Four Secrets that Enable You to Love Your Work
Have you heard the latest Gallup Poll about Americans in the workplace? It’s a little sad to read, but most people just aren’t happy at their job.
Just 30 percent of employees are engaged and inspired at work, according to Gallup’s 2013 State of the American Workplace Report, which surveyed more than 150,000 workers during 2012. The rest…not so much. A little more than half of workers (52 percent) have a perpetual case of the Mondays—they’re present, but not particularly excited about their job.
The remaining 18 percent are actively disengaged or, as Gallup CEO Jim Clifton put it in the report, “roam the halls spreading discontent.” Worse, Gallup reports, those actively disengaged employees cost the U.S. up to $550 billion annually in lost productivity.
If YOU want to be fully ENGAGED – or you LEAD others – I think some solutions lie within our reach. People don’t necessarily require lots of money; in fact, perks like flexibility and time off speak louder than cash often times.
Write and author Tim Elmore shares that we tend to be happiest when:
1. We work on something we believe in.
We often don’t want a job—we want a cause to invest in. Some call this a sense of Purpose. Can you show them how their work is significant and really matters?
2. We are with people we enjoy.
We want to feel like family or friends with those they work alongside. Is there a way you can foster authentic community and still get the job done?
3. We use our primary gifts and talents.
We are more engaged and like work better if we are in our strength zone, applying our gifts to projects that count. Do you let others do this?
4. We can see results.
Our culture is used to immediate feedback, from texts to emails to video games. Can you demonstrate any results from the work they’ve done?
This is just a start. What have you noticed that is magnetic with others at work?
Chad Pfeifer 