, and well before the shakeup of 2020, 83% of workers surveyed named “meaning in day-to-day work” as essential for job satisfaction. Meanwhile, 79% of business leaders believed purpose was “central to business success,” but only 34% used their organization’s purpose to inform business decision-making.
If we were to draw one conclusion from all these statistics, it is this: Employee experience is critical for building and maintaining a successful business. Much has been said about the pandemic’s effect on work, but the idea of creating and finding value in a fulfilling employee experience isn’t new. And with personal and organizational purpose a clear priority for employees and job seekers, employers can no longer afford to disregard it. Employee engagement strategies are vital for organizations that want to succeed.
Employee engagement
Employee engagement strategies are about fostering a culture of fulfillment in the workplace. Engaged employees are enthusiastic about their work, dedicated to their organization, and confident their contributions are valuable and recognized. They define their work in terms of active, ongoing interest and positive challenge.
Fulfilled workers take engagement to the next level. They feel their work is meaningful, makes a favorable impact on their community, and provides them with personal feelings of accomplishment. They enjoy their work, recognize your company vision as one in alignment with their own, and feel connected with your company and their colleagues.
Employees with a sense of purpose are even more fulfilled at work. Their work provides them with a sense of meaning and a chance to influence your company, their community, and the world. Company values for individual purpose and fulfillment demonstrate your commitment to what matters to each of your employees.
Retention during the Great Resignation
It’s been a tumultuous two years, and the rapid changes and adjustments have shed light on our collective need for more meaning and purpose. Employees and job seekers are questioning their work-life balance and the value and contribution of their work in a business environment where everything has changed.
Among the top reasons cited for leaving jobs during what we’ve come to know as the Great Resignation, two primary factors stand out: feeling undervalued by employers and the lack of a sense of belonging at work. Leaders must recognize these situations, and build and create people-centered strategies from the ground up to support a positive employee work experience.
The quality of connection an employee has with their employer is shaped by interaction, policies, processes, technology, and effort. Connected employees are happier and more likely to remain with your organization, which saves you time, money, and investment in new hires while providing stability and a healthy workplace culture. It’s the employees who find purpose in their work who will drive your company forward with innovation, creativity, and collaboration — because their sense of purpose is intertwined with the visions and goals of your organization.
Plant the seeds
Making positive moves now with employee engagement strategies ensures workers find and fulfill their purpose at work and makes a positive difference in the lives of your most important assets. Cultivating purpose begins here:
Define your company’s purpose. What elements define your organization’s success? Refocus on the vision you have for your business. Employees who feel connected to their company’s purpose feel supported at work and will be supportive in turn.
Encourage a sense of purpose outside of work. Remember, your employees have private lives, passions, and interests. Give them time and resources to pursue their interests. Flexible scheduling or continuing education support will inspire workers to honor their individual sense of purpose.
Make work matter. Your teams need to know they contribute to your company’s mission. Profit and purpose must work together to keep employees motivated and their goals aligned with the company’s.
Explore the heart of purpose. Ask employees to identify the source of their sense of purpose. Regardless of their role in your company, do they feel they are contributing to a higher goal in their community or the world? If they are only working for a paycheck, strategize how you can refocus employees on the company’s purpose and bring everyone onboard with employee engagement strategies.
Invest in learning and development. Your employees matter, inherently and to the success of your company. Show you recognize their value by providing them with resources to maintain their competency, increase their skills, and plan for future career growth.
Collaboration is key. Healthy teams naturally share a sense of purpose. Encourage its further development by exploring options to enhance collaboration, especially among remote and hybrid teams.
Give rewards and recognition. Employees are motivated by how their work affects their colleagues. Celebrate achievements both big and small. For remote workers, organize online events to keep everyone involved.
Enhancing your employees’ experience is vital to their success and yours. Engaged employees who feel fulfilled at work find purpose in performing better, stay in their jobs longer, and make for better brand ambassadors. Engagement. Purpose. Fulfillment. Employee experience. They’re not just the latest buzzwords. Implementing employee engagement strategies is critical for recruiting and retaining employees and ensuring they find long-term success and satisfaction in their work.
A clear sense of purpose at work drives individual and team success. For more ideas for bringing purpose and fulfillment to your company, and your employees, reach out to Fitch Consulting.