Gerald Walsh - An Atlantic Canada Leader in Executive Search, Career Transition, Executive Coaching and Human Resources

Can Work Be A Calling?

Beer bashes on Friday afternoon? Pool table in the lunchroom? Throwing frisbees around the office? Broom hockey in the employee parking lot? If you read the annual top-companies-to-work-for-lists and didn't know any better, you'd be inclined to think that all a company has to do to keep employees happy is surround them with a bunch of fun and games.

Do these things really make people happy around the office? I question if they do.

Don't get me wrong: creating a healthy, positive work environment that takes into account the evolving needs of employees is mission-critical for organizations. But according to people I've interviewed and coached, it seems that the most important goal that individuals have is to engage in fulfilling work. While pay, location and benefits (and some fun and games) are all important, what people really seek is work that is meaningful and purposeful. Unfortunately, that variable does not seem to get measured in the top-companies-to-work-for derby.

Which leads to other interesting questions: Is it possible to be truly happy at work? Why are some people absolutely passionate about their work while others do the same job for just the pay cheque? What factors influence attitude toward work? Is it possible to change these attitudes?

There's an interesting study on attitude and orientation toward work, conducted by Dr. Amy Wrzesniewski, an associate professor of organizational behaviour at Yale University, that suggests that you view your work as either: a job, a career, or a calling.

If you consider your work a job, you are working primarily for the pay cheque. Whether it is earning money to pay the rent, support your children's education, or fund your personal interests outside of work, your main orientation is a financial one, a means to an end. Rarely would you seek rewards that are not financial. This also means that you will changes jobs and even careers frequently as you seek higher pay. Loyalty to your employer is low, except perhaps in one situation: where the financial reward in your current job is so high that other employers cannot, or will not, match it.

If you consider your work a career, you are likely focused on moving 'up the corporate ladder', according to Dr. Wrzesniewski. Receiving promotions, assuming new responsibilities and authority, and gaining greater power and prestige, are your driving forces. If this is your motivation, job titles, academic achievement, professional designations, recognition from others, and an impressive resume mean a lot to you. But if job growth slows down, you will eventually become dissatisfied and likely seek work elsewhere.

If you consider your work a calling, you tend to love what you do and if you could afford it, you would work for little or no pay. For example, if you won the lottery and had complete financial independence, you would still continue to do this job. You are passionate about what you do, see higher meaning in your work, and feel you are contributing to the greater good of society. Generally, there is less of a distinction between your 'day job' and your personal life. The bottom line is that you're happier and more satisfied than most people, and will likely stay in that line of work for a long time.

Naturally, you might tend to think that menial, repetitive work with low pay, no autonomy, and little power, would be considered a "job" while work that involves helping others, such as social work, health care and teaching, would be a "calling." But this is not the case.

The study found that those surveyed landed equally among the three orientations, regardless of occupation. So even among doctors, nurses, social workers and teachers, there are those doing their work just for the money. Likewise, there were postal carriers, hotel front desk clerks, labourers, and accounting clerks - all occupations that serve a very necessary function within organizations - who saw their work as a calling.

What accounts for this apparent paradox? Generally, people who see their work as a calling have a remarkable perspective on their work that goes beyond merely the tools they use or the skills they apply. Instead, they focus on the benefit they provide to people - the higher purpose of their work.

For example, I know a hair stylist who sees his work as making people feel better about themselves, not just cutting or colouring hair. There are construction workers who see their work as creating affordable homes for young families to live in, not just laying bricks or hanging drywall. There are auto mechanics who see their work as ensuring cars operate reliably and safely, not just changing oil and checking the brakes. There are travel agents who see their work as bringing enjoyment to couples who want to explore new places, not just making a series of hotel and airline bookings. And, there are payroll clerks who see their work as rewarding fellow employees for a job well done, not just processing time cards and pay cheques.

Because employees whose work is a calling experience greater job satisfaction and happiness, they work longer hours (work is like 'play' to them), change jobs less frequently, and perform at much higher levels. You don't need beer fridges and pool tables to keep these people at work. This would suggest that employers should seek to hire individuals who are capable of viewing their work as a calling. Careful interview questions and reference checking will help identify this variable in prospective employees.

But determining an applicant's work orientation is only part of the equation. As an employer, you must understand that people work for different reasons. Not everyone's work is a calling - nor should it be. You must respect that and help your employees develop in ways that are consistent with how they view their work. For example, if an employee has a career orientation, but is at the top of the ladder in your organization and has no where to grow, there is a good chance this person will leave your company. You should acknowledge this possibility and ensure a viable successor is in place or explore structural changes that could reward that person's ambitions.

Likewise, if your company's values and culture do not support the individual who sees their work as their calling, you can smother their passion and lose the employee. Companies that see their sole purpose as making money, that are constantly cutting costs to improve the bottom line, are unlikely to have many employees working for them whose career is a calling.

Gerald Walsh, CMA, is the President and Founder of Gerald Walsh Associates Inc., an executive search, career transition and executive coaching firm.

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