Coming to work enhances my day

I am releasing this blog with some trepidation. I’m conscious that it reads like a rather crude piece of PR about life at Home, an over-the-top ‘we live and breathe what we do’ style account. But this is genuinely my reality. I love where I work, I love coming to work, and more often than not coming to work enhances my day. Yes, it enhances my day!

But I’m one of the lucky ones, not all organisational cultures are created equal. The Work Project research shows that 70% of people wouldn’t recommend where they work, and for those of us who do work within an organisation with a healthy culture it nearly doubles the chances that we’ll have more good days at work.

Life happens

I’ve been at Home now for over ten years, and in that time I have lived through a mental health crisis, Covid, the cancer diagnosis (treatment and thankful recovery) of one of my best friends and the death of my much-loved cat, Stanley. Life has happened, as it does to all of us. And Home has consistently been a positive force alongside that life. The purpose I find in my job, and that Home uncovers for the clients we work with, has meant that it has sustained me and given me a clear focus when even the hardest days have come around.

To be clear I haven’t always felt as connected to Home’s culture and purpose as I am today. When I joined Home I did so because I thought it was the natural progression for my career. I loved the work they did and knew they were respected within the industry. It certainly didn’t occur to me when I applied that I needed to make sure the culture was healthy and the employee experience was positive. We have worked hard as a leadership team to create the connection that I know I feel today and I am enormously proud of that.

The shift is here

Our research shows that the world of work has, and is, shifting.  We are increasingly conscious of the importance of working somewhere that aligns with our personal values, is led with humanity and where we contribute to something meaningful. It’s what we’re looking for – and what we’re prepared to leave a job for; our research shows that people are more likely to leave a job for a meaningful work experience – showing that things are moving away from increased flexibility, pay, and even poor line management.

Obviously, this is great news. Not just for the world of employee experience (which I am personally pretty invested in) but also as we build overall healthier lifestyles. We want to feel good for being in work, we increasingly understand how it contributes to making us feel better each and every day and it is driving our career choices.

Organisations have to respond, they have to create workplaces where people feel safe, connected and genuinely purposeful. I appreciate that for us that has been easier than for others. We’re small and nimble and can respond to changing trends more quickly than others. But we do also remain true to our purpose – to make every employee experience a great one. I’m driven and committed by it – and I hope your workplace is too.