Employees who find their work meaningful are nearly twice as likely to be having more good days at work, writes The Work Project.
Global employee experience agency, www.thisishome.co.uk, is proud to unveil ‘The Work Project’. This ground-breaking project uses insight from over 4,000 employees from 17 industries in 53 countries to understand the shape of work today, the experiences which are driving healthy cultures, and what a good day at work looks like in 2023.
Why? Because Home knows that when employees are having a good day at work, they’re at their best and in an environment that enables them to thrive. Ultimately, employees’ best days – and their best work – mean better business outcomes.
70% of people wouldn’t recommend where they work
It’s a deceptively simple idea. But with the research showing that only 30% of employees would actively recommend where they work and more than half (55%) are currently looking for a job, many employers and workplaces are clearly not offering a culture where people can thrive. There’s room for a lot more good days at work.
Through The Work Project, Home has created a new model for delivering a healthy culture and better business outcomes. There are six fundamental levers business leaders can pull to create great employee experiences and healthy cultures; Purpose, Leadership, Belonging, Listening, Vision and Wellbeing.
This isn’t a shopping list. All of these elements must be in balance to provide a supportive, safe and engaging environment. Purpose has moved from a buzzword to a core expectation.
People who find their work meaningful and believe they work for a company which is a force for good in the world are having more good days at work. A lot more. 78% of employees who agree their work has purpose are having more good days than bad – nearly double those who are lacking purpose at work.
Work with purpose makes you happier, healthier and stronger
Put simply, Purpose is about work with meaning. It’s a belief that when someone gets out of bed in the morning and goes to work, what they do matters. That they’re making a difference – however small – in the world. It’s a need that’s hardwired into human beings that, once discovered, makes people happier, healthier and stronger. And the same effect is true for workplaces; when organisations have a clear sense of purpose and connect people to it through their work, they drive greater levels of engagement, productivity and retention.
Being a purpose-led employer is not an exclusive club. The results of The Work Project show that any employer can give their people meaning. There was little connection between industries traditionally associated with having a ‘higher purpose’ and the employees who have a strong sense of purpose at work.
Tech tops the charts for a great place to work!
The industries where people are most likely to say their work is meaningful are technology, health, professional and business services, and financial services. On the flip side, workers in the energy, community and social services, charity, and leisure and hospitality industries were least likely to agree their work gave them meaning or that their company is a force for good in the world.
When 75% of people who say their work is not meaningful are looking for a new job, industry leaders in some of these vital global sectors may be overdue a review of the daily experience of their employees.
To view the full findings of The Work Project, visit www.thisishome.co.uk/the-work-project-2023.
Hattie Roche, Co-Managing Director & Strategy Chief at www.thisishome.co.uk, commented: “At Home, our vision is to make every employee experience a great one. We all keep saying that the world has changed – and it really has – but how has that change shaped the experience we’re having in work today? Through The Work Project, we set out to understand the new shape of work today, the experiences that are driving healthy cultures and, what a good day at work looks like.
“With this in mind, we wanted to begin The Work Project by highlighting Purpose. It encapsulates our ethos – there is nothing more human than wanting to find meaning in your life. Whether that’s providing for your family or being confident your daily working life is leaving a net positive impact on the world, our data shows that people who find their work meaningful are nearly twice as likely to be having more good days at work.
“I won’t lie. There’s no happy ever after in our findings – some of the results make for tough reading for even the most progressive leaders and people teams. But, this is a watershed moment. This is the era of employee experience and, this is our opportunity to shape it with a deceptively simple idea – taking a human-led approach to work.”
