Tag: work

How to Find Meaningful Work

Posted on by robbie

If you’re anything like the average American, you’ll spend over 90,000 hours — or about one-third of your lifetime — on the job. Given that astonishing amount of time, it makes sense to find a position that doesn’t leave you filled with dread, but with purpose. Whether you publicly announce your #CareerGoals or keep your dreams to yourself, we all want to feel like we’re making the world a better place.
Which begs the question: how do you find meaningful work? Or is the secret to simply find meaning in whatever work you do? Here’s what the experts say.

TRUST YOUR GUT

Before you accept a new job, do your due diligence, suggests career and executive coach Tammy Gooler Loeb. Seek out opinions and information that give you a realistic view of the work you’ll be doing and the atmosphere you’ll be doing it in. Keep an open mind and take some time to consider what you’ve learned. “There’s always an element of trusting one’s instincts,” says Loeb. Any red flags? “You may not want to take the risk, or do further research before going forward,” she says.

FOCUS ON MORE THAN YOUR STRENGTHS

Just because you’re good at math doesn’t mean you should become an accountant, says Loeb. Talent’s only one factor to consider when searching for a job that inspires you. “People are more engaged and motivated when their values, preferences and interests are aligned with their work and the culture of the workplace,” she explains. Of course, you want to see that your efforts have impact, but just as important, says Loeb, is that you’re getting positive feedback on the value of your contributions.

LOOK BEYOND YOUR OWN ROLE

Focus less on salary and title, and more on the mandate and mission of your organization. For instance, “a custodian in a hospital isn’t hands-on with patients, but their role is still helping sick people get better through ensuring the cleanliness of the facility,” notes Lisa Sansom, a leadership and organizational development coach and consultant. Identifying — and connecting with — a purpose that’s bigger than you will help you “get through the tough days, difficult clients or whatever setbacks you may encounter,” Sansom says. “It also allows you to retain your optimism and hope, and be more resilient.”  

Meaningful Work 2
Forming bonds with coworkers can help mitigate stress and increase happiness in the workplace.

FOSTER FRIENDSHIPS AT WORK

You get to choose your friends, but when it comes to coworkers, you usually don’t have much say on who you share an office with. That makes it crucial to actually like the people you’re surrounded by each day. “Social support has been widely demonstrated as one of the greatest buffers of stress and strongest predictors of happiness,” says Michael Woodward, PhD, an executive coach and the author of The YOU Plan. “The reality is that most people spend most of their waking hours working, so the stronger and more positive those workplace bonds, the better off you are.”

DO GOOD OUTSIDE THE OFFICE

Some workplaces offer paid time to do volunteer work, either coordinated as a team or individually. Many also fundraise for worthy causes. Take these opportunities whenever you can. “Volunteering is excellent for your mental well-being,” says Sansom, “but what’s really meaningful are real-life experiences that are done at the volunteer location with others.”

PRIORITIZE YOUR PERSONAL LIFE

How you live your life outside the office can impact what happens inside of it. When you’re stressed, your brain and body switch into defensive mode; your instinct is to get distance from any problems and retreat into yourself. On the other hand, “when you’re in a positive mind-set, you’re more open to new ideas and possibilities,” says Sansom. Make cultivating your time outside of the workplace a priority. Pursue hobbies, hone talents, spend time with friends. “When you’re content in your personal life, you’re more open to new opportunities and seeing the bigger picture at work,” Sansom says.

REFINE YOUR DEFINITION OF MEANING

Not all jobs have the same type of meaning. “‘Meaning’ with a capital M is your purpose, the ‘What do I contribute to the world to make it a better place?’ sort of meaning,” Sansom explains. “Small-m meaning is, ‘How do I make a silver lining out of this situation?’” While capital-M meaning jobs are ones where you typically feel you’re contributing to something larger than yourself, a position you hate is by no means worthless. Rather, it falls into the lowercase-m category. You do the best you can, learn something about yourself — “Hey, I’m more resilient than I thought!” — and move on …
Hopefully to a capital-M position that means the world to you.

