Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Imagine if you will a young, enthusiastic job developer
in the early 1980’s holding a job search meeting with a
group of six refugees of varying ages, nationalities,
professional backgrounds and English speaking abilities. She
is on fire with the idea of moving people off the welfare
rolls so that other individuals being held in refugee camps
can have an opportunity to join their families in the U.S.
Wanting to communicate this to everyone in the room, she
stands at the chalkboard and begins to draw. First, two
stick figures – one meant to represent the job seeker and
the other an employer. She circles the two stick figures and
draws a $ sign above them - signifying that a job has been
negotiated. With an arrow, she connects it to the word
WELFARE which, with dramatic flare, she crosses out –
signifying a drop from the welfare rolls. With another arrow
she connects this to a circle containing “USA” in large
letters – signifying the opportunity for someone else to
come to the US. A final connecting arrow is drawn to a stick
person with a smiley face and a hand is drawn- waving
good-bye to the word “CAMP”. The job developer swings around
from her drawing board, her eyes alight with fiery passion,
only to behold six faces reflecting varying stages of
confusion and bewilderment. What had she missed? Couldn’t
they see why it was so important for them to become
employed?!
Here I sit twenty years later in total dismay that I
could have believed that such a display would inspire a
person to go to work. In my own self-righteousness, I
figured that my reason for wanting to help people become
employed should be a good enough reason for them to want to
go to work. It is humbling and embarrassing, and yet so
astounding, to recall the transformation that I underwent
with the realization that everyone has their own very good
reasons for wanting to work or not work, and that my reasons
for wanting someone to make a particular choice could be
pretty much irrelevant to their situation!
Some people work because they think they should – it is
simply an obligation that comes with being an adult. Others
work because they need to – it is all about making a living
and paying the bills. Still, there are others who work for
the sheer pleasure of exercising their talents, growing in
their achievements, or being a part of a particular
profession. There are people for whom work is a daily
eight-hour mind-numbing experience, while others are on a
mission to change the world. Some people will go to work so
that they don’t have to see folks like us (employment and
career professionals) again! Clearly, every one of us has a
very personal reason for working. Throughout our
livelihoods, as our view of and experience of work changes,
our reasons for working may change as well.
While work is central to our lives throughout our working
years, seldom do we stop to consider the questions animating
our vocational journey at any particular point in time. I
came to learn as a job developer that there are as many
reasons to work (or not work) as there are individuals
pondering their vocational choices. More importantly, I
realized that the motives drawing a person to employment
were not incidental to the choices they were making, but
instrumental in their decision-making process. With that
being true, it also hit me that my capacity to assist
another person in making vocational choices was in direct
proportion to my ability to see, perceive, and speak to the
motives present on their radar screen at any point in time.
Over time I learned to listen to what people were saying
about “why” they wanted to work, and while every person’s
motives were uniquely their own, I saw patterns of basic
needs and desires which I eventually put into nine
categories. What I offer below is a summary of those nine
basic work motives and the key questions they may invoke
with regard to going to work. In pondering this material for
the writing of this newsletter I also identified related
concerns and issues that may arise in relation to each of
the motives, depending on a person’s situation and
circumstances. This is certainly not meant to be an
exhaustive listing of related issues, but it gives us a
place to start.
(Note: In presenting these motives in training throughout
the years, I have had people ask me what statistical data I
have used to develop this list, and what, if any, linking I
would make to Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. I do not
offer this material as a social scientist nor as an
academician – I have no empirical data to back up their
legitimacy - nor am I attempting to align them to Maslow’s
work. Please accept this list simply as a reflection of one
person’s perspective on the spectrum of reasons we may take
into consideration on the vocational journey.)
Nine Essential Work Motives
1. Safety/Security
- How do I meet my basic needs?
- How much money do I need to make in order to squeak by
and how much do I need to get by comfortably?
- What other benefits do I need?
- How do I go about securing a place for myself in the
work world?
- What risks am I willing and not willing to take at this
time in my life?
Related Concerns/Issues: Understanding the difference
between what one needs, what one wants, and what one is
willing to accept; Letting go or holding on to the security
of social assistance; Defining “security”; Understanding the
nature of risk-taking; The culture of poverty and the
meaning of money, risk and security from that point of view.
2. Self-Determination/Responsibility
- How do I make my own way in the world?
- What am I responsible for and who am I responsible to?
- What are my choices?
- How do I gain more control over my destiny and utilize
my freedom?
- What obligations do I have to myself and others?
Related Concerns/Issues: Having choices and the dignity
of self-determination; Maintaining or freeing oneself of
being accountable to a social service system; Values
regarding being self-supporting; The culture of welfare and
learned helplessness; Decision-making strategies;
Responsibility that comes with making choices; Knowing what
is in one’s sphere of influence and what is not.
