Can You be Unfulfilled at Work and Still Fulfilled in Life?
Aaron Hurst
Founder US Chamber of Connection, Taproot Foundation, Board.Dev & Imperative
What would you guess? For full-time, working people, what percent are fulfilled in life but not at work? Make a guess. 50%, 25%, 10%?
This has been one of the core stories about work in American culture. For many people, work is simply about getting paid: A job is a job. We can gain fulfillment from other things in our lives - family, community, hobbies, athletics, etc.
Yeah, not so much.
In our 2019 Workforce Purpose Index, we surveyed a representative sample of the US workforce. We looked to understand the role of fulfillment at work with our fulfillment in our broader lives.
The Sobering Reality
It turns out only one percent of full-time workers who are fulfilled in life are unfulfilled at work. This means that, statistically, if you work full-time, finding fulfillment outside work doesn’t cut it.
To be honest, I was surprised by this survey result. I suspected it would be hard to be fulfilled in life if you are working all day and not getting fulfillment there. I would have guessed 25%, not 1%. I was so surprised by the result that I ran the survey a second time. Same result.
What are the Implications?
According to a recent article in the New York Times, “Having purpose is linked to a number of positive health outcomes, including better sleep, fewer strokes and heart attacks, and a lower risk of dementia, disability, and premature death. Those with a strong sense of purpose are more likely to embrace preventive health services, like mammograms, colonoscopies, and flu shots.”
In our initial study in 2015 with NYU, we found 66% of the workforce is unfilled at work. This makes the lack of meaning at work a health epidemic. Work is killing us.
The good news is that 74% of people see fulfillment at work as possible. We also found that people see their fulfillment as primarily their responsibility - only 12% don’t agree. This means that the solution to the epidemic lies in equipping people to make their work fulfilling. Culture and managers matter, but people need to own their own fulfillment.
Promising Solutions
In the most recent study, we looked at the practices and mindset of people who are fulfilled versus those that are not. People who are fulfilled are significantly more likely to have self-awareness about what fulfills them and they lean on peers for support.
When people are aware of what brings them fulfillment, they are significantly more likely to experience fulfillment at work, especially when compared to those who are not aware.
This suggests that investing in helping people understand their purpose is likely foundational to fulfillment.
Employees who participate in peer coaching conversations are nearly twice as likely to be fulfilled as their counterparts who do not engage in these transformational conversations.
We also found that employees who engage in peer coaching have more clarity, report being higher performers, make meaningful connections with colleagues, experience growth, have a growth mindset, feel psychologically safe, and are likely to stay longer.
2019 Workforce Purpose Index
To learn more about the science of purpose and fulfillment, download the 2019 Workforce Purpose Index.
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I help organizations reshape their workplace culture to drive greater results by creating environments where teams thrive.
2 年Culture and managers matter, but people need to own their own fulfillment. I ??% agree with your statement Aaron Hurst. My guess for your question was 5%...It's tough to surprise me with this important matter... I often remind my teams and myself about our freedom to choose our own responses to various circumstances, and our responsibility to make our daily activities at work meaningful and purposeful, by controlling our thoughts and behaviors, and by promoting a workplace culture of trust, teamwork, and open communication. Fulfillment and self realization at work and in life is our free choice, and therefore, in a workplace with a low morale and under poor leadership, for example, we still have the power to lead the change, even without the needed job title. We're all own our personal fulfillment and able to support others to fulfill their goals, wishes and dreams. By doing so we can actively participate in promoting and fostering a meaningful and purposeful atmosphere at work, that will boost productivity and morale, and eventually will contribute to our personal work and life satisfaction/fulfillment. Thoughts?
Making Grief Less Awkward, One Conversation At A Time I ??Speaker I ??Educator I ????????Coach & Therapist
4 年This is enlightening but makes so much sense. If we're unfulfilled in one area of our life we can't expect to find fulfilment in other areas. And as the working day is one of the largest factors influencing the time we spend during the week it makes sense that career/job fulfilment is up there among the most influential factors.
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Executive Producer
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As an award-winning author and executive coach, I foster measurable improvement in leaders and their organizations.
5 年There is dignity in work. Without that, tough to feel fulfilled on an overall basis