Joy at Work: Identifying your work values

Hi Everyone,

This is our first edition of Joy at Work: A well-working-and-living newsletter for navigating work and connecting with true purpose in the workplace. With the first few editions of Joy at Work, I want to take us back to basics and the core fundamentals of experiencing a fulfilling work life. One of the key fundamentals is identifying your work values.

In my career, I have always done an audit of my needs and matched them to my career decisions, making sure I am aligned with what I need at every career transition point. I'm also personally driven by intrinsic values such as autonomy, passion and visibility, followed by extrinsic values such as rewards and status, and lifestyle values such as work travel. These values have switched places over time, but in today's writing, I share how you can identify your work values to experience true joy at work.

Understanding what drives and fulfills you in your professional life begins with figuring out what you value most about your work. Your work values will always inform your professional choices and actions. Here are some suggestions for drilling down into your personal work values:

• Do some soul-searching and reflect on your life. Think back on your job history and recall the activities and projects that brought you the most satisfaction. Think about what made those times meaningful to you.
• Second, you should make a list of the things you value most in a job setting. Take into account things like work-life balance, independence, appreciation, status, employment stability, room for advancement, creativity, and teamwork, to name a few.
• Third, rank the values in order of relevance to you in the workplace. Sort out which of your values are absolute and which may be negotiated.
• Think about the things that you enjoy doing when you're not at work; these are your personal interests. Evaluate the extent to which these tasks support organizational goals. For instance, if you enjoy helping people through volunteer work, you can find fulfillment in knowing that your work has a positive impact on the world.
• Reflect on past career decisions, such as accepting or quitting a position, and evaluate the factors that led you to those conclusions. Your true job priorities may emerge from these choices.
• Talk to those close to you and find out what they think your strengths and interests are. It's possible that other people will have insights you haven't thought of.
• Take Career Tests. Numerous career and personality tests may be found online and can be used to better understand what you value most in your profession. The Holland Code Career Test and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator are two such examples.
• Take advantage of internships, part-time jobs, and volunteer opportunities to gain experience in a variety of settings and roles in the workplace. Focus on how playing these roles makes you feel and how your values change as a result.
• If you're having trouble determining your work values or just want some additional direction, a career counsellor or coach can help you delve deeper into your passions, skills, and principles.

It's important to remember that your personal values and priorities outside of work may change over time. This is especially true when making major life or professional adjustments. If you know what you want out of your career and what drives you, you can make better decisions and pursue opportunities that are a good fit.

I'm interested in hearing if you are aware of your work values and whether they've helped you find joy at work.

Until we meet again! Feel free to join our career coaching WhatsApp group for access to useful resources and advice.

xoxo.