How do career opportunities impact purpose and belonging?

“We have an inherent desire to be part of something that’s bigger than ourselves. When you can see the impact that you have on another person, another community, on the world, that carries a lot of weight.” – Elizabeth Lotardo, a vice president at leadership development consulting firm McLeod & More

The last few years have seen a seismic shift in how many of us work, raising new questions around what our working life could – and arguably should – look like. Recent research by Seenit suggests that the most significant challenges to organisations in 2022, linked to the ongoing 'Talent revolution', are employee retention (39%), employee engagement (34%), employee sickness (34%) and hiring top talent (33%). This revolution is being driven by a myriad of factors which are directly impacting organisations’ abilities to attract and retain talented employees.

Seenit suggest that retention of talent could be improved by explicitly outlining employee progression pathways – do employees have a clear career path outlined in the organisation? What development opportunities are available? It is thought that if employees can see their career development aligned with the organisational vision, they are more likely to report enhanced workplace satisfaction and stay at the organisation for longer.

Social belonging and a sense of purpose are fundamental human needs. However, 40% of employees express that they feel isolated at work, resulting in lower levels of organisational commitment, engagement and retention. The flip side of this means that if workers feel like they belong, organisations reap unequivocal benefits: in one study, high belonging was linked to an enormous 56% increase in job performance, 50% drop in turnover risk, and 75% reduction in sick days.

Our own data has shown a statistically significant relationship between employees’ levels of career opportunities, their sense of belonging to their organisation, and their sense of purpose in their role (data from professional services firms; n=307).

We see a statistically significant bidirectional relationship, whereby if an employee feels they have better career opportunities, they will also report a greater sense of purpose (r=.51, p<.001) and a greater sense of belonging at their organisation (r=.55, p<.001). The impact of these career opportunities (between low and high categories) is significant, with shifts of 23% and 30% for purpose and belonging, respectively.

What's more, we see that among those employees who believe they have high career opportunities, sense of belonging and purpose, they also report significantly improved psychological health (+10%) and productivity (+6%).

• Foster a culture of belonging. In our recent New Ways of Working survey, we saw that despite differing preferences in working set-up (office vs hybrid vs remote), all responders felt social connection was fostered more effectively in the office setting. Take advantage of this: give your employees social benefits, which in turn help them feel like they belong. They will feel better connected to their teams as well as the organisation, and the organisation will reap substantial bottom-line benefits too!
• Encourage progression pathways. What pathways and development opportunities are already set-up within your organisation? Are there areas for improvement, or places where new initiatives could be introduced?
• Consider how your organisation appears to others. The newest members of the workforce are doing their research before taking positions. 7-in-10 employees say they’ve checked company reviews before applying to jobs, with 58% saying a negative review has deterred them from applying to a role. Make sure you're aware of how your organisation is appearing to others. Are the right messages coming through? If not, consider what might be needed to drive a shift in the right direction.