Finding satisfaction at work, the problem with bottom-line thinking, and more top insights

What’s happening in the world of work: The Saturday edition of the Daily Rundown highlights the business trends, perspectives, and hot topics you need to know to work smarter. Read on and join the conversation. 

Let’s ditch the quest for happiness at work: Happiness is a fickle feeling. It comes and goes. So the search for a permanent state of happiness at work is liable to lead to the opposite. What’s more sustainable? Finding professional meaning, writes executive coach and author Susan Peppercorn. Unlike happiness, meaning can weather the ups and downs at work, and it has been shown to boost job satisfaction, engagement and retention. While it’s different for everyone, gravitating toward a mission that you value, something you identify with, is a good first step toward meaning. You may even find happiness in the process. • Here’s what people are saying. 

Everyone benefits when employees roam free: Work-from-anywhere policies for employees who work independently has the power to raise productivity and revenue and decrease hiring costs, according to research from Harvard Business School. The study, which examined the effects of such policies at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, also found that letting employees work from anywhere allowed people to move to less expensive areas, increasing their earning power and strengthening local economies in the process. One caveat: It’s unclear if such benefits would apply to those with jobs that require significant collaboration. • Here’s what people are saying. 

You Asked: “I was wondering if a concentrated focus on controlling one’s own emotions in order to be successful with others could lead to a buildup of repression of one’s own emotions in a negative way. Are our not-so-pleasant emotions there sometimes in order to protect us, even if in turn they make us less successful?” — Karen Vanessa Valdez, Houston, Texas

• “Emotions protect us from reacting to upsetting events from an even more primitive and destructive ‘fight, flight or freeze’ brain. But the energy it takes to control our emotions can keep us from being able to think our way through them. This three step tactic might help when something upsetting happens:

1. Think of the first thing you want to do. Don't do it and b-r-e-a-t-h-e. This is all about protecting yourself.
2. Think of the second thing you want to do. Don't do that either, and b-r-e-a-t-h-e. This is about retaliating.
3. Think of the third thing you want to do. B-r-e-a-t-h-e and DO do that. This is about finding and acting on a solution.” 

— Mark Goulston is the founder of Scaling Compassion and co-author of “Get Out of Your Own Way”

Looking for career advice from the pros? Submit your questions in the comments with #YouAsked and we’ll take care of the rest.

The case for keeping a work journal: Struggling to get a major project off the ground? Take a cue from John Steinbeck, start a journal. “The Grapes of Wrath” author poured out all his concerns, fears and hang-ups into a journal he committed to updating every weekday. Putting our self-doubt onto the page gives us space to view it from a different perspective, writes Quartz’s Sarah Todd. And keeping to a consistent journaling schedule helps instill the kind of discipline that’s essential to completing a big project. • Here’s what people are saying. 

This week, we asked members to weigh in on a Saturday Rundown item we featured a few weeks ago on the prevalence of victim-blaming at work. Here's what we heard from you. And LinkedIn's Dan Roth appeared on CBS This Morning on Friday to discuss this issue. Thank you for sharing your stories. • Join the conversation.

Bottom-line thinking doesn’t pay: Bosses who prioritize profits above all — including employee well-being and ethical considerations — are likely to see their efforts backfire, according to research from Baylor University in Texas. This kind of bottom line mentality damages relationships at work, which in turn hurts performance, the researchers found. Even in cases where both managers and employees have a similar profit-above-all attitude, performance takes a hit. To get the best from employees, the researchers suggest, leaders ought to balance bottom line priorities with other considerations. • Here’s what people are saying. 

One last idea: For the many busy professionals among us, it may feel tempting to try to keep a fast pace indefinitely. But Wharton’s Geoffrey Garrett reminds us that, for everyone’s benefit, we all need to take some time to pause. 

“In almost all high-intensity jobs, life is actually a series of sprints. You need to recover between the sprints. Recovery, repair, looking after yourself is essential to being successful.” 

What's your take? Join the conversations on today's stories in the comments.

— Scott Olster