Values at work

Our best work goes hand in hand with our values as individuals. The work we do has an impact on the world around us, and as a minimum, this impact should not actively undermine causes or beliefs we feel strongly about. In an ideal world, the work we do might actively further those causes.

Our personal values can take a central position in how we go about finding work. By actively seeking out companies whose mission and values align with our own, we greatly increase our chances of finding a positive values match. This alignment then has tangible benefits on the quality of the work we do and the fulfilment we derive from it.

Values and finding work

The first instance in which the question of personal values is likely to enter our work searching consideration is the moment at which a company which, for one reason or another, we feel conflicts with our personal values offers us a job. Here, UX Designer Eduard explains his reasons for filtering out a specific industry from his own job search.

For many people, Eduard’s approach is sufficient; as long as the company or industry we’re considering isn’t actively doing harm, then we are happy to consider it.

However, over the course of her career, Senior Engineering Manager Laura found her best career moves were ones that brought her towards companies that were having a positive impact of their own. Rather than simply avoiding a values clash, she began seeking a positive value alignment.

Of course, just as every individual’s own set of values is unique, the extent to which these values will guide their job search is particular to every person. However, taking Laura’s approach of actively seeking out organisations that are making a positive impact in line with our own values is a sensible first step for anyone looking to find more fulfilling work.

Head of Product Sophie took this approach. Her reasons for doing so included surrounding herself with people that she could look up to, and to increase her own personal engagement with the projects she was working on. As her experience shows, though, finding values-driven work isn’t something that happens overnight; it is, rather, something that can continually guide us as an ideal to move closer towards throughout our working lives.

The benefits of shared values

Besides those Sophie identified, there are various benefits to working in organisations that broadly share and reflect our own personal values.

There is a good reason why employers, such as CTO Paul, often prefer to hire people with strong mission alignment over those with a perfect skills match. