The Future of Work: How Significance Drives Employee Engagement

As the future of work continues to evolve, the importance of significance in driving employee engagement cannot be overstated.

Organizations that prioritize creating a meaningful work environment will be better positioned to attract and retain top talent, foster innovation, and achieve sustainable success.

By understanding and leveraging the power of significance, businesses can enhance employee engagement and build a motivated, committed workforce. As employees find more meaning and purpose in their roles, they will be inspired to contribute to their organization’s success, paving the way for a thriving future of work

We have all heard the age-old saying, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life,” especially when we are first beginning our career paths. It sounds easier said than done, doesn’t it?

For those who have their “dream job,” some of the common threads between them include:

• Expressing love for what they do

• Feeling empowered in their role

• Having a greater purpose

• Having a sense of accomplishment

• Expressing that they know they are helping others

• General happiness

• Personal engagement

• A sense of belonging

As you may notice from those common threads, income is not listed. Neither is working remotely or any other numerical statistic that seems to populate news sources when talking about employee retention.

These positions are also not what we often think of as glamorous. The individuals that fall into those aforementioned categories are not commonly highly paid and they often do not hold prestigious titles. Many who note that they fall into these categories include nurses, teachers, janitors, general contractors, and many in entry-level jobs.

The one element that every person has in common is the feeling they associate with working at their job.

As business leaders, we often think that retaining the most talented employees is about offering the most competitive compensation and benefits or real prominent titles. While giving employees competitive salaries is indisputably one important element in today’s economy, according to this study and many others, it is not the most important factor by far.

How do employees find their “dream job” in today’s world? And how do you as an employer foster an environment where employees want to stay and feel they are part of one of those eight categories listed above?

One word always comes to mind for me: Significance.

The Pursuit of Significance Over Success

I have talked about significance many times in the past as a crucial element in my Anticipatory Organization™ Model. I define significance as what you hope to achieve for others rather than for yourself. Success and significance are two sides of the same coin. It is not that you must prioritize one over the other or ignore one in favor of the other, but that by pursuing significance first, you discover what success actually means.

Success is different for everyone – some see it as achieving accolades and accumulating the most money while others see it as helping their fellow human. But when it comes to dream jobs, doing work that helps others and makes an impact provides a deeper sense of job fulfillment for many. By providing employees with this intrinsic motivation, you not only give them personal work satisfaction, but you also increase employee engagement and loyalty to your organization.

Monetary compensation is no longer the decisive factor for employee retention. Employees today want to feel that their work matters and that they are contributing to something greater than themselves. Likewise, fulfillment comes in many non-material ways that younger generations prioritize now more than ever, including flexibility, time with family, and experiences.

Individuals are continuously striving to find meaning and purpose in what they do and meaning and purpose in their lives overall. By creating an environment where meaning and purpose are prioritized, your organization can foster a more motivated and committed workforce.

Create Significance Within Your Workforce

For some positions, significance is inherent every day, as is evidenced in fields like nursing, firefighting, teaching, and more. Other positions require more effort to instill a sense of purpose. This includes the likes of factory workers, maintenance teams, custodial services, and others. Though regardless of job type or title in your industry, each position is absolutely fundamental to your organization.

Each employee needs to feel they are contributing to the overall significance of the organization, that their efforts matter, and that this is their dream job. How do you manage all of these needs of high-value employees while increasing organizational significance? It is not as difficult as you think!

1. Clearly Communicate the Big Picture

First, clearly explain to employees how their individual roles and skills contribute to the broader mission and success of the organization. This requires you to have a firm grasp on organizational values as well as an understanding of how your products or service are an essential help to customers locally and around the world. Regularly communicate these values with your team through stories and vivid examples of how individual contributions make a difference both externally and internally.

2. Show Your Appreciation

Recognition and appreciation go a long way toward showing employees they are valued and that their work matters. Remember that there are many ways to show your appreciation that do not include increases in pay. Pay increases should always be separate from other incentives that improve their sense of significance. Provide descriptive feedback that highlights specific contributions and impact that those contributions have made. Explain how their talents and expertise play a vital role in the organization’s long-term vitality.

3. Create a Sense of Community

Humans are naturally social beings who thrive on connection and belonging. A strong sense of community and support in the workplace goes a long way toward making a position feel like a dream job. Just as well, be sure to foster a culture of innovation. When employees feel connected, valued, and supported, their work becomes more meaningful and fulfilling. And when they see their ideas and hard work develop into something tangible, it is something they can share with their family and friends with pride.

4. Encourage an Anticipatory Mindset

The connection between significance and an Anticipatory workforce comes from the ability to look into the future towards a common goal, to pre-solve problems before they disrupt, and transform them into opportunities for innovation. By encouraging every single person in your organization to identify Hard Trend future certainties, you place the future in their hands, creating a level of empowerment.

Not only does this foster a sense of ownership and accountability, but it also ignites a culture of proactive problem-solving and forward-thinking where innovation can thrive. In turn, employees are likely to be more invested in the organization’s growth. 

“I love my job.” “I feel like I belong.” “The work makes me happy.”

The path to finding your dream job is not always a clear one, but one sure way to do so is to focus your talents and education on what has meaning to you. As an employee, find positions at organizations that place importance on significance, both internally and externally.

As an employer, work to foster a culture where you instill purpose by being Anticipatory in your thinking. As an Anticipatory Organization, put significant actions and the impact you have on others at the forefront, and you find that success will surely follow!