According to recent research from Bain & Company, the primary driver of today’s high attrition rates is “the growing disenchantment most employees feel toward work.” Experts say their work is seen as purposeless, having little value or meaning.
At Kantola, we know that recruitment and retention begin and end with your company culture. That’s why the idea of fostering interesting and meaningful work, combined with continuous learning, contributes to a more human-centric culture.
Even with a safe, and inclusive culture, the question remains: How can you be certain your employees are feeling connected and engaged to the actual work that they’re doing? To save you time, we’ve sifted through some of the most recent content on purposeful work, and what the influencers and industry leaders are saying about it.
To remain committed to their employer, employees must believe that “my work has purpose and I find purpose in my work.” Companies should focus far less on providing more flexibility and better pay and benefits and, instead, turn their attention to improving the intrinsic value of work itself. If they do, they will discover that purposeful work is the new secret weapon in winning the war for talent.
Johnny C. Taylor, Jr. | President & CEO, SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management)
In a recent LinkedIn video, President and CEO of our partners at SHRM discusses the importance of cultural clarity. Why we like it? It’s hard to connect the dots between purposeful work and your employees unless the purpose of your organization is clearly defined. Johnny describes what this looks like, and we think it’s a great starting point when it comes to implementing this new focal point.
Tamara Myles | Author, Researcher, Positive Psychology Instructor at University of Pennsylvania
In a recent episode of the Mental Health for Leaders podcast, Tamara and her research partner, Wes Adams, discuss practices leaders can use to help foster meaningful work for their teams, and the positive impacts of implementing these tactics. Why we like it? Not only does Tamara offer a step-by-step action plan to get started, she also offers insight through hard data and research to back up your case.
Rashmi Closepet | Founder & Director
In her recent Ted Talk, Business with Purpose, Rashmi shares her story to entrepreneurship as well as her belief that companies have the unique ability to leave a social impact. Why we like it? At Kantola, we believe better workplaces mean a better world. And as Rashmi so eloquently puts it—when we find the crossover between company mission and employee values, there is nothing more sustainable.
Eric Garton | Partner and Global Capabilities Leader at Bain & Company
In his recent Harvard Business Review article, 3 ways companies make work purposeful (co-authored with Michael Mankins and Dan Schwartz); experts identify what companies should focus on in their attempt to retain key talent: making work itself more interesting. Why we like it? Eric suggests linking the individual’s interests to the mission, and building from there. Focusing on getting to know more about your employees as humans instead of simply workers, is a perfect step towards fostering a sense of belonging and engagement across company culture.
