How to find this thing called work purpose? Has anyone got its mail ID?

“The fear of missing out (FOMO) is also often responsible for employees making an uninformed career choice,” says Kapoor.

So, is it wise to switch jobs just because it's not meeting one’s purpose?

What exactly defines purpose at work?

It's simply about feeling alive and energised at work – directionally knowing that what one is doing at work is contributing to the larger organisational goal, explains Meenu Bhatia, Co-Founder of tech-enabled human-intervened mentorship organisation VMentor.

Companies’ mission and vision statements play a major role in this because, for many employees, their identity is inevitably associated with the organisation they represent and their work. “Hence it’s more important that they are inspired and take pride in the organisation they work for,” feels Kishore Sambasivam, VP, HRA, at mobile entertainment firm OnMobile Global.

He shared an example of Infosys, wherein OnMobile was incubated. The IT major had a corporate tagline. ‘Powered by Intellect, Driven by Values.’ Employees can easily associate with the brand and what it aspires to do – and it could be seen as an extension of their personality or personal ideals, Sambasivam adds.

But purpose may change, right?

If an employee’s purpose was to make Earth greener, for instance, the pandemic may have compelled her to re-evaluate her prior perspectives on life.

Daya Prakash, founder of staffing firm TalentOnLease, has an example. He has seen several employees who relocated to their hometowns during the pandemic and realised that they couldn't take good care of their ageing parents because they needed to focus on career growth.

“But remote working allowed them to work from their hometowns and be with their parents,” he says, implying that priority and purpose in the 20s are likely to differ from those in their 30s, 40s, and 50s.

The same goes with the ‘purpose of adventurous life’. A travel blogger may have a priority to explore new places early in their career and may spend a decade travelling the globe. “However, in your 30s, you may decide to settle down with a desk job that allows you to start a family,” Prakash says.

If purpose changes, should the job too? 

The first myth that career coach Sawan Kapoor feels needs to be corrected is that purpose is something which can be discovered one fine day. “It is not hiding from you,” he says, suggesting that the best way to increase the chances of learning what one really enjoys doing is to try a lot of things early on.

For instance, one of Kapoor’s internships was driving a bread truck delivering baked goods to supermarkets, schools and hospitals. “It started at odd and early hours, was physically demanding, and did not require much use of my best asset – strategic thinking ability.”

However, had Kapoor not undertaken this internship opportunity, he wouldn’t have known that this is precisely the kind of work he did not want to do. “Many students in the FMCG industry took field jobs, working for manufacturers, but thankfully, post this experience, I knew it was not my cup of tea.”

Finding purpose-driven work at present job

In a nutshell, it’s not always wise to change jobs to meet purpose-driven work. On the other hand, Sunil Ranjhan, SVP and Director, HR & Management Services of LG Electronics India, suggests one could always explore options within the same organisation.

With the concept of ‘Jeong Do management’, a unique management philosophy built upon the principles of ‘customer value creation’ and ‘people-oriented management’, LG Electronics India is making a mark.

The company encourages people to opt for job rotation. This helps in expanding their skill set along with providing job satisfaction. “We have witnessed people from marketing performing very well in sales functions and someone from the finance department creating new benchmarks in supply chain management,” Ranjhan says.

At conglomerate UNO MINDA, there is an induction programme called ‘Minda Way’. It covers all details about the organisation, including its history, values, culture, policies, people, procedures and work.

“It helps the new joinees to imbibe our culture and understand our commitment towards the customers and society,” says CHRO Rajiv Kapoor.

Putting things in perspective  

Sometimes, even if the company is providing opportunities to work for the greater good of society, employees tend to ignore the nitty-gritty. But putting things into perspective may change the game.

Technology major Honeywell has a large pool of engineers engaged in cutting-edge technology development and are called “#futureshapers”. The company talks about its ongoing commitment to sustainability and digitalisation and the fact that 60 percent of its new product development spending is focused on helping customers solve their sustainability challenges.

“The work that they do will ultimately help industries and countries reduce their carbon footprint,” says Sumedha Pal, Country HR Leader, Honeywell India, adding that this is the strongest purpose that aligns employees across Honeywell.

At Continental Automotive India, an example would be its Autonomous Mobility team where a developer can see the full impact of the program they write in the enhanced features of a vehicle and test it out as well.

The feeling of working for something bigger and contributing to a meaningful cause is what drives people, says Ajay Kumar, Country HR Head, Continental Automotive India, adding, “Together, we are shaping the future of mobility.”