3. Belonging/Participation
- How can I connect to other human beings? Where do I
feel belonging?
- What role do I want to play in my community?
- What kind of workplace do I want to be part of and
participate in?
- Where do I feel a sense of affiliation?
- Given my personality and work preferences, in what kind
of environment would I work best?
Related Concerns/Issues: The extent to which one’s
identity is tied to external relationships; Peer pressure
and family influences; Knowing one’s socio-personal likes
and dislikes; Identifying one’s preferences with regard to
co-worker relationships, management style, and the larger
work culture and environment; The loss of belonging with a
lay-off or job change; Regaining or maintaining a sense of
belonging after retirement.
4. Competency/Achievement
- What skills and abilities do I have that I most enjoy
using?
- What are my innate talents and core gifts?
- What kind of activities feel in accordance with my true
nature?
- What kinds of work would give me a sense of achievement
and accomplishment?
- To what extent do I need and want to be challenged on
the job?
Related Values/Issues: Finding a good match between the
requirements of a job and one’s natural skill set;
Discerning between what one is “good at” and what one
actually enjoys doing; Identifying ways in which one can
continue to grow and expand on present skills and knowledge;
Feeling valued and appreciated for one’s contribution;
Having a career plan.
5. Recognition/Identity
- What do I want to be recognized for in my work?
- How do I wish to earn and maintain the respect of
others?
- How do I define “success” and what does “social status”
mean to me?
- From which aspects of my work or profession do I draw a
sense of my own identity?
Related Values/Issues: Relationship between work,
self-esteem and self-image; Perceptions of work roles and
social status; The need to feel as if one is moving “up” the
career ladder; The relative importance of titles,
certificates, degrees, etc.
6. Purpose/Service
- How can I find meaning and purpose through my work?
- What do I care about? - Who do I wish to serve? How do
I wish to serve?
- What do I want to contribute to my community or
workplace?
- What could I really put my heart into at this point in
my livelihood?
Related Values/Issues: Having a “calling”; Finding
meaning even in the mundane parts of a job; Bringing one’s
gifts to the world; Writing a personal mission statement;
Identifying issues, challenges or causes prompting one to
take action or make a difference in the world.
7. Passion/Joy
- What do I love? What am I passionate about?
- What makes me happy and glad to be alive?
- What brings me the joy of absorption?
- What do I find beautiful? Engaging? Wonderful?
Related values/concerns: Identifying favorite pastimes,
personal pursuits, hobbies and interests and uncovering the
core attraction that lies at the heart of each; Knowing what
stirs one’s true passion; Concept of “flow” – losing a sense
of time when totally absorbed in something one loves.
8. Honor/Integrity
- How can I align the work I do with my deepest values
and ideals?
- What are my deeply-held convictions and the core
principles I wish to live by?
- How do I bring more of a sense of who I am to what I
do?
- What kind of work would I feel honored to do?
Related values/concerns: Needing to believe in the
integrity of the organization or the employer; Not
compromising one’s principles for pay; Being truthful with
oneself about what really matters; Knowing one’s primary
values and true priorities.
9. Personal Growth/Individual Legacy
- How do I continue to change and grow throughout the
course of my life?
- Who and what do I wish to become in this next phase of
my life?
- What path is calling me at this juncture of my journey?
- What is worth striving for? What do I find inspiring?
- What is the legacy I want to leave this world?
Related values/concerns: Spiritual values and/or
religious beliefs; Following one’s instincts and intuition;
Being authentic and true to oneself, in and outside of work;
Bringing a sense of soul to everyday life and work –
marrying the mundane with what one considers to be sacred.
In Summary
Sigmund Freud once suggested that we will satisfy more of
our basic human needs through the arena of work than through
any other part of our lives. I think this overview of work
motives summarizes some of the needs he was speaking to. In
the next issue of this newsletter I will reflect on why it
is important to consider these varying work motives when
assisting others to become employed, but in the meantime,
consider which of these motives have an ongoing pull in your
own life. In this issue’s “Thoughts to Consider” I chose a
quote for each of the nine motives listed above. See if you
can match up the quote with the motive I had in mind. I
include my response at the end of the Putting It Into
Practice. Have fun!
Happy March!
~ Denise
© Denise Bissonnette, March 2006 (If not used for
commercial purposes, this article may be reproduced, all or
in part, providing it is credited to "Denise Bissonnette,
Diversity World - www.diversityworld.com." If included in a
newsletter or other publication, we would appreciate
receiving a copy.)
Read Denise's previous newsletter...
