Since the pandemic and amid ongoing economic uncertainty and political unrest, many professionals are reconsidering how work fits into their broader lives and starting to prioritize passion in their daily jobs. Beyond stability and advancement, employees are asking: What kind of work truly makes me happy?
60% of surveyed workers said they would take a pay cut for a job that offers more fulfillment, per a Deloitte report, and 82% of employees believe happiness is key to their productivity, according to Slack’s State of Work report. As workers continue to seek more fulfillment in their jobs, leaders need to adjust how they support and motivate their teams.
So, how can you help your employees discover and pursue their passions at work?
Find out what excites them
Even if you know your employees well, try to dig a little deeper to find out what projects they really love doing and why. Start by asking them questions like, "What aspects of work do you love the most?", "What skills or areas would you like to explore further?", or “Which tasks in our last project did you find most exciting?” If their responses seem vague or uncertain, follow up with more specific examples and questions to help guide them.
Read between the lines
It’s important to recognize that your team members may not always feel comfortable voicing their true interests due to a lack of confidence in their skills. So, try to pay close attention to what seems to really excite them in order to uncover what they might be more hesitant to express. Emphasize that you care about helping them grow in the areas they enjoy by offering relevant feedback, encouragement, and skills-building opportunities. Keep track of key interests for each employee and revisit them in your conversations to help them bridge the gap between passion and expertise.
Encourage exploration
Not all employees know what they are passionate about yet, and that’s okay! Create an environment for them to explore different skills and discover underlying talents and interests. Encourage employees to pursue learning, whether through internal training, mentorship, or external courses. For example, depending on their interests, you could recommend certification programs in the skills they’re interested in or try matching them with mentors and seasoned SMEs in that specific space. Do your best to align learning opportunities with tasks they can contribute to immediately, making the new skills relevant and impactful.
Match projects with interests
Think about ways to tap into the work that truly excites your employees. You might find that shifting tasks around a bit within the team to help match respective passions can help everyone feel more engaged. As your employees dive into their projects, check in with them regularly to offer support, gather feedback, and stay on the lookout for new ways they can bring their passions to different tasks. This approach not only keeps morale high but also encourages continuous growth, innovation, and a stronger sense of purpose in their roles.
Provide ongoing feedback
Some employees will automatically thrive in their passion areas, making your job easy, but others might need to further develop their skills. That’s why providing meaningful, constructive feedback is so essential for growth, especially in their area of passion. Encourage your employees to present their projects to you regularly, paying extra close attention to the parts of the work that interest them most so that you can really support their growth and development in that area.
Foster a culture of recognition
Do your best to balance feedback with recognition of strengths and achievements to empower your team members to keep going. Employees who receive recognition on the regular are five times more likely to feel valued and six times more likely to invest in their work, according to a joint study by Globoforce and WorkHuman. Regularly acknowledging employees' contributions provides them with the confidence needed to pursue what they love and helps them see their roles as more than a paycheck but as a path to fulfillment.
