First of all, here’s what we don’t mean: we are not talking about empty positivity and meaningless fluff. Nor are we talking about ping pong tables or superficial interventions to make work seem “fun.” We’re talking about finding meaning and purpose in everyday work, knowing that your time and energy are helping to build something greater than yourself and feeling like you are contributing to a team that supports you. True happiness at work comes when we know our energies are being put to good use.
“A truly forward-thinking business sets out to be the best place for its employees to make a contribution to a greater good,” writes Carol Sanford in The Regenerative Business: “The work design, itself, rather than amenities or human resource programs, motivates people to become part of the organization and to take on more and more challenging work because they feel themselves to be part of a future that they want to help create.”