communication

How do we enhance the sense of meaning within work? 

For some professions – and the likes of healthcare and education spring immediately to mind – the answer to that question appears much clearer and more tangible than when compared to other employment sectors. 

Academic studies suggest that employees who feel a greater sense of meaning in their work experience improved health, as well as enhanced job and life satisfaction. At the same time, more workplace meaning is beneficial to employers as it increases organisational commitment, employee engagement and job performance. A happy, if fairly obvious, congruence. 

So, what is the relationship between meaningful work and EVP? Particularly in organisations where the professional outputs might not be immediately associated with meaning and satisfaction?

“I think there’s something interesting here about working within a values-driven sector such as education, where the meaning is really clear. In other sectors I’ve worked in, it’s not so tangible on a daily basis. That’s why, for me, the role of EVP is to keep reconnecting people with the ‘why’ they do what they do and the ‘where’ their work is taking their organisation. Whatever sector they’re working in”. Julie Griggs, Director of Reward, People and Partnering, The Open University.

Quite rightly, the majority of EVPs are constructed on an apparent authentic balance – today’s employment experience and tomorrow’s strategic journey. 

But how much of a relationship is there between the two? To what extent do senior leaders truly grasp the working reality of the organisations they head? And, how much line of sight do employees have of where the organisation is going? To what extent do they associate their everyday employment experience and contribution with where their organisation is heading? Because if they don’t, then work can feel something of a meaningless treadmill, leading nowhere.

If we focus on the second of those two questions, how forensic a grasp of organisational direction do most employees have? I’ve been working with a number of businesses over the last year, and the answer to that question, based on such exposure, hovers between modest and superficial. Through absolutely no fault of their own, many employees would struggle to articulate their organisational strategy and how different their employer will look and feel in three years’ time. In a way commendably, they tend to operate within a functional or departmental bubble, focusing on their own or their team’s output. 

“When we’re delivering EB projects, having a robust EVP discovery phase is simply unavoidable. We need to spend time with your people, understanding what inspires them, what drives them, as well as what frustrates them. Perhaps more fundamentally, we get to understand whether there’s a disconnect between leadership’s vision and employee understanding. A robust discovery process shines a light on these gaps. And armed with this knowledge, the EVP not only helps create more compelling employer brand messaging, but also ensures that internal roll-out can be tailored to address those gaps, ensuring that your people know that what they’re working on today, drives tomorrow’s strategic objectives”. Mike Jefferies, Client Services Director, WDAD Communications.

The key, then, is to align today’s work with tomorrow’s direction. To create a clearer and more identifiable relationship between the day-to-day and the direction of travel.

Interesting, but why does that really matter?

There should be a clear relationship between what people are doing and where the organisation is heading. The former should directly lead to the latter. If organisations are not effectively communicating their strategy, then work seems very transactional, operational and short-term. The work itself might be inherently interesting and both personally and professionally satisfying, but it provides little in the way of longer term meaning.  

“You would hope that employees are given managerial direction and understand how their actions are contributing to meet objectives. Strategic direction and longer-term company goals, I suspect less so. It’s therefore important for the EB team to have representation at regular Comms team meetings (think marketing, internal Comms, Employee Experience and PR).

Not just to share information, but to ensure that your EVP and people messages are communicated, seamlessly. Key company communications include: Strategy updates, Quarterly Reviews and Annual Report. But also provides valuable messaging across internal and external recruitment touch points.

So that current and future employees understand where they fit into the company strategy”. Andy Hendon, Global EB Consultant (Formerly of Syneos Health & KPMG).

And that should be the role of the EVP. It should be able to signpost to both candidate audiences and employee communities that their work, passion and output have a direct contribution to organisational direction and success. That what they are doing matters, both in the short and longer term. This should, indeed, add to the impact and heft of the EVP – that there are both immediate and longer-term benefits working for this particular organisation.

And that sense of contribution should transcend the organisation, regardless of job role, department or tenure. If people truly grasp that what they are doing is making a tangible difference, a tangible contribution, and is helping to shape their organisation, it elevates what they are doing beyond the transactional and the day-to-day.

“Human beings thrive and achieve fulfilment when they have a purpose in life; both inside and outside of work. Being crystal clear about our vision and purpose, understanding the ‘why?’ behind what we do each day and what the future looks like, is vital. It keeps us laser-focused on the destination, committed to the steps we must take to get there, and conscious of how each of our actions add value and contribute to the bigger picture – the greater good. This gives us the meaning that we all strive for and the motivation to do what it takes, even when the going gets tough or things feel mundane.” Naomi Blackwell, Founder, Change Now Consulting.

Having line of sight of the EVP throughout all interactions and communications they have with their organisation affords employees real clarity around the cohesion between today’s work and tomorrow’s goals. 

The harder it is for employees to articulate the strategy and direction of their organisation, the more challenging it is for them to understand that they themselves are playing a key role in delivering such a strategy. 

Communicating effectively, regularly and clearly that the great work of your people is tangibly contributing helps drive meaning, purpose and engagement. As well as facilitating the very strategy that your EVP is linked to.