Why Employees Need to Understand Work Purpose

In the corporate world, it is not uncommon for employees to find themselves trapped in monotonous and uninspiring routines, leading to disinterest and dissatisfaction with their work. The daily grind can feel disinteresting, leaving many searching for a deeper sense of purpose and meaning in their professional lives. This desire for purpose is not only essential for individual motivation, but is also a cornerstone of enhancing overall productivity and engagement within organizations. Finding a sense of “why” in the work they do can be the driving force that keeps employees motivated and committed. Hence, this YouTube video on the TED Talks channel highlights the importance of making employees understand their work purpose.

According to the video, employees periodically face a morale and engagement crisis due to their everyday duties seeming increasingly less exciting to them over time. Though traditional approaches like perks and pay raises can be effective in some cases, the video suggests that even that can have a limited and short-term impact. According to the video, most companies decide to put purpose at the core of their engagement efforts by storytelling. However, what truly inspires employees is a shift from asking “why” to “who” employees serve with their work, which ultimately helps them get a broader sense of their work purpose.

The video suggests that encouraging employees to share individual stories of how their work positively not only impacts others but also boosts morale and engagement significantly. This approach emphasizes the pro-social aspect of work and gives employees a specific answer to “who is served by the work that they do.” Lastly, the video highlights the importance of storytelling and connecting employees to the meaningful impact of their work. This ultimately enhances employee morale and boosts their productivity and engagement, the video concludes.

Making employees understand the importance of the work and the positive impact that it has on clients or consumers can increase job satisfaction among employees. The aforementioned are some points highlighting why making employees feel their work purpose is important.