When people refer to the ‘Great Worker Shortage’ of post-pandemic America, they’re talking about the mass of people who realized that working for minimum wage in jobs with no future, where you’re barely making enough money to live, was not for them.
It’s not that people would rather not work – although surely that’s a popular idea. Rather, they’d be willing to work for a company that valued them, and that gave them opportunities to grow – and they’d be unwilling to work for less.
This is where opportunities exist for organizations like Zeal TN Inc, an unconventional promotions agency with a strong, clear mission of amplifying the work of well-meaning Nonprofits and youth-focused organizations. They’ve made it an organizational goal to target ‘purpose-driven’ workers – those people who may have dropped out of the workplace from a sense of spiritual malaise, or few hopes for advancement – few hopes for a secure financial future. But they’d be willing and able to work hard for something they believed in, while also working to create belief in themselves.
Zeal TN Inc partners with charitable organizations to promote the missions they’re working for, as well as to educate and empower people to get involved in the causes they care about. They mainly focus on charities who work on projects that are youth-focused, helping to address systemic issues as well as advocate for greater support systems. Their employees can go to work knowing that their efforts are worthwhile, and that their success is completely dependent on their own willingness to work hard.
There are many other organizations or companies out there that can follow Zeal TN Inc’s lead in attracting these kinds of people. If you’re hiring people for your business, try and identify the ones with an orientation towards finding purpose in their work. Look for examples of how they’ve shown this in previous positions, either through their work samples or through asking their references. These are the employees that will drive your company’s success and give your team a strong foundation.
When you find ‘purpose-oriented workers’, you’ll quickly notice that they are better performers in almost every metric. It pays to learn how to identify them in the recruiting process, to build their confidence as employees and ensure that they are finding, and will continue to find, fulfillment in their work.
By targeting employees with the right “work orientation”, you’ll be able to build a strong culture where your people can find meaning in their work and the relationships they’re able to build through it. It’s very important for any organization to prioritize the creation of a strong sense of teamwork and togetherness – of social interaction, not isolation.
This is especially true for those organizations who are working for a higher purpose, like Zeal TN Inc. In order to accomplish their lofty goals, their team must feel a shared sense of purpose and fulfillment. They must encourage each other daily, provide positive feedback and reinforcement on the work they’re doing, and above all, they must assure everyone on the team that they are valued for their contributions.
This is the true heart of the “purpose-deficit” in today’s workplace. When you take the time to make everyone who works with you, or for you, feel a sense of value, there’s no limit to the things you’ll be able to accomplish.