Shifts in environment leads to shifts in priorities for employees

It’s been explored in nearly every other blog post about how purpose creates meaning and happiness in the workplace. However, the reasons for working in general help to explain how to use working with your purpose to create more happiness.  

Since the pandemic, a younger generation entering the workplace. BetterUp has found that more employees are searching for meaning in their work rather than more income.

The first reason for this shift they explain is because humans have an innate need to connect. Previously, humans relied on other humans to survive. While that instinct isn’t needed in the same way anymore, humans still feel the instinct to connect to something bigger than themselves to help the greater good.  The presence of the pandemic and reliance on other people to survive has reignited this instinct in a lot of us.

Additionally, it's important to note that what you need from a job may change as you get older. As a student in her 20s right now, I am looking for some income and something to keep me entertained between classes. However, when I get to be in my 30s I plan to be working more as a way to continue my passion for research and social responsibility as well as earn enough to support my family.  As you grow, so does your purpose.

Shifts within the workplace have created an environment where people want and need to feel useful and like they have a purpose in their jobs. Where people might have accepted a job because of better pay, they may now accept a job where they make less money but feel fulfilled. These needs can shift as you age and your priorities change, but after humans were once again forced to rely on each other for their safety, the need to feel connected to this greater good has become prevalent to humans once again.

Written by: Bryn Garick

Source: Maggie Wooll. (2021, October 4). Find the purpose of work by creating purpose in your work [Blog]. BetterUp. https://www.betterup.com/blog/purpose-of-work