A good job

This HBR article got me thinking on what is a good job??I am sure that there is a different answer that each of us will have to this question.?To me, a good job should be purposeful, autonomous and respectful.?Marcus Buckingham?is the head of people and performance research at the ADP Research Institute (ADPRI), and the author of this HBR article.

Marcus’ definition of a good job is one where you feel seen for being the best version of yourself; you sense that your colleagues have your back; you don’t feel discriminated against based on your gender, race, or sexual orientation; you feel your position is secure; and you have confidence that you’ll get help navigating constant changes in the working world.?

If you want a job that meets these criteria, make sure you are part of a team with a leader you trust. So, to all those predicting that the job of the future is one where we are all a bunch of self-employed freelancers, the research data is not supportive of this trend.?A good job?always?appears to be one where someone is part of a trusted team.?When you feel lots of eustress – stress that is moderate and beneficial (you are excited about and a bit obsessed with work and can’t stop thinking about it) and are devoid of distress (you don’t feel drained by each day and disconnected from those you love due to work), then you are experiencing a good job.?Your strengths are seen and valued, you are more resilient and connected to your colleagues, and you’re less likely to interview for a new job.

If you are part of multiple teams, it is likely that you are less?engaged, less resilient, and emotionally less connected to your colleagues. The stress of having to answer to many bosses in highly matrixed organizations and competing priorities can add tension and anxiety to workers’ lives, making them more likely to leave a job.

All jobs, even those that can seem repetitive and monotonous, are full of specific moments, tasks, and interactions that can provide energy. Different people who have the same job draw energy from different activities. Marcus talks of one anaesthesiologist who revelled in the pressure of holding a patient hovering between life and death, while another was in her element only immediately after a procedure, when she could find just the right words to calm a patient.?A good job is not one where we love?all?that we do. ADPRI’s research data shows people love about 73% of the job — not 100%.?A good job has at least some activities that one loves and pays attention to each and every day.?People who have a job involving such activities are 4.4x more engaged, 3.8x more resilient, 1.5x less likely to experience discrimination, and 2.3x less likely to be interviewing for another job.

In regards to the future, the research seems to point that robots and automation will take over the mundane jobs and free us to do things that are uniquely human – jobs that require to innovate, create, build trust, empathize, calm, collaborate, joke, touch, feel, and share feelings…

What is a good job for you?