Meaning and Purpose

Meaning at work enhances engagement, productivity and retention

This is why and what you can do about it

‘The greatest tragedy in life is not death….. but life without purpose.’ Myles Munroe

Too many employees think that their job, or large swathes of it, are pointless. A recent YouGov poll in the UK found only 50% of those who had a full-time job were entirely sure their job made any sort of meaningful contribution to the world; 37% were quite sure it did not. A recent US poll stated that only 40% of our time at work was spent doing what we believed to be our core duties.

And the worst point…? Our employees know it. They believe they spend 60% of the working week doing pointless stuff….. is it any wonder we continue to see increasing reports of mental health issues at work?

What an utter waste.

In an age of stagnant pay-rises and the increasing cost of living we want our job to mean something, that there at least seems to be a point to all of this. Employees want this and they are willing to pay for it - HBR recently stated that 9 out of 10 workers are willing to take a pay cut to do more meaningful work. But business benefits as well…… businesses that provide highly meaningful work experience a 29% increase in productivity, have staff that are three times more likely to stay and who are 55% more motivated.

Employees want it and business benefits. Here lies the opportunity. Today we are at full employment. Talent can choose where it wants to work and can demand what it wants from that work, and talent is perfectly able to jump ship if they don’t get it. Building greater meaning in the workplace is no longer a nice-to-have, it is a business imperative. Do this, get it right and it will enable you to attract and retain the motivated talent you need to survive, and do that without having to break the bank.

What have you possibly got to lose?

‘Meaning and Purpose’ is one of the subjects from our series of ‘Inspiration and Challenge’ sessions that are designed to stretch your imagination and see the world of work from different perspectives.

Learning Objectives

This session will provide a thorough overview of Meaning, the business rationale for embracing it, the science behind it and actions you can take to create it. Specifically, it will:

• Provide a definition of Meaning and Purpose

• Highlight the conditions that enable it to thrive – and those that destroy it

• Give you the business case for embracing and creating meaning

• Explain why a lack of meaning is so debilitating to humans

• Show the dichotomies in work that make meaning so hard to create

• Give you 8 tangible (and mostly free) actions you can take to create meaning and purpose in your business

Refreshments will be available from 8:30 and the seminar will begin at 9:00