6 elements of an ideal workplace

Last year, I published my first book. A dream come true, titled “Mi trabajo ideal?y cómo?encontrarlo”. I shared my career coaching insights and “secrets”, and I added a dimension of personal health and sustainability, to acknowledge and improve your present state, and to prepare you for a future one. All I want(ed), is to help more people find their way.

The number 1 interview question I’ve had since I published the book?

“What IS an ideal job?” “Que ES un trabajo ideal?”

The answer is quite vast, and I know you’re here to find quick answers. I'll break it down into 6 very general elements, although I’m 200% sure there are many more.

1.????Nothing means more to me than impact. I care about action, and making the world (of business) a better place, and I’m sure I’m not the only one. The ideal job integrates an aspect of doing good, and this can be in a million different way. I hate to use the over-hyped term “purpose” here, but deep down, we want to work to solve something. Even if that means getting a pay check that allows you to do something meaningful in your free-time.

2.????Many companies operate with a culture of fear, unconsciously.

"I'd rather gossip than give my boss constructive feedback, because I'm afraid of what might happen if I'm really honest with her."

"I have this great idea, but I'm embarrassed to share it, and I don't even know who to share it with."

"I really feel like I need more small breaks to be more productive, but when I don't work for 5 minutes, I feel so guilty."

An ideal job is a place where you can express yourself in a healthy way. No oversharing, no kumbaya every day, but good and safe relationships. People that allow you to share your thoughts, colleagues that ask you strong questions, colleagues that make you laugh, managers that inspire you to learn and challenge you, etc.

3.????In a world of work where depression, burn-out, bore-out, absenteeism, high turnover, etc. are a devastating reality, an ideal job is work that doesn’t drain you. It’s a space that allows you to take care of your (mental) health, most of all. You want to go swimming at lunch time to be more productive in the afternoon? Sure. You want to take unlimited time off? Sabbatical after 18 years? Ok. (I see you, old school managers. This all just made you cringe.) We know scaling this kind of individual flexibility is a big challenge, yet there are already many companies that have established this kind of “radical trust” and self-empowering team scenarios, and they have proven successful.

4.????Call it “flow”, or call it “balance”, we want to feel challenged, yet safe in our job. An ideal job stretches you, gets you out of your comfort zone, makes you learn, but doesn’t leave you drained by efforts that don't match your competencies (yet).

5. A place and role that connects you to your "uniqueness". In the ideal workplace, this special, diverse aspect of yours is seen as added value or even connects to corporate vision/mission/values/culture.

6.????Last but not least, I’d say an ideal job is work that embraces clarity and transparency. Do you know what the current strategy of your company is? Do you know how to succeed? Do you know what is expected of you? Do you know who to go to for help? If the answer is yes, chances are you’re enjoying yourself significantly more, in different ways.

After having published a book that mainly targets individual professionals and students, I realized I wanted to increase my impact by helping companies creating exactly this kind of environment. So proud and happy to be of service with ActioGlobal?, I can’t wait to keep learning about employee experience, and to co-create more “ideal workplaces” for people all around the world.

What does an ideal workplace mean to you? Feel free to comment!