Why We Work

1. Work is more than just a paycheck: It's about meaning, engagement, and purpose

Satisfied workers are engaged by their work. They lose themselves in it. Not all the time, of course, but often enough for that to be salient to them.

Work fulfillment goes beyond compensation. People who find satisfaction in their jobs are often motivated by factors such as:

• Feeling challenged and stretched outside their comfort zones
• Having autonomy and discretion in their tasks
• Developing mastery or expertise in their field
• Engaging in meaningful social interactions
• Making a positive difference in the world

While financial compensation is necessary, it's rarely the core reason people enjoy their work. In fact, when someone is described as being "in it for the money," it's often seen as a negative judgment rather than a neutral description.

2. Good work environments foster autonomy, mastery, and social connection

These people do their work because it's an opportunity for social engagement. They do many of their tasks as part of teams, and even when they're working alone, there are plenty of opportunities for social interaction during work's quiet moments.

Positive work environments promote growth and connection. Effective organizations tend to share common characteristics that enhance employee satisfaction:

• Providing job security to build trust and loyalty
• Relying on self-managed teams and decentralized decision-making
• Offering competitive compensation without over-relying on individual incentives
• Investing in extensive and ongoing training opportunities
• Measuring performance without micromanaging
• Emphasizing the company's mission in daily practices

These practices not only lead to more satisfied employees but also tend to result in better business outcomes, creating a virtuous cycle of improvement.

3. Incentives and micromanagement can undermine intrinsic motivation

Adding financial incentives to situations in which people are motivated to work hard and well without them seems to undermine rather than enhance the motives people already have.

Extrinsic rewards can diminish intrinsic motivation. Research has shown that introducing monetary incentives or punishments can actually decrease desired behaviors in certain situations. This phenomenon, known as "motivational crowding out," occurs when:

• Financial incentives replace moral or social motivations
• Punishments are reframed as prices for undesired behavior
• The focus shifts from "Is this right?" to "Is this worth the cost?"

Examples include:

• Fines increasing late pickups at a daycare center
• Monetary offers reducing willingness to accept nuclear waste storage
• Small payments decreasing willingness to help with tasks

This effect highlights the importance of nurturing intrinsic motivation and workplace relationships rather than relying solely on external incentives.

4. The ideology of self-interest has shaped modern workplaces detrimentally

If you design workplaces that permit people to do work they value, we will be designing a human nature that values work. If we design workplaces that permit people to find meaning in their work, we will be designing a human nature that values work.

Workplace design influences human nature. The prevalent ideology that people are primarily motivated by self-interest has led to the creation of work environments that:

• Prioritize efficiency over engagement
• Rely heavily on incentives and close supervision
• Reduce complex tasks to simple, repetitive actions
• Minimize opportunities for autonomy and creativity

This approach, rooted in early economic theories, has become a self-fulfilling prophecy. By designing workplaces based on the assumption that people only work for pay, we've created environments where that assumption increasingly holds true.

5. Ideas about human nature can become self-fulfilling prophecies

What this means is that a theory that is false can become true simply by people believing it's true. The result is that, instead of good data driving out bad data and theories, bad data change social practices until the data become good data, and the theories are validated.

Beliefs shape reality in social contexts. Unlike in the natural sciences, theories about human nature can actually change how people behave. This occurs through three main mechanisms:

1. Changing how people think about their own actions
2. Altering how others respond to an individual (self-fulfilling prophecy)
3. Reshaping institutional structures to align with the ideology

For example, the belief that intelligence is fixed vs. malleable can influence:

• How students approach learning challenges
• How teachers interact with and support their students
• How entire cultures view intellectual development

These effects are particularly powerful when an ideology becomes pervasive in a society, shaping institutions and social norms.

6. Workplace design significantly influences human behavior and satisfaction

If we design workplaces that permit people to do work they value, we will be designing a human nature that values work. If we design workplaces that permit people to find meaning in their work, we will be designing a human nature that values work.

