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<\/div>Individual Meaning:<\/h2>\nGuide Employees to Reach Potential by Embracing Their Unique Strengths<\/h3>\n
There is no universal answer for what provides meaning. Each employee has a unique definition of what is meaningful to them.<\/p>\n
So, if you want to help your employees find meaning in their work, you will have to start by getting to know each employee and incorporating effective employee management<\/a> strategies.<\/p>\n It’s important to regard and treat your employees as people. Build\u00a0goodwill by remembering personal details about your employees – like their spouse’s and children’s names or that they like reading Stephen King novels. But, it’s even more meaningful to learn your employees’ strengths.<\/p>\n As we wrote in 7 Habits of Highly Effective Employees<\/a>:<\/p>\n Contrary to the way most companies hire \u2013\u00a0we never hire the best candidate from a pool of candidates. We hire only when a candidate is the right fit for us.<\/strong>\u00a0We\u2019ve had\u00a0 hiring cycles where after reviewing hundreds of applications for a position, we elected not to hire anyone. We\u2019ve also hired multiple people when looking for only a single hire. Ultimately, for us, it comes down to finding great people who we believe would be effective and who will make our team stronger.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Susan Sorenson revealed that employees who use their strengths in their work every day are six times more likely<\/a> to be engaged in their jobs.<\/p>\n In our extensive research, Gallup has found that building employees’ strengths is a far more effective approach to improving performance than trying to improve weaknesses. When employees know and use their strengths, they are more engaged, perform better, and are less likely to leave their company.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n An employee’s strengths are a building block that creates that employee’s identity.<\/p>\n Focusing on and encouraging an employee to utilize their personal strengths celebrates the individual for their unique contribution.<\/p>\n This fosters the feeling that employees are making a difference because of what they do and who they are. As a result, employees can find meaning in knowing they are using their unique gifts to accomplish tasks and<\/em> embrace their full potential.<\/p>\n A Gallup poll revealed that 61% of employees whose supervisors focused on strengths and positive characteristics were engaged in their work<\/a>. Only 45% were engaged when their supervisors focused on weaknesses and negative traits, and a mere 2% were engaged when the employees felt ignored by their supervisors.<\/p>\n The numbers speak for themselves. Leaders can help employees find engagement<\/a> and meaning in their work by focusing on their employees’ personal strengths and positive traits.<\/p>\n Here are some hands-on ways you can help your employees find meaning in their work by embracing their own strengths:<\/p>\n Employees can derive meaning by fully embracing and utilizing their personal strengths. Employee training<\/a> programs can further enhance this connection, equipping staff with the skills and knowledge necessary to excel in their roles and increasing job satisfaction and performance.<\/p>\n But no man is an island. Let’s look at how leaders can help employees find meaning at work in a social context.<\/p>\n Humans are social creatures.<\/p>\n We notoriously engage in behaviors that make little to no sense simply to feel like we belong. (See planking<\/a>, goldfish swallowing<\/a>, and Snapchat<\/a> filters.) Luckily, you can tap into that same desire for social belonging to help employees find greater meaning in their work.<\/p>\n Whether you think of it this way or not, your business is a community. You and all of your employees are members of that community. And your shared success – or failure – depends on everyone in the community.<\/p>\n It’s in everyone’s best interest to help the business succeed, both from a financial standpoint and a social one.<\/p>\n If you like your co-workers, chances are good that you’ll want good things for them – like continuing to have a job. Research<\/a> suggests that loyalty to fellow co-workers and a desire to support employee well-being encourages employees to invest in their work.<\/p>\n Gallup’s Q12 Survey<\/a> of employee engagement shows that the presence of interpersonal relationships at work has a measurable positive value.\u00a0 “I Have a Best Friend at Work” is the\u00a0tenth of the survey’s “Twelve Items.”<\/p>\n A Gallup News article about the effect of friendships at work explains<\/a>:<\/p>\n The evolution of quality relationships is very normal and an important part of a healthy workplace. In the best workplaces, employers recognize that people want to forge quality relationships with their coworkers, and that company allegiance can be built from such relationships.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n When employees develop friendships at work, they become invested in their work friends’ success and their own. This may be why Gallup has found a correlation<\/a> between positive work performance and whether an employee identifies as having a “best friend” at work:<\/p>\n Employees with a best friend at work are 43% more likely to report having received praise over the past 7 days and <\/strong>27% more likely to report that their company mission<\/a> makes them feel their work is important.