INTHEBLACK December - January 2022 - Magazine - Page 34
ELEVATE BUSINESS AS USUAL
Finding meaning
STORY JESSICA MUDDITT
34
DEC 2022
JAN 2023
THE SEARCH
FOR MEANING
Do you work to live, or live to work? An increasing number of people
are searching for meaning and purpose in their work. Is it possible to
find meaning at work, as well as career growth and satisfaction?
Twenty years ago, most corporate
highflyers were driven by the prestige
of working for the “right” company and
securing a series of promotions that led to
ever higher salaries, recalls Phil Preston.
“‘Doing good’ was something that you
either did outside of work or that was,
perhaps, incidental to it,” says Preston,
founder and CEO of the Business Purpose
project and author of Connecting Profit
with Purpose.
“Many people had a mindset of, ‘If I’m
successful in my career, I’ll hopefully retire
early with a lot of wealth and can then give
something back.’”
Now, more workers look for a sense of
purpose from their work, in addition to
things like career development and healthy
salary growth.
Younger workers want to maximise the
difference they make, says Preston. “Gen Z
sees purpose as core to their work, rather
than incidental.”
A report from social research firm
McCrindle has found that almost twothirds of under 25s cite being stuck in a job
they do not find fulfilling as one of their
biggest fears.
Older workers often feel a sense of
duty to their employer, says Jane Jackson,
author of Navigating Career Crossroads and
founder of the Careers Academy. However,
this does not necessarily hold true for
younger workers.
“Gen Y and millennials don’t typically
feel the same strong sense of loyalty. They
want to feel appreciated as an individual
for the contributions they make,” she says.
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MAKE IT MEANINGFUL
Purposeful career growth is a trend that
was accelerated by successive lockdowns,
which prompted many people to reassess
their career and life choices.
“During the COVID-19 lockdowns, I
started getting more bookings for career
clarity checks,” says Jackson.
“People were saying, ‘What else can I do?
I don’t enjoy what I’m doing. The culture is
not a good fit. The work is not meaningful
for me’.”
In guiding her clients toward finding
a sense of purpose at work, Jackson says
the first step is to identify core values.
She suggests ranking them in order of
importance to recognise which are
non-negotiable.
“‘Purpose’ means something different to
every individual. For some people, it could
be money, status, recognition, advancement
or gaining new knowledge. For others, it’s
more to do with affiliation, appreciation or
making a difference in the community.”
By contrast, some people work for purely
utilitarian reasons – to put food on the
table or to achieve a certain standard of
living. They may get their sense of purpose
outside work – volunteering, coaching a
sports team or learning a new skill, like
dancing or photography.
Some people find their family or close
relationships provide a rich source of
purpose, and having a healthy work-life
balance enables them to fulfil these needs.
“Our values must be met either in our
professional life or [in] our personal life,”
says Jackson. “If you don’t get fulfilment
