The pandemic has changed the way many organizations and their leaders think about their employees. This shift was long overdue and has led organizations to be more considerate about their employee purpose and well-being amongst other things. And it is not only organizations that have undergone a change of perspective, employees have done too. The pandemic has made many employees think about their life’s purpose. And they are also considering the type of work they are currently doing or whether or not they want to continue doing that.
When a company understands its own responsibilities and knows what employees are looking for, they can work on their talent management strategy accordingly. It is important for every company to understand that employees that are more productive than others, have found their purpose at work. Also, employees who are living their purpose at work are found to be happier, healthier, and more resilient than others. They are less likely to leave as well.
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There are several benefits of having employees whose purpose is aligned with the purpose of the organization, including increase in the number of loyal employees, better employee engagement, and more enthusiasm towards recommending the organization in their circle and beyond.
No matter the challenges at work, employees still believe that their purpose of life has a lot to do with their work. And it is easy to understand why? Employees spend more time at work than they spend with their families. Without a clear purpose, it is impossible to perform and succeed as well as build lasting relationships at work. Also, if employees don’t have a healthy professional life, it is likely to impact their personal life too.
So what role can organizations and leaders play in helping employees achieve a sense of fulfilment in their professional lives? It is important to understand for organizations that while they can have a say on their employees’ purpose, they don’t have direct control over neither their employees nor their purpose. What organizations can do is find a common ground where they can meet employees and lend their support to help them get closer to their purpose.
Most employees feel that their purpose in life is defined by their work. So, this is a great opportunity for organizations to provide their employees with an environment that can encourage their employees to find their purpose and work towards achieving it.
The gap between people that want a purpose in life and those that are living their purpose is still quite wide. To bridge this gap, it is important for both employees and employers to engage and communicate more. Employees should be given the freedom to express what they want from their work and employers should listen and ensure employees go that extra mile to help them in finding and living purpose at work.
Organizations need to start helping employees with this need, in order to help employees achieve fulfilment and ultimately, improve their bottom line.
Reference: Help your employees find purpose—or watch them leave | McKinsey| Naina Dhingra, Andrew Samo, Bill Schaninger, and Matt Schrimper | April 5, 2021
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