Have you ever quit a job or left an entire career behind because it lacked meaning and purpose? I have. And it was the best decision I ever made. And it turns out, I’m not alone.
A new PwC/CECP study shows that meaning and fulfillment at work is the new standard employees expect of their work experience, and one that companies need to embrace if they want to cultivate the best workforce, now and in the future.
Some key findings from the study reveal just how much companies need to rethink how they can contribute to the employee experience becoming more meaningful if they want to remain competitive, including:
- A staggering majority (96%) of employees believe that achieving fulfillment at work is possible, and 70% say they would consider leaving their current role for a more fulfilling one.
- This desire for fulfillment is so strong that one out of three employees say they would consider lower pay for a more fulfilling job.
- Contrary to what one could assume, employees recognize they must lead in making work more meaningful for themselves – nearly 80% are willing to find their own path to fulfillment.
- Leadership will need to do their part in being allies on employees’ path toward fulfillment. One third of employees named senior leaders as a barrier to them finding fulfillment.
To learn more, I was excited to catch up with PwC’s first Chief Purpose Officer, Shannon Schuyler, who works to infuse PwC’s Purpose – to build trust in society and solve important problems – into its core business strategy, so it drives how the firm engages clients and other external stakeholders for greater societal impact. Schuyler also oversees efforts to support the firm’s more than 50,000 U.S. employees in deriving a greater sense of purpose from the work they do every day.
Here’s what Schuyler shares:
Kathy Caprino: Based on the results of this co-sponsored study, what are you seeing are the hallmarks of a fulfilling work experience?
Shannon Schuyler: Over the past two decades, employers have been creating more personal relationships with employees and have paved the way for a work experience that goes beyond satisfaction and minimum effort. Today, we’re seeing employees want more from work than a paycheck – they want a fulfilling experience.
By fulfillment, we mean that feeling we have when we’re working in line with our natural motivations and gain a sense of purpose. As work-life boundaries continue to blur, employees increasingly want to explore and pursue opportunities that give them that purpose. In a recent PwC survey, 83% of employees identified “finding meaning in day-to-day work” as a top priority. Neuroscience reveals that the three hallmarks that really create that fulfilling work experience are:
- Relationships – A sense of belonging and connection to others
- Impact – Progress towards a goal we believe in
- Growth – Personal challenge that we overcome
Caprino: So who’s responsible for creating a fulfilling work environment? Who impacts the creation of a fulfilling work culture?
Schuyler: Organizations provide the right environment for a fulfilling employee experience, but it’s the employees who shape how to make work more meaningful for themselves. In our recent co-sponsored study Making work more meaningful – Building a Fulfilling Employee Experience, an astounding 82% of employees agree that it is primarily their own responsibility, and 42% say that they are their own greatest barrier to finding fulfillment at work.
Caprino: What questions should individuals ask themselves to reflect on their own fulfillment at work?
Schuyler: This is a good start:
- Do I have meaningful relationships at work?
- Am I growing personally and professionally at work?
- Is my work making an impact that is meaningful to me?
Caprino: How can managers help create a fulfilling experience for their employees?
Schuyler: Here are a number of key strategies:
Make space for employees to create meaning
Organizations can help employees unlock insights through tools such as digital assessments and personal exploration exercises that encourage reflection. This helps employees identify personal sources of fulfillment and inform the opportunities they seek out and create for themselves in the name of meaningful work. Ultimately though, workers themselves hold the key to understanding their motivations.
Provide structure – but not too much
With some structure – but not too much – employees can make work more meaningful for themselves while still supporting the collective goals of their team and organization. Formal employee programs or initiatives – such as rotational opportunities, innovation labs, stretch assignments reverse mentorship, and milestone experiences – help employees build deeper and more diverse relationships while also promoting growth.
Create a culture that shows purpose
Evolving an organization’s culture, defined as “the way we do things around here”, can provide ongoing reinforcement and support for employees seeking greater meaning in their work. While culture is much more a matter of doing rather than saying, organizations that want to evolve their culture to be more purpose-led need to focus on a vital few elements:
- Target specific behaviors that promote relationships, impact, and growth
- Embolden leaders to model and signal these behaviors to others across the organization
- Identify influencers – or authentic informal leaders – who can energize those around them and create momentum around a purpose-driven culture
Get intentional with team building
Getting employees to come together for ongoing, shared experiences can be formative and fulfilling when they bring employees together in a way that builds meaningful connections, makes a collective impact, and offers opportunities to learn something new.
Caprino: What role do leaders play in helping employees in their organization make work more meaningful?
Schuyler: Leaders are critical in signaling and modeling the behaviors that enable a fulfilling employee experience. Senior leaders and authentic, informal leaders alike can be powerful allies in influencing these behaviors and providing concrete examples of what fulfillment looks like.
Caprino: What is PwC doing to walk the talk and create more meaningful experiences for its employees?
Schuyler: We started our purpose journey by surveying employees and business leaders across the country to explore how purpose is perceived and valued. What we learned is that people did not find much value in volunteering one day a year. They want to find purpose in their work every day – it needs to be a part of their job.
Since then we have been working to show how individuals help PwC play a critical role in helping address global challenges with our clients, in our firm and in our communities, and are giving our employees the tools and flexibility they need to work on projects that are meaningful to them.
For example, we created a Digital Fitness app to put the skills all of our people need in their hands. The app is helping them upskill by understanding subjects like artificial intelligence, data science, robotics, and design thinking. We’re delivering on our purpose by helping everyone we employ build those skills regardless of whether, in the future, they work for us or for somebody else.
For people who found a real passion in working with digital, we created an intermediate to advanced skill-building program called Digital Accelerators that will replace 1,000 participants’ typical workload with digital-heavy client work and projects and weekly classes on everything from cleansing data and blockchain to 3D Printing and drones for two years.
Being purpose-led also means looking beyond the impact of our client work to the broader trends that are impacting our business and our people, such as the negative impact of implicit bias, the rapidly changing digital landscape and the increasing difficulty in balancing work, life and family. We’re committed to recognizing and eliminating unconscious bias through the Blind Spots training program we created with Harvard University, piloting a neurodiversity job interviewing program, and promoting a Be well, Work Well initiative to help our people form new, positive habits that will help them better balance the demands of life and renew their energy.
Caprino: Any final words on how individuals can take control of their careers to ensure that their work is both fulfilling and rewarding?
Schuyler: Purpose is built not found. Working with a sense of purpose day-in and day-out takes thoughtfulness and practice. Take advantage of opportunities to learn and grow at your organization and foster positive relationships with people who will help you continue to challenge yourself to make an impact.
Always remember why you work. The reason may evolve over time which is why purpose is something we must consciously pursue and create for ourselves. When we do find purpose in the work we do, it is truly invigorating.
Originally published at Forbes