What Employees Really Want

I recently had the pleasure of spending some time with a colleague who is a manager of a large, mostly remote team. We got to talking about one of my favorite topics: the future of work and the challenges of building a thriving workplace culture,

During our conversation, he asked me if I could sum up in one sentence what employees really want from a workplace culture- from the culture itself- beyond pay and job security- what do they really want? 

Not being one to ever back down from a challenge, I thought about it for a moment and came up with this one sentence: 

“People want to feel like they matter and are a part of something that matters.”

Boom- that is it. It’s as simple as that. AND also that complicated. Because this simple statement brings up complex questions around challenging issues. 

Some that I have heard in my work are: 

People are all so different, how do I know what matters to them? 

Why is it the company’s job to make people happy? 

Why is it that everything I try to do to build culture doesn’t seem to resonate? 

Isn’t burnout and stress a global problem not a company problem? 

Shouldn’t my employees be solving their personal problems on their own time? 

I acknowledge and understand where all of these concerns are coming from and I know that the road to long term success for any organization begins by knowing what your people really want. 

People want to feel like they matter and are a part of something that matters. 

They want to feel seen. They want to feel valued for their unique talents and contributions. They want make an impact, a difference. They want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. They want to thrive. 

And the good news is…the big news for your company is- drumroll please…

When people thrive, your business thrives too. 

So what does culture mean to you? And what do you think the people really want?