What comes to mind when you think of meaningful work?
Teaching? Nursing? Humanitarian Aid Worker?
How about Accountant, Lawyer or Data Analyst? Or even garbage collector, fork-lift operator or bartender?
I see a lot of women who tell me they would like to have more meaning in their work. In fact, in a recent survey I conducted with working mums, meaning came second only to flexibility when women ranked what they wanted most from work.
But what I’ve discovered is that meaningful work is highly individual and personal. Therefore, in some cases, a fork-lift operator may find more meaning in their work than an intensive care nurse.
Over the years I’ve found that some common myths exist around meaningful work:
You need to be in a helping or charity profession to have meaningful work
For a lot of people meaningful work means being connected with a cause or purpose that they see as bigger than themselves or has a direct benefit to society. For some they need to be at the centre of the action such as on the frontline as a humanitarian aid worker to experience meaning but for others it could be meaningful enough to be involved behind the scenes, for example, as an administrator at the Red Cross.
Nonetheless, it’s a bit of a myth that meaning only comes from altruistic work. A large driver of meaning is seeing the benefits of labour or gaining satisfaction from a job well done. For a data analyst this can be providing information in a such a way that it allows co-workers to do their job easily and make decisions off the back of the data. For a garbage collector it might be looking back at a clean street.
Work is more likely to be meaningful when it is aligned with our values and values are highly personal. When I worked in marketing for a major bank in London, I found myself in a situation that felt alien to my values. At that time, I thought that marketing for a charity would make me much happier as this would be about helping others, not making major profits. The answer, in the end, was more complex than this but I do often see career changers going for the quick fix of taking their current job title and applying it to a more altruistic organisation. Sometimes this works, but often it doesn’t.
Meaningful work doesn’t pay well
This is linked to the point above, people often assume that if they are going to have more meaning in their work, they will need to move into an area of work that is more altruistic and, more than likely, commanding lower pay.
However, you can do good and get paid well. According to Forbes the most meaningful job that pays well is a Neurosurgeon, followed closely by a Cardiothoracic Surgeon. We can’t all fork out for ten plus years of study and training though. Luckily there are other options. Some organisations are doing amazing things in the world and still turning a healthy profit. You can check out Pro Bono Australia and B Corp to find out more about these sorts of organisations.
You need to change career if you want more meaning
I believe that life is too short to be miserable at work so I’m not going to talk anyone out of changing career if that’s what they really want. But if it’s meaning that you are after then there are ways that you can bring more meaning to your current work, at least while you’re biding your time on your career change.
Taking the time to connect with the mission of your organisation and how your work contributes to that, even in a small way, can help you see the bigger picture of what you do. For example, if you’re an accountant working in private practice, think about the difference your work makes to your clients, enabling them to get on with their core business services and employ people. If this is a struggle for you then try thinking about it at a more micro level – what role do you play in your team? Are you a mentor to junior staff? Are you a whizz with spreadsheets or do you organise a fabulous Xmas party?
Organisations are beginning to realise how important it is for workers to have meaning in the work they do and are going to greater lengths to get their employees more in touch with the why of their work. Take advantage of any opportunities this gives you. Perhaps you can have a discussion with your boss about new initiatives you can be involved in to give your work more meaning. For example, if you work in head office of a major store then maybe spending time on the shop floor will get you connected with the wider why of what the company does. If you’re a lawyer, then perhaps you could carve out a way to take on some pro bono projects. Many large corporates have Corporate Social Responsibility departments or are beginning to look at their social impact, think about how you can be involved in this.
Meaningful work is the answer to your career woes
Finally, even those people who self-report that they have a meaningful career, will experience times of frustration, challenge and burnout. Whilst meaning certainly plays a part in career happiness, it is not the be all and end all.
Meaningfulness is not constant. Think of the nurse who spends time caring for the sick and then fills out a mound of paperwork at the end of their shift. Or the conflict that exists between restoring patients to good health and getting them out of the ward as quickly as possible due to bed shortages.
We often don’t experience meaning in the moment, but in reflection, particularly during challenging times. If we take the time to reflect regularly and remind ourselves of the contribution our work makes, then we might just experience more meaning.
If you need help with creating more meaning in your work then reach out to me for a FREE Working Mum SOS. Because I get my meaning from helping women like you be happier at work.