Hard Work Should Be Fulfilling

I?enjoy hard work. I admire people who apply themselves with dedication to their chosen profession. I believe devotion to your work shows character and a desire to improve constantly.

However, I am among the first to say this is not the healthiest outlook.

Working too hard can be destructive to your mental and physical #health. It can be disastrous for personal relationships. It can become an unhealthy obsession. The result of being ‘too’ dedicated to your #work is that you become unable to do it well.

Hard Work and Addiction

For some, #hardwork itself becomes an addiction. It fills a void in them and delivers a dopamine fix as a reward for applying themselves to the detriment of other areas of their lives.

The pursuit of dopamine has been a driving force for humankind forever. In moderation and within reason, this is no bad thing. Receiving a reward for chasing achievement can be a positive way to incentivise yourself and your staff.

It becomes a problem when that fix becomes all-consuming. It becomes an #addiction.

This is not a new phenomenon. Addiction to drink, drugs, gambling, and even sex has been with us for a long time. Within #business, this addiction can manifest itself in working longer and longer hours, becoming obsessed with results and targets, physically and mentally needing – not just wanting – that next closed sale.

This remains a serious issue among many workforces.

Next Generation

As I have continued to employ and welcome many young people into my businesses, I have been delighted by the dedication, talent, and commitment of most.

Sadly, the near-obsessive pursuit of dopamine remains a constant regardless of age. Addiction to that ‘hit’ is still there.

What has changed is where that fix comes from. We have a new form of addiction, which is about ‘likes’.

The need to feel loved isn’t new; for generations, people have chased #validation and recognition, including in work settings.

What we have now is the virtual version of this. We have a generation of people brought up on #socialmedia who measure their value by the number of engagements their posts get. They assess their worth by how long it takes for likes and comments to come in, or for a WhatsApp message to be responded to.

Virtual Addiction

It may sound trivial to some of us, but I have seen the mood and productivity of colleagues collapse because an Insta story didn’t get enough views, a TikTok didn’t go ‘viral’, or a SnapChat wasn’t watched immediately.

It feels strange even to write this, but the impact on #workplace mood can be as devastating as I have seen with people battling substance addictions.

Younger generations face different struggles in work than previous ones did.

Simon Sinek, in what is often called ‘the speech that broke the internet’, referred to an ‘insecure generation’ lacking in a ‘coping mechanism’ and which ‘wants it all instantaneously’.

You can watch Simon Sinek 's full speech below

Because they have been brought up in an online world of instant gratification, an office can seem like a foreign, even hostile, environment. I have seen younger people struggling to interact socially with colleagues, a by-product of living through your screen.

I still find myself shocked when I see a family together, perhaps out for a meal, and they sit in silence as every single member stares at their phone. Children are not learning the art of conversation, the skill of social interaction from their families as they did in the past.

Yes, workplaces have changed with the times, but it remains necessary to be able to talk to each other and observe social niceties and norms. I find it disturbing how many young people come to interviews unable to maintain eye contact, engage with me verbally, or talk with confidence.

Hard Work and New Challenges

I have watched younger employees become horrified by the thought of hard work and rolling their sleeves up. The idea of starting at the bottom and grafting long and hard to reach the top is anathema to them; they want instant success, like they see on Love Island or The Voice.

In an increasingly tolerant society, which is to be welcomed, the fear of causing offence can be taken too far. Sometimes, #criticism is necessary to help someone learn and grow. Sometimes, pointing out areas of potential personal growth is positive and not an attack on an individual’s very being.

However, I have encountered too many young people who simply cannot accept criticism. They have been shielded from it, told they do not need to change because it is the world that is wrong, and they desire validation for behaviour that will take them nowhere, personally or professionally.

Fulfilment and Hard Work

One of my passions is sharing my experiences, good and bad, and providing people with the tools they need to become the best possible versions of themselves. Supporting them through the process of personal and professional growth which will bring fulfilment and satisfaction. It involves shining a light on areas for improvement, and, for some young people, this is now impossible.

They do not see constructive criticism as positive and an opportunity to grow. They see it as a direct attack on their personality and humanity. They have become used to being validated regardless of what they do. Anything perceived as negative has the power to damage them as much as I have seen addictions to drink, drugs, and gambling do to others.

The Solution?

This is not an attack on Millennials, GenZ, or young people.

People have always faced challenges in the workplace, and many have faltered in the pursuit of dopamine, becoming substance dependent or ‘workaholics’, for example. Young people now are not so different. They just find their fix in a place the older among us find alien and strange.

The point is not to attack an entire generation for living in the technologically advanced world we have helped to create. Just as it is not to attack those whose lives have been impacted by a hard work obsession or other addictions.

The point is acknowledging that we have a problem and trying to find solutions.

Rather than focusing on the rush of dopamine, the need for validation and to be liked, the smugness of hard work and longer hours than the next person, I like to focus on fulfilment.

A Job Well Done

For me, #fulfilment is about the satisfaction of a job done well, not just being seen to undertake hard work. Done to the best of my ability and to a good standard. It is about learning something new. It is about taking the lessons of failure and the feedback from others in a constructive way. It is about always trying to be the best version of myself and better tomorrow than I am today.

It is not just about work. Fulfilment is finding the balance between work and your personal life so that you can dedicate time and attention to your family, friends, and passions. It is about being able to feel ‘present’ with those you care about.

As parents, it is our duty to share this value with the next generation. We need to show them that fulfilment lies beyond their screen. We can only do this by being generous with our time and experience, and encouraging them to explore and live in the world around them.

By doing this, we help prepare them to be happier, healthier, and more successful people. Not just in the workplace, but in life.

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Brendan Beeken FInstSMM?is an Entrepreneur, Commercial Strategist, Investor, Philanthropist and the Founder and Chairman of cryptocurrency exchange?Moni Talks. By sharing his business journey, both the successes and failures, and his personal values and vision, he hopes to inspire and assist fellow businesspeople and budding entrepreneurs.?Find out more at?brendanbeeken.com