In 2018, the Harvard Business Review and BetterUp published a study showing that the average American worker was ready to let go of almost a quarter of their salary for a more meaningful job. Those who find their work meaningful are more likely to work longer hours, stay loyal to their company, and generally work more and better. Money is no longer the only motivating factor. So, how can you help your employees find purpose at work? Here are four of Hosco’s top pieces of advice:

 

1. Empower People 

One of the keys to creating a meaningful purpose is to give people a sense of responsibility. In a lot of companies, workers lose track of what they’re doing as they are part of a bigger machine they don’t fully understand. You need to avoid that. Entrust your employees with projects they can lead from start to finish and give them long-term goals. In hospitality, empowerment can be found in service. If your employee successfully helps a guest, surprises them with an unexpected and warm welcome or masters a specific recipe for a difficult guest, you need to recognize and praise their actions.

 

2. Give Feedback and Rewards

People tend to feel happier when they know that what they’re doing is right. You can nurture their motivation by setting clear goals and providing simple guidelines. Giving feedback isn’t the most fulfilling experience. Yet, any feedback can become an excuse for celebration, explanation or simply congratulation. Collective feedback after a project is a great starter: gather everyone that worked on a project, and ask them for their personal feedback before giving yours. Your employees will feel empowered, happier, and thus be more productive. It’s also a nice way to discover and push forward new ideas in your company. Meaningful ideas and changes can develop in many different contexts, especially if you tackle them with a bottom-up approach.

 

3. Share the Big Picture

Managers tend to forget that people need to see where they’re going. Even the repetition of a boring task can be meaningful if the goal is clear. For example, perhaps your bartender doesn’t enjoy polishing glasses, cleaning the bar, and carefully putting everything in its place before the first guests arrive. Yet, they do it with the same energy, perhaps even passion, as they know it’ll help in the bigger picture. The same applies to all employees: what are the company’s goals this year? How does each task fit into this overall picture? Exactly how and why are they useful? An employee who knows why they work is more likely to find purpose at work and feel fulfilled.

 

4. Provide Your Team With Diverse Benefits

Afterworks, seminars, a ping-pong table…There are many ways to transform work into a more interesting experience for everyone. Employees are especially sensitive to career coaching, mentoring, and skills training. You can also provide them with the ability to do meaningful actions outside of their jobs, like allowing them to dedicate one day per month to volunteering for an organization of their choice. Giving them a sense of progression and the ability to evolve both personally and professionally is a great way to help employees find purpose at work.

 

Overall, your company’s culture should be a mix of its employees’ personal interests and its own. This way you’ll be able to create a meaningful work culture and nurture purpose in your employees, which will increase happiness, loyalty, and productivity.