It makes people feel like their lives have meaning, she adds, when their work does. “As the type of jobs we're in have evolved, people are now looking for a greater sense of self,” she says. ![]() ![]() What we do, in many ways, defines who we are. Stephanie Bot, a clinical psychologist and co-founder of Workright, a Toronto-based workplace mental-health consultancy, notes that for a lot of people, identity has become closely tied to work. “Automation is happening pretty quickly, which is why I think things are now coming to this tipping point where meaning matters a lot,” says De Smet. In many industries, the more rote, repetitive jobs have disappeared. As people’s basic needs for food and shelter were met, and the nature of work changed, people began to want more from their daily grinds. The desire for meaningful work has been a slow and steady evolution that’s happened as society has become, on the whole, wealthier. But however people frame meaning, experts say that in the workplace of the future, making people feel that what they’re doing matters, matters more than ever. People might define meaning in many ways, whether that’s working in a glossy ‘dream job’ or using particular skills to perform a necessary role. This drive for meaning is especially true of the newest generation to enter the workforce in a survey of Gen Z workers from jobs site Monster, 70% of respondents ranked purpose as more important than pay.Īs people’s jobs have become a significant part of their identities – and the way they spend most of their time – occupations have also become the place where they hope to derive at least some of their life’s meaning. In 2018, a survey of American professionals showed nine out of 10 workers would trade a percentage of their earnings for work that felt more meaningful. But over time, as decent working conditions and a pay cheque became simple fundamentals, workers began to want more. The Industrial Revolution, he says, made work very “transactional”: people worked and got paid money to live, with no greater purpose required or expected. The search for meaning at work is a relatively new idea, says Aaron De Smet, a senior partner at McKinsey. ![]() Separate McKinsey research from 2022 showed 70% of employees say their personal sense of purpose is defined by their work, and when that work feels meaningful, they perform better, are much more committed and are about half as likely to go looking for a new job. And when a company has purpose, its people do, too. But in a very close second, as data is beginning to show, people want their work to have meaning.Ī 2020 McKinsey & Company surveyed showed 82% of employees believe it’s important their company has a purpose ideally, one that contributes to society and creates meaningful work. Ask workers what’s most important to them in a job, and first on the list generally is pay cheque – perhaps obviously.
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