The Three Green Flags of Meaningful Work
To attract top talent, organizations must signal their commitment to fostering a workplace where people can find connection, purpose, and growth.
Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images
Most people need more than just a good paycheck to be happy and motivated at work. To attract top talent who are looking for work that is meaningful to them and positively impacts others, companies should highlight three “green flags” during the recruitment process: community (authentic belonging), contribution (seeing how work matters), and challenge (growth opportunities). Research shows that together, these factors result in more engaged, productive hires who stay with a company longer.
It was her dream job — on paper, at least. As the vice president of communications at a global pharmaceutical company, Rushmie Nofsinger expected to step into a challenging role in which she could use her strengths and passions to have a positive impact on issues that really mattered to her. Upon her arrival, though, she quickly learned she wouldn’t have much input into the messaging strategy. Further, her boss micromanaged her work and made it clear that he wasn’t interested in her career development. Despite its high salary, great benefits, and excellent perks, her job wasn’t fulfilling, so she left to look for another one.
A staggering 51% of workers are currently looking for a new job — the largest percentage in a decade. The motivation for many is that that their current compensation and benefits aren’t enough to make their role feel worthwhile. What they yearn for is a job that feels meaningful. While this crisis of meaning presents a challenge to many employers, it’s also a significant opportunity for savvy organizations to snap up high-performing talent.
What Top Candidates Want
Like Rushmie, today’s top performers are hungry for more than just a paycheck. They want to belong to a community with shared values, understand how their work contributes to something greater, and be challenged with opportunities to grow.
Our research has found a positive correlation between employees rating their work as meaningful and higher levels of intrinsic motivation and job satisfaction, as well as reduced turnover. (Other research validates these findings, including one study in which fundraisers’ persistence jumped by 142% and the amount of funds raised by 171% when they saw how their work benefited people.) In our study, we surveyed more than 2,000 people across 25 industries over a three-year period to better understand the leadership practices and organizational structures that affect employees’ sense of meaning at work. One of our most surprising findings was that the seeds of meaningful work are sown long before an employee’s first day on the job.
Prospective employees gauge whether a new job will be meaningful to them based on cues in the recruiting process.
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Andrey Lipattsev