When employees are connected to purpose, they give more effort and are less likely to leave the company.
When employees are connected to purpose, the business receives all kinds of benefits.
When employees say their work is meaningful, they are less likely to quit and more likely to give extra effort on the job. When employees feel valued and celebrated, they are more likely to participate in innovation and adapt quickly to new ideas. And when employees connect with purpose, companies reap financial rewards.
What having purpose looks like
Purpose can be a difficult term to wrap arms around. Is it the company’s mission? Or an individual’s sense of having an impact? “At a very high level, a sense of purpose is really tied into pride,” says Julian Lute, senior strategic advisor with Great Place To Work®. Do people feel their contribution is meaningful to the organization or the wider world?
Purpose is also about alignment.
“When people feel like they’re not aligned with the purpose, the mission, and that excitement, they feel excluded from innovation,” Lute says. He gives the example of a hospital system, which might do a great job of celebrating doctors and nurses with appreciation days and storytelling campaigns, but neglects the administrative staff and medical billing professionals. What kind of message does it send to an employee when they work in the basement and are never celebrated for their contributions?
“You can have people who are central to an organization, whose work is on display and whose work executives are talking about, but they just aren’t getting that shine,” Lute says.
When an employee says their job isn’t meaningful, that doesn’t necessarily mean the work they do isn’t incredibly important. Without medical billing staff, hospitals can’t bring in money from insurers, but these workers often don’t feel their work is respected.
Making connections
Purpose starts with leaders, but employees can also be influenced by their fellow employees. If colleagues from other departments don’t connect your work with the overall mission of the organization, some workers can feel undervalued or overlooked. Imagine a manufacturing plant where the corporate staff is always at odds with the production floor workers, Lute says. How can you help these two groups connect the dots between their work and the work of their colleagues?
When an employee says their job isn’t meaningful, that doesn’t necessarily mean the work they do isn’t incredibly important.
At DHL Express Singapore, investing time to train their team leaders, frontline managers and supervisors is what makes a big difference. “We invest tremendous amounts of time, effort and energy to equip them. Three times a year, I would actually spend three days to equip these new team leaders with what we call our Certified International Manager training. And it isn’t just me, but my senior management colleagues come together to impart some skills to teach them how to manage themselves, and more importantly impart values. To me, that is the most critical,” explains Christopher Ong, Managing Director, DHL Express Singapore on the Great Place To Work ASEAN and ANZ podcast.
Bringing purpose to frontline employees
Who are the employees most likely to struggle to connect with purpose? “It’s the likely suspects,” Lute says, identifying three groups:
1. Frontline workers, including frontline managers
The reason? These employees are generally focused on execution of a specific business task. They’re customer-facing, dealing with issues in the moment. They don’t have the space to step back and see the big picture. It’s crucial for frontline employees to be empowered to think on their feet and adapt to meet the needs of the customer. Lute gives the example of Wegmans, where frontline employees are given the authority to “serve the customer as they need to be served in that moment.”
If a customer needs help finding a product in another department, employees have the authority to leave their station and serve the customer. The magic comes from how leaders manage employees who take the initiative, which Lute describes as “not being in bean-counting mode.”
“What you really hear is, ‘I know what corporate says I’m supposed to do, but in this moment, I have to do it like this,’” Lute says. Leaders should recognize when these deviations from protocol are attempts to live up to a higher mission, such as providing excellent customer service.
2. Contract and temporary workers
These employees are often treated differently than other employees and feel less ownership over their contributions They might not attend company meeting or receive important company messages, even when they are doing something really important for your brand.
3. Hourly workers
“When you’re hourly, you’re focused on the schedule,” Lute says. “You’re focused on just getting hours, earning money, and everything counts.”
What managers can do
In practical terms, how can leaders take action to help employees find greater meaning and purpose in their roles? Here’s what Lute suggests:
1. Make time for sharing stories
“You have to become an expert storyteller,” Lute says. Leaders have to explain how the work of the individual employee contributes to the overall business.
Here’s how Mr Ong tells that story about frontline employees at DHL Express Singapore:
“In early 2020, Malaysia announced the MCO with literally 24 hours before the borders closed. The fact was that we had over 200 colleagues who cross the border to Singapore daily to work at our hub here. They help to sort out the packages and prepare the shipments when they arrive etc. We had to ask them if they could remain in Singapore, before the borders closed, and we acknowledged the big sacrifice they took and assured that we will take care of them by providing a roof over their heads and a stipend for their stay in Singapore. They were extremely appreciative of what the company did to support them,” shares Mr Ong.
2. Create safe space for feedback
Lute acknowledges how hard this task can be for middle managers who face enormous pressure to meet their numbers. But it’s crucial that employees feel safe to ask questions and share what’s really happening in their daily routines. His advice: “Acknowledge the failure.” Employees can feel disconnected when goals and priorities change and a new initiative makes their previous work less relevant.
“Most people work really hard every single day, and they want recognition for their hard work,” Lute says. Make sure that when you pivot, you continue to acknowledge the team’s work and sacrifice.
3. Be an advocate
Middle managers must understand their responsibility as someone who can remove barriers and solve problems for their frontline workers, Lute says. He gives an example of a company where factory floor workers are asking for new shoes because the long hours on their feet are painful. When the frontline managers response is, “There’s nothing I can do about that,” workers don’t feel cared for by their organization.
“That’s when people start questioning whether or not your mission and your values actually make sense,” Lute says. Workers are asking for support, not because they want free stuff, but because they care about their job. It’s a manager’s job to empower them to do their best work.
Become a purpose leader
Find out how Purpose can play a huge role in building your organization’s workplace culture. Tune in to the Great Place To Work ASEAN and ANZ Podcast here: https://rss.com/podcasts/gptwaseananz.
Keep an eye on the best companies in your region or industry and meet employees’ needs and expectations with our employee experience survey and benchmarking.
Ted Kitterman
Ted Kitterman is a content manager for Great Place to Work®. Ted has experience covering the workplace, business communications, public relations, internal communications, work culture, employee well-being, brand purpose and more. His work shines a light on the unparalleled data and insights offered by Great Place to Work’s decades of research, helping the company share its vision of a great place to work For All™.
Daphne Lee
Daphne believes in building community-relatable content, telling stories through narratives that add value in today’s workplace and in culture-building. Her idea of a great workplace is one that thrives on openness, support and inclusivity while building trust and working towards a common business growth and purpose. A journalist, she spent 15 years writing for trade publications, lifestyle magazines and broadsheet supplements. Daphne was also active in the Parent Support Group of her daughters’ school, chairing the volunteer-run committee for 3 years. A mum of two teenagers and two adopted dogs, she enjoys riding on her trusty bicycle to discover new sights and sounds in Singapore.
