Having a sense of purpose in life is critical to the overall well-being of an individual. Having a sense of purpose in work or roles a person performs at work is equally important. However, people work for different reasons. The question as to why people work may appear to be evident on the surface – to make money. However, this is a narrow perception of the purpose of work (Curry 48). Other than the drive to make money, people work for many different fundamental reasons, such a desire to excel at work or achieve success in life. This easy attempts to discuss what the purpose of working is. The paper argues that the purpose of work stretches from the need to make money to incorporate a desire to gain personal satisfaction and fulfillment.
Many people believe that the purpose of work is to make money to support others. In light of this perspective, people work because they have to. They perceive work to be an inevitable and crucial part of their life. They view work merely as a means to an end. Eric Schlosser paints a clear picture of people who believe that people work to make money. In the introduction of his Essay, Behind the Counter, Schlosser describes Elisa Zamot’s daily routine. Everyday Zamot gets up at 5:15 in the morning, gets to work often at the same time with the manager, performs her tasks, and returns home very tired (Schlosser 421). Her tight schedule depicts an individual who merely works to make money. Such people tend to be unmotivated and unsatisfied with their work (Schlosser 422). They are characterized by a fixed mindset and hence, they often remain in the same work for years.
However, it is imperative to note that work has a more meaningful purpose than merely a desire to make money. Human beings have an inherent desire for meaningful, productive activity and to derive satisfaction from the same. Working cultivates a sense that one’s life is rewarding, which has become critical in today’s fast-paced world. The objectives of people’s job provide them something worth striving for on a daily basis and allowing them to establish long-term goals regarding what they want to achieve. Without a job, some people perceive their life as devoid of a sense of purpose (Bonebright, Clay, and Ankenmann 469). Earning a colossal salary may extrinsically motivate an individual but performing more challenging, and work-related tasks can generate higher job satisfaction (Bassett-Jones and Lloyd 930).
Traditionally, work was considered to be a means to an end (Curry 49). People treated the community, family, religion and other aspects of life more critical compared to work. Today’s, work defines people’s identity and purpose in life. Many professional careers are rewarding as organizations increasingly emphasize factors that influence workers to feel invested in their job. Employees consciously motivate themselves to work harder if their position provides them with greater autonomy, variety, constructive feedback, and results in tangible outcomes (Curry 51). If money is the answer to why people work, we would expect very successful people to stop working. Also, poor new mothers would have to return to work after a shorter period compared to their affluent counterparts. However, research shows that well-to-do new mothers are likely to return to work after 13 weeks after giving birth than the low-income counterparts (Curry 51).
Herzberg’s Two-Factor theory shades more light on the purpose of work. The theory holds that employees obtain more satisfaction from motivational factors than hygiene factors (Bassett-Jones and Lloyd 930). Examples of motivational factors include opportunities for both personal growth and career advancement, greater responsibility, and recognition at work, among others. On the other hand, hygiene factors include job-related status, salary, job security, and tight supervision (Bassett-Jones and Lloyd 931). From the lens of this theory, money is a hygiene factor which Herzberg believed does not lead to higher job satisfaction and personal fulfillment (Bassett-Jones and Lloyd 930).
Many employers have realized the potential of intrinsic motivation and thus they utilize modern participative management strategies to enhance staff morale (Curry 50). Today, many organizations provide training aimed to empower employees to make informed decisions at work and balance monetary and nonmonetary incentives to ensure that their human talent is properly motivated. Amerco presents an excellent example of an organization that leverages effective motivation strategies. The firm capitalizes on monetary incentives like inviting employees to feel recognized for the achievements they make at work (Curry 51). Amerco committed itself to strengthening the family-like ties of its staff members by organizing regular “recognition ceremonies” to honor specific employees or self-managed production teams (Curry 49).
Millennials perceive work as an integral part of life, rather than a distinct phenomenon that needs to be “balanced” by it (Meister & Willyerd 69). In light of this perspective, millennials mostly focus on finding employment opportunities that that can yield more personal fulfillment (Meister and Willyerd 70). In with the Habits of Mind, they look for work that can provide that with the chance to take responsible risks, imagine, create and innovate new ideas, and remain open to continuous learning (Costa and Kallick 69). They look out for opportunities to improve and advance their skills and abilities to overcome limits in their life. Therefore, that feeling of purpose if the fundamental reason they engage in work.
Works Cited
Bassett-Jones, Nigel, and Geoffrey C. Lloyd. "Does Herzberg's motivation theory have staying power?." Journal of management development 24.10 (2005): 929-943.
Bonebright, Cynthia A., Daniel L. Clay, and Robert D. Ankenmann. "The relationship of workaholism with work–life conflict, life satisfaction, and purpose in life." Journal of counseling psychology 47.4 (2000): 469.
Costa, Art, and Bena Kallick. Habits of mind. Hawker Brownlow, 2005.
Curry, Andrew. "Why we work." US News & World Report 134.6 (2003): 48-54.
Meister, Jeanne C., and Karie Willyerd. "Mentoring millennials." Harvard business review 88.5 (2010): 68-72.
Schlosser, Eric. Fast food nation: The dark side of the all-American meal. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012.
