Chapter 5

Make It Meaningful

Ensuring the Daily Work Is Intrinsically Satisfying

Certainly, employees need a sense of shared meaning and understanding about the mission and purpose of the company’s work. That is what workplaces that embody authenticity are all about, as we saw in the last chapter. But the people we have spoken with also long for work that is intrinsically satisfying, meaningful in itself. After all, if as adults we spend most of our waking life at work, it had better be a place that provides meaningful activity. This has led us to a rather different take on the conventional question about work–life balance. Work is a defining human characteristic, and without it, life itself loses some of its meaning. The typical “balanced life” ...

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