On the Docket: Workers’ Rights

Posted on by robbie

As the Senate begins confirmation hearings for President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Neil Gorsuch, the administration’s embattled travel ban is top of mind. Twice, federal judges struck down portions of its latest version. Now, the Justice Department is appealing. Will the fight go all the way to the Supreme Court as the president has vowed? Quite possibly.
Meanwhile, another case that could weaken the rights of American workers has (relatively) quietly made its way onto the Court’s fall docket.
The case, Ernst & Young LLP v. Morris (which is combined with two other cases), questions whether businesses can prohibit their employees from taking collective, legal action over workplace issues, such as unpaid wages and discrimination. A ruling in favor of the defendant, “potentially guts many of the core protections that most workers in this country think they have,” says Paul Schiff Berman, professor of law at George Washington University.
Here’s the situation: Big corporations, as well as startups, have increasingly asked new-hires to sign employment contracts containing waivers that forfeit the employees’ rights to pursue class-action lawsuits against their employers. Instead, individual employees are required to use arbitration to settle disputes.
Class-action lawsuits are typically more costly in terms of legal fees and time, compared to out-of-court settlements, which can be more appealing to both companies and employees.
“If an employer engages in unlawful activity that affects its workforce broadly, those claims are often too small to be brought by one person,” says Anne B. Shaver, an attorney with Lieff Cabraser Heimann and Bernstein, a firm that’s represented workers in landmark class-action lawsuits against numerous top Silicon Valley companies.
During the Obama administration, the National Labor Relations Board consistently ruled that these class-action waivers in employees’ contracts were invalid. But conflicting rulings in three circuit courts have pushed the issue up to the Supreme Court.
To be clear, this lawsuit does not pertain to most members of the ever-growing gig economy. Uber drivers, Airbnb hosts and the like operate as freelancers, not traditional employees.  
How would the Supreme Court rule with Gorsuch on the bench? In the past, it backed arbitration. With a fifth conservative judge whose judicial philosophy is similar to the late Justice Antonin Scalia’s, businesses may prevail again.
Homepage photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images.
MORE: The Duel in the Desert: Albuquerque Residents Fight for Workplace Rights

Too Much Sitting Isn’t Just Bad For Your Health, It Wastes Energy

Posted on by robbie

Whether it’s at home on your couch or in the office at your desk, we’ve all read about the negative health consequences of sitting for too long. But have you ever considered the amount of kinetic energy you’re wasting by staying still? Andy Wekin and Steve Blood from the startup Pedal Power in Essex, N.Y., have dreamed up a way to harness that wasted energy and transform it into power that can charge your computer or phone — or even split logs and mill grain, if you’re into that type of thing.
MORE: Music Can Change a Troubled Kid’s Life. Here’s How.
The duo has developed two products: the $2,000 Big Rig, which includes an ergonomic seat, work surface, and outlets to re-energize your devices. Think of it as a stationary bike and desk in one. They’ve also created the Pedal Genny, a $350 portable machine that can be used to pump water, sow grain or generate power in remote areas. Both inventions are open source designs, meaning the plans will be available to individuals who want to build the machines on their own.
It may seem like a radical idea, but as Wekin and Blood have pointed out, their innovation isn’t just about selling bikes. It’s about making people consider their relationship with energy. “I want to connect people to the energy they use,” Blood says. “I want people to understand how precious energy is, and how hard it is to come by.”

This Simple Management Strategy Makes Workers More Productive

Posted on by robbie

Green Rising is an Oregon-based marketing firm that has taken a new approach to managing its staff. Instead of having everyone come into the office and work 9-5, people get to determine their own schedules and ways of working. The only focus is on results. As at any company, workers are responsible for achieving high standards by certain deadlines and within certain budgets, but how they accomplish their tasks is completely up to them. Green Rising founder Holly Hagerman says her management style involves “treating employees like adults.” This strategy seems to improve worker productivity at Green Rising, and could perhaps have the same effect at other companies. Besides boosting productivity, it can make workers happier, and also solve a whole host of other problems, including time-wasting rush hours—a byproduct of too many people having roughly the same working schedule.
Source: Sustainable Business Oregon