When your staff are engaged in meaningful work, there are benefits for both your people and your organisation, including improved performance and better retention rates, writes Nina Mapson Bone, Managing Director at Beaumont People and author of Meaningful Work.

Meaningful work can even help improve your organisation’s performance during times of downturns and downsizing. In our 2023 research into meaningful work, we discovered the pandemic reshuffled the hierarchy of priorities when compared to the 2019 results.

Meaningful work matters

Data from nearly 4000 individuals in 2021-2022 showed us that safety surged to the forefront, encompassing physical, mental, and emotional well-being, with 70 per cent of respondents expressing their willingness to leave an organisation if they didn’t feel secure. Safety is now a non-negotiable, the foundation you need that allows you to develop the other ways in which you provide meaningful work. According to Fast Company, the three things you can do to create psychological safety are keep your people up to date with the big picture, own your own mistakes and champion your team.

Rounding out the top three factors of meaningful work, culture slipped from its second spot, making way for the rising importance of ‘team collaboration’, which I suspect was influenced by the isolation and longing for connection experienced during remote work. However, amidst the changes, one thing remained constant: purpose still held its ground at number three, emphasising its unwavering importance.

The connection contribution

Work relationships is one of the subsets of the organisational factor of meaningful work. A Gallup survey shows us that those who have a best friend at work are twice as likely to be engaged in their jobs, be 7 per cent better at engaging customers, produce higher quality work, have a greater sense of wellbeing and are 36 per cent less likely to get injured on the job. You need to spend time and effort in creating space and opportunity for those connections to blossom. Particularly in hybrid, geographically dispersed or remote workplaces, the opportunities for this are less obvious than the “chat around the water cooler” moments.

The world has changed, and our workers have changed with it. It is incumbent on us to also adapt. Some examples of creating opportunities for connection I have seen work well include:

• Freedom Australia, who have successfully implemented Workplace by Meta with a 99 per cent adoption rate and 93 per cent engagement levels
• Atlassian who have a Team Connectedness activity in the Team Playbook, specifically designed to increase the sense of familiarity and connectedness to your team
• At Beaumont People, our weekly all-staff ‘Good News’ meeting builds positive connections by sharing personal and professional highlights from the week.

Harnessing the power of purpose 

Consistently coming in as the number three factor of meaningful work, the power of purpose is as crucial as ever. In our initial research in 2019, 75 per cent of people agreed that the core purpose of their organisation was to make a difference and contribute to society. But our respondents still felt there was work to be done, with over 60 per cent saying their organisation had no visible corporate social responsibility programme or not being sure if one existed.

In our 2023 updated results, whilst it maintained its position in the third spot, the strength of desire for purpose is growing.  58 per cent of respondents strongly agree on the importance of contribution, up from 51% in 2019. Further, 55 per cent of people strongly agree that their ideal employer makes a meaningful difference in people’s lives, up from 52 per cent in 2019.

Organisations are catching on to the advantage that the charity sector has always had, harnessing the power of purpose. To do this yourself, you need to be clear on what the true purpose of your organisation is, communicate it well at all levels internally and externally, and then ensure your behaviours are in line with that purpose so it is not undermined. If you are unsure where to start, one way is to use The Cause Effect’s free social purpose digital scorecard to discover how purposeful your business and brand is, and identify where your strength and opportunities lie.

Why meaningful work is important

 In a rapidly changing world, you must recognise the evolving needs and priorities of your team. By generating meaningful work, with a focus on safety, connection, and purpose, you can unlock the full potential of your people, leading to improved performance, higher retention rates, and a more resilient organisation capable of navigating downturns and challenges. Embracing meaningful work is not only a strategic advantage but also a vital driver of individual and collective success in the workplace of today and the future.

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