Work environments shape human nature. The structure of our workplaces has a profound impact on how people behave and what they value. Key factors include:

• Level of autonomy and decision-making power
• Opportunities for skill development and mastery
• Sense of purpose and connection to larger goals
• Quality of social interactions and teamwork

By consciously designing workplaces that foster these positive elements, we can create a workforce that finds genuine satisfaction and meaning in their work. This, in turn, leads to better outcomes for:

• Employees (increased well-being and engagement)
• Organizations (improved performance and innovation)
• Customers and clients (higher quality products and services)

7. Redefining efficiency to include well-being can transform work culture

Suppose we defined efficiency in terms of well-being instead. Presumably, the people who purchase goods and services experience gains in their well-being, because otherwise they wouldn't have made the purchase. So this more expansively defined output includes the dollar value of goods and services plus the satisfaction those goods and services bring.

Broadening the concept of efficiency. Traditional economic thinking defines efficiency narrowly in terms of monetary output per unit of input. However, a more comprehensive approach would consider:

• Well-being gains for customers from products and services
• Psychic benefits (or costs) experienced by workers
• Long-term sustainability of business practices
• Societal impacts of organizational activities

By adopting this broader definition, businesses can justify investments in workplace improvements that might not show immediate financial returns but lead to:

• Higher employee satisfaction and retention
• Increased creativity and innovation
• Improved customer experiences
• Better overall societal outcomes

8. Job crafting allows individuals to find meaning in seemingly mundane roles

What Luke sought in his work was shaped by the aims—what Aristotle would call the telos—of his organization. The telos of the hospital—promoting health, curing illness, relieving suffering—were embedded in Luke's approach to his job.

Individuals can shape their work experience. Job crafting refers to the process by which employees redesign their jobs to align better with their strengths, interests, and values. This can involve:

• Expanding or altering job responsibilities
• Changing how one interacts with colleagues or clients
• Reframing the purpose or impact of one's work

Examples from hospital custodians show how individuals in seemingly routine jobs can find deep meaning and satisfaction by:

• Connecting their work to the broader mission of the organization
• Taking initiative to improve patient experiences
• Building relationships with patients and their families

This approach allows workers to find fulfillment even in roles that might not traditionally be seen as engaging or meaningful.

9. Challenging the "work only for pay" ideology is crucial for societal progress

Built into this argument, of course, is Adam Smith's view that the only reason that people work is for the wage, and if they don't need the wage, they won't work. No one states this view explicitly, because it is so pervasive that it doesn't need to be stated. This is ideology at its most pernicious.

Questioning assumptions about work motivation. The pervasive belief that people only work for money has led to:

• Overreliance on financial incentives in workplace design
• Neglect of other important motivators like purpose and mastery
• Erosion of social safety nets based on fears of reducing work incentives
• Diminished expectations for finding meaning and satisfaction in work

Challenging this ideology is essential for:

• Creating more fulfilling work environments
• Developing policies that support both economic and personal well-being
• Fostering a society that values diverse forms of contribution
• Encouraging innovation in workplace and economic structures

By recognizing the multifaceted nature of human motivation, we can design systems that bring out the best in people while also meeting economic needs.

10. Transforming workplaces can lead to better outcomes for all stakeholders

The result will be better doctors, lawyers, teachers, hairdressers, and janitors, and healthier patients, better-educated students, and more satisfied clients and customers. And each of us will have had a hand in creating a human nature that is worth living up to.

Reimagining work benefits everyone. By designing workplaces that foster meaning, engagement, and purpose, we can create:

• More satisfied and productive employees
• Higher quality products and services
• Improved customer experiences
• Stronger, more innovative organizations
• A society with greater overall well-being

Steps to achieve this transformation include:

• Questioning the purpose and impact of work ("Why?")
• Ensuring products and services provide genuine benefits ("What?")
• Giving workers freedom to use their intelligence and discretion ("How?")
• Resisting the urge to delay changes due to economic concerns ("When?")

Ultimately, by reshaping our workplaces, we're not just improving individual jobs or companies – we're actively participating in the evolution of human nature itself, creating a world where work is a source of fulfillment rather than mere survival.

Last updated: January 25, 2025