Responsible Business is most often associated with sustainability and philanthropy. But one aspect of Responsibility is working with employees in a way that is not only fair but supports what it means to be fully human. Included in that is the pursuit of meaning. A recent study correlates attention to meaning with improved effort on the part of employees
The top 7 correlates of employee discretionary effort, out of over 40 job and work factors, were aligned with models of human meaning. The Employee Engagement Network has reported the following new findings.
It was things like fulfilling life goals, purpose, and realizing your full potential as a person through your work. It was being part of an authentic company vision. It was being able to do all that you do best.
Example: Showing employees how meeting organizational goals can help them to meet their own personal life goals is associated with 34% more discretionary effort.
Pursuing goals that are self-chosen and aligned with higher-level life goals has been linked with perceptions of life meaning. These are very basic, preliminary results for an article next year in Advances in Human Resources Development.
The be a Responsible Business, one asked how things worst best and joins in supporting that. How do customer’s lives work best, a watershed or rainforest, a community and value-creation. It also includes how to human’s work best and are most fulfilled. It is good to see the correlation offered to improve in work effort as well.