When you’re considering your next career step, which aspects are important to you? Good salary? Fair enough! Learning opportunities? Absolutely. Otherwise, you’ll stagnate in the role. Flexible hours? Most of you have other commitments, so this is crucial. Hybrid? Easily attainable. Remote? Still tricky to find a quality role. Term-time only? You’ll be fighting for it. Handbags at dawn. Meaningful work? Hmm.
The last one is really interesting and comes up a lot with our clients. When we’re mid-career/mid-life and thinking things through at that career crossroads, the meaning of work becomes more significant. But what exactly is meaningful work?
Is it what the organisation does or produces? Not necessarily. There are charities that aren’t great places to work and there are widget factories (or similar!) full of happy employees. An increasing number of organisations have B-Corp status now. They are ethical (sustainable, charitable, living wage etc.) as well as profitable.
Is it behaviour then? This seems more likely. People tend to say of their managers or the organisation as a whole that ‘They don’t care about x, y or z'.’ This can be loosely translated as saying that they don’t care about the same things as I do. Or they don’t hold the same values as me. By values, we mean simply what you hold to be important in your life. If there is a mismatch between the company’s (or manager’s) values and your own, this can cause problems. You won’t identify with the aims of the business or the people. You’ll perceive them to be different to you and you won’t care about the product or service. There can be no meaning in the role if there is a mismatch of values.
When we want to determine whether a career choice is a good one, we sometimes use the 3-point model - Joy - Profit - Values. In its simplest form the model asks will this work make you happy, provide you with the money you need and match your values? To find work that works, you’ll probably want to make sure it ticks those three boxes and if you’re looking for meaningful work, the values part will be particularly important.
Where can you find out about an organisation’s values?
Larger organisations factor in Corporate Social Responsibility into their activities. You’ll be able to find out about this on their websites.
People who work there already can give you an honest appraisal. Use your IRL network or LinkedIn to get an introduction.
Don’t know anyone? Glassdoor can give some useful insights into day-to-day working life.
Use the first interview to ask (respectful) questions about their stated values.
If meaningful work is on your must-haves list for your ideal role, the key to it is understanding your values and those of the hiring organisation and then looking to find your match.
If you would like some support working out your next steps or finding your ideal job, please book a free career consultation.