The Importance of Work Fulfilment

The Importance of Work Fulfilment

I was talking the other day with a client of mine and he was telling me how unsatisfied and unfulfilled he was feeling about his job. It wasn’t because of money but the workplace environment and the culture of the company. He was working in a small-medium company the last year. I asked him why he was feeling like that and he answered me; the workplace environment is bad and many times is becoming “toxic”. “I’m trying my best to care about the customer but I don’t feel that the company cares about me.” Long story short, the company was putting too much pressure on the employees to do more with less; they didn’t care about their needs, and consequently, employees did not care about their colleagues. That behaviour was reaching customers and they were starting to complain about it.
Following that example, I’d like to talk about the importance of work fulfilment and why companies need to have fulfilled employees.
Let’s start with an example from Simon Sinek about the Marines.
“The Marines want the young recruits to learn that their success is depended upon each other. More importantly, if they don’t help each other, no one will help them. And they learn that! Over time, what you start to see is that they start helping, cheering for and caring about the success of each other. You meet some people in the military who are what we would call heroes. They’ve risked their lives to help and save others. And when you ask them: “Why did you do it? Why would you put yourself at risk to help another person?” All of them say the same thing: “Because they would have done the same thing for me.”
The same can apply to a company. When a company builds trust among its employees, there are two core benefits: 1) They have more confidence and 2) They are willing to take more risks because they know that if they need support, there is someone there to help them. Plus, companies with that kind of philosophy have more chances of succeeding their goals than companies where everyone cares only for themselves.
How can the employees’ work fulfilment benefit a company?
If employees feel part of the company and they feel that they have its support, then their productivity is increased and they can take more risks to maximize the company’s profitability. In difficult times, times of crisis, if they feel secure, they trust and cooperate to get through. They don’t just abandon the company to search for something else.
How can employees find work fulfilment?
Besides the fact that the company’s culture and behaviour to its employees is the main reason for work fulfilment, employees can find fulfilment with these 3 steps:

1) Make a specific goal to improve yourself every day
Think about how you can improve your everyday tasks and make a list. For example, how you can be more productive, how you can achieve better time management, to cooperate better with your colleagues, improve your communication and leadership skills, etc. Even if they are small improvements, it doesn’t matter. What matters is to keep pursuing your goals.
2) Build positive relationships
It’s very important to have positive people in your life, and especially in the workplace. Show genuine interest in people, and they will show interest in you. Be yourself, and you will be happier at work as you build more positive relationships.
3) Find a mentor
Find someone that will take you under their wing. They can give you advice about your work and provide you with emotional support, by sharing their experience with you. Many times it’s better to have a mentor, especially if it’s a new job for you than chasing bigger paychecks.
And remember: if your current job doesn’t give you the fulfilment you want, don’t beat yourself up about it. You can always look for a new job, and even turning your passion into a business.