August 16, 2021

Creating a Sense of Meaning at the Workplace

Sam Caucci

Why do we do the work that we do? Most of us spend a majority of our waking hours at our jobs, whatever they may be. And if that’s the case, it would make sense for us to do work that is meaningful to us. Research has shown that having a strong sense of purpose and meaning is becoming one of the most important factors which affect our wellbeing and performance. 

In fact, having a strong sense of purpose at work has been shown to have a significant amount of bearing on job satisfaction above almost all other factors. To reiterate, feeling like we are useful at work is more important to us than job security, freedom to work independently, and even how stressful we think our work is. Ensuring that your employee’s job satisfaction is high, can lead them to produce better work and stay happier long term.

This is why many forward-thinking organizations are acting upon this growing need for investment into employee wellbeing. For example, paying more serious attention to maintaining a work environment that is safe, inclusive, diverse and sustainable. 

So how do you create a sense of meaning and purpose at the workplace? Creating meaning is all about highlighting each individual employee’s personality and showing them why they are an essential part of achieving your organization’s mission. This creates a purpose-led approach rather than a profit-led one.

When meaning is put at the forefront of work, employees will take action on their own accord but not just because it will benefit them but because it will benefit them and their organization as a whole. Thus, you will gain active participants which helps you grow your client base simply due to your employees’ dedication and passion to their work. 

So, make your team feel important by showing them how they can use their particular skills to make an impact on the real world. In turn, this results in meaningful business impacts. Here are more ways a sense of purpose at work can help benefit your employees and organization as a whole. 

Increase Employee Engagement

Tons of research shows that today’s employees are most motivated by work that gives them a sense of purpose. So whatever position an employee is in, make sure that they understand how they personally contribute to the broader company mission.

So, purpose-driven work directly contributes to increased levels of engagement. 73% of employees who report that they work for a purpose-led company are engaged, and engaged employees are more productive than their peers. 

Increase Productivity

More than 50% of business executives say that embodying the company mission boosts productivity significantly. This is because creating a deeper sense of purpose helps give employees the knowledge they need to exceed in their roles. 

Having a better understanding of your company goals will help your team prioritize tasks, problem solve and be more innovative. Meanwhile, a lack of purpose and role ambiguity are both common causes of workplace stress and burnout. 

You can help keep your team stress-free by getting clear on the purpose of their work. Happy employees are more productive.

Increase Staff Retention

When employees no longer find value in their job or don’t believe in your company’s mission, they will eventually leave. Did you know that the cost of replacing an employee can be up to 33% of their annual salary? It’s safe to say high retention is an important part of running a successful organization. 

In order to keep a hold of your valuable intellectual capital, you should strive to build meaning throughout your company by recognizing the vital role every employee plays in achieving your company goals. When you successfully instill this sense of purpose in the workplace, they will be dedicated and stick around for longer.

Train with a Purpose with 1Huddle

Organizations these days need to keep up with the latest result-oriented training strategies to keep their employees engaged and increase their performance. 

1Huddle can help you and your team stay motivated and clear about your organization’s goals and sense of purpose. We offer cloud-based employee gamification software that can easily adapt to any employee training or gamification strategy you want to implement at your workplace. You can customize your content for a seamless experience and all of your employees will be able to access their training anywhere, anytime and at the push of a button. You can use our game platform to measure their performance and make key decisions on where you should take your gamification strategy next. 

Do you want to learn more about how 1Huddle can help you level up your own workforce? Talk to us today.

Sam Caucci, Founder & CEO at 1Huddle

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