Want Job Satisfaction? First Determine Your Workplace Values. Finding the right employment culture is moving up the priority list for many professionals. Research on millennials shows they place a premium on finding an employer whose guiding principles reflect their own. In the Deloitte Millennial Study, 56 percent of millennial professionals said they have ruled out working for a company due to its culture or rules of conduct.
Even if you are not in this group of 20- to 35-year-olds, you can and should determine what your workplace values are and how well your current position fits around these. Here’s why: your values are the most fundamental part of who you are.
Work in a company whose philosophy is at odds with your deeply-held beliefs and you’re likely to end up frustrated and struggling to reach your potential.
Consider these 10 common values and discover which ones are most important to you:
Social Good
Many are motivated by a sense of altruism. They want to make the world a better place in some way through their work. Some choose careers where their work benefits people directly, such as doctors or educators, while others are drawn to jobs in organizations that tackle large-scale problems – pharmaceutical firms, for instance, or social enterprise companies like Toms.
Social Contact
Is teamwork your thing? Or do you prefer working alone on projects? For some, the social aspects of the job are the most important. Such people thrive in a collaborative environment, like working in product development, management consulting or marketing, where they can also develop strong friendships.
Others, like some scientists or programmers, want to work primarily solo. These professionals also tend to draw a bold line between work life and private life, and leave the socializing to off-hours.
Competitiveness
Everyone is competitive, but the nature of our competitiveness varies a great deal. Many driven professionals crave work settings that prioritize interpersonal competition, where there are clear win/lose outcomes – sales departments are perfect examples.
But there are also those who prefer self-competition. They seek jobs where they can take on challenges that improve their abilities over time, not compete against others. Most of us fall somewhere in the middle of these extremes.
Influence
The desire to have authority over other people and/or projects is human nature. But the level of this desire varies from person to person. Organizational leaders, not surprisingly, are usually highly motivated by the need to be influential.
They want to be able to change people’s habits or attitudes. Others may be satisfied influencing only their own projects, or teams at a lower level.
Financial Gain
Compensation is always a hot topic in professional development, and studies show that salary is still a primary consideration for most professionals on average. Financial gain is nearly always a consideration when choosing a career path or deciding which job to take.
Adventure
Like taking risks? Would you choose a job where success is highly celebrated but failure can be devastating? If so, you need a position in an adventurous work environment, one that’s either physically challenging (airline pilot, surgeon), or intellectually challenging (investment banker).
If not, stick with a lower-risk option, like a material scientist or economist.
Independence
Control over your level of independence is a very individual value. Many like doing their work with minimal supervision, in organizations where they can largely direct their own tasks and schedules – designers and business development managers, for instance, enjoy working without much direction.
Some on the other hand prefer a work structure that dictates what they have to deliver, when and on what terms.
Security
This may be one of the most personal of the workplace values on the list. The need for job security depends a great deal on your own disposition but also on your life circumstances.
If you have a family that depends on your income to live, you’ll most likely seek out organizations that tend to remain stable employers in times of economic uncertainty – large multinational firms, for instance, or public sector organizations.
Routine
Routine can be a drain to some but a comfort to others. Consider how much change you like in work assignments, how much you may enjoy working with different teams of people in your company, and how much you value predictability in the tasks you do.
Pace and Pressure
Those who are attracted to risk and competition may also be the types who find a fast-paced, high-pressure work environment exhilarating. These are jobs – examples are sales, public relations, company leadership – where deadlines are tight, consequences for not meeting deliverables are severe, but recognition and reward are often high.
Alternatively, you may be someone who prefers a slower pace where work flow is steadier.
Recognition
While we all like to be acknowledged for the good work we do, some people crave this recognition more than others. Such rewards come in different forms, like awards, recognition by a senior figure, financial bonuses, or promotions.
Some people prefer public displays of recognition, where their prestige is acknowledged (syn), while others are satisfied with quieter kudos, like a one-on-one praise session with their boss.
If you are having trouble deciding exactly which values from this list line up with yours, consider taking ones of these online tests that’s specialized for employment: Work Values Test, InSight Values/Work Characteristics Inventory.
The evaluations cover a broader range of principles and let you rate them on a scale of importance. The results may surprise you! They will provide a perspective on how well your organization’s culture aligns with your own deeply-held values and maybe help you steer your career in a more satisfying direction going forward.
About the Author:
Kate Rodriguez is a freelance marketing copywriter based in Munich. She has over 20 years of professional experience in public and private organizations. A former international trade analyst for the U.S. government, she also worked as a university career coach, specializing in international career search. Most recently, she was employed at Experteer as a customer service agent and online marketing manager.
