What is fulfilling work?  Fulfilling work is described as any work that makes the employee feel challenged and an integral part of the team.  It must be work where the employee can take great pride.  All of us want to feel that what we do is important.  We also want to feel that our job performance is appreciated.

"Finding fulfilling work should be an early and deeply pursued part of everyone's career path.  This may sound soft and mushy, but happy people are better for business.  They are more creative and productive, they build environments where success is more likely, and you have a much better chance of keeping your best players." - Shelly Lazarus, Chairman & CEO Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide

As Shelly Lazarus comments, finding fulfilling work should be pursued by everyone.  Performing fulfilling work is an important element of what makes a happier employee.

The best way to find out what your employees consider to be fulfilling work is to ask them.  As I have suggested in the past, you should be conducting quarterly evaluations with your staff.  These quarterly evaluations will give you an opportunity to discuss the employee's job performance, but it will also allow you to ask the employee if they are being fulfilled in their current job responsibilities.  Many managers are afraid to ask good employees if they’d like to promote, because they don’t want to loose hard working people.  This fear is unfounded because if you don’t help your employees to maximize their skills in your office you still risk losing them to another company.  In this day in age of Generation Ys, company loyalty is out and job fulfillment is what’s in.  Therefore, don’t be afraid to ask your employees questions such as, "What position would you like to see yourself doing in two years?" If the employee desires a different position than the one they currently have, then you’ll know they are not completely satisfied in their position.  You can then suggest how they can improve their skills while performing in their current job responsibilities.  This will accomplish two things: 1) the employee will begin to feel more fulfilled in their current job, and therefore become a happier employee; and 2) you will have the opportunity to use the employee at their maximum, while experiencing increased productivity from your employee.  Other questions you can ask your employee are:

• "What additional skills would you like to use in your current job?"
• "Would you like to take any business seminars to gain additional skills? If so, what?"
• "Have you thought of ways that will allow you to become more a part of the team?"
• "Are we using your skills to the maximum in this position? If not, how can we make this job more fulfilling for you?"

Allow your employees to tell you what will make the job more fulfilling for them.  You will benefit by having a happier employee who will stay with your organization far longer.

Angela Huffmon is a National Professional Speaker, trainer, and an entreprenuer.  If you would like to book Angela Huffmon for your upcoming corporate meeting or conference, send an email to angelah@shuffent.com.