<\/strong><\/p>\n This research suggests that the relationships we develop at work have the potential to provide a deeper meaning for our actions there.<\/p>\n You can also help by creating a comfortable work environment, as we suggested in our article “The Science of Productivity and Happiness: Why Your Office is Hurting Your Company”<\/a>:<\/p>\n Fortunately, smart companies have started improving their office layouts in order to promote better health, happiness, and productivity. Alan Hedge, a professor of ergonomics at Cornell University\u00a0says<\/a>\u00a0that in order to combat these negative effects, \u201cThe key is breaking up your activity throughout the day.\u201d He suggests setting an alarm to remind yourself to talk a short walk, or to stand up and stretch.<\/p>\n You can also change your work tools. Sit\/stand desks offer a great way to combat sedentary behavior. You can inexpensively convert your desk to a sit\/stand desk by using a simple\u00a0cardboard box<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 or you can purchase an\u00a0electronic sit\/stand desk<\/a>(these are the ones we use at our office) with preset heights.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n And if you have a toxic culture<\/a>, don’t lose hope. You can revive it, as we advised in “How to Revive a Toxic Work Culture in 5 Steps”<\/a>:<\/p>\n Are you seeing signs of a toxic work environment? Are your employees tired? Discouraged?\u00a0Burnt out<\/a>?<\/p>\n If you\u2019re seeing these symptoms in more than one or two employees there\u2019s a strong chance that a toxic culture may have crept into your workplace. That\u2019s a problem for your business and your employees. Unhappy workers are\u00a0less\u00a0productive<\/a>, make\u00a0more mistakes<\/a>, and are more likely to\u00a0seek employment elsewhere<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Now, you obviously can’t play matchmaker for all of your employees and assign best friends.<\/p>\n But, you can<\/em> create a culture and environment that supports and rewards positive socialization. Here’s how:<\/p>\n Many employees are happy to focus on their own little corner of the world. But some folks think bigger. How can leaders help their employees find meaning in a broader context?<\/p>\n Some people feel the need to serve a higher good. They want to positively impact the world and leave it better than they found it. These employees are probably already seeking meaning in their work. You just have to communicate a meaning they can embrace.<\/p>\n A study from a few years ago, “Meaningful Work: Connecting Business Ethics and Organization Studies,<\/a>” found that employees can find meaning in what they actually do and in<\/span>\u00a0the context in which they do it.<\/p>\n Helping your employees see the value in what your company does should be easy. Your brand should already have articulated its authentic promise to consumers. And all of your employees should know that promise and understand how their unique contributions lead to its fulfillment.<\/p>\n Their contributions may be obvious and direct for some employees – such as health care professionals, customer service representatives, or social workers. But for employees who don’t directly serve the public, it may be harder for them to see the good that their job brings to the world. It’s up to you to help them see.<\/p>\n For example, our team at crowdspring is proud that for the last nine years, we’ve offered a unique program to help worthy non-profit and charitable causes when those organizations cannot afford it. We call this program Give Back<\/a>, and it helps such organizations with logo design<\/a>, website design, print design, or other design and naming projects to give them a stronger identity and presence.<\/p>\n You’re going to need to find your inner visionary. This means identifying and communicating an inspiring vision to unite your employees in a single purpose to create an employee advocacy<\/a> program. That vision provides a context for employees to derive meaning from their work.<\/p>\n Steve Jobs<\/a> is a classic example of a visionary leader. He was known for his ability and dedication to creating excitement for each new Apple product. Follow his lead. Help your employees get excited about the greater vision for your company.<\/p>\n How will your product or service improve people’s lives? Will you leave the Earth in a better condition than you found it? How can your company conduct its business ethically and socially responsibly? These are all excellent questions to ask when looking for the vision you want to share of your company.<\/p>\n Here are three ways to help your employees connect with a higher meaning in their work:<\/p>\nBut, What Do Employee Strengths Have to Do With Cultivating Meaning?<\/h3>\n
What You Can Do<\/h3>\n
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Social Meaning:<\/h2>\n
Enable and Support Social Connections to Motivate Performance<\/h3>\n
Social Relationships Have a Measurable Impact<\/h3>\n
What You Can Do<\/h3>\n
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Greater Meaning:<\/h2>\n
Vision and Impact- Show How Employees Contribute to the Greater Good<\/h3>\n
Communicate Your Vision<\/h3>\n
What You Can Do<\/h3>\n
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Many Paths to Meaning<\/h2>\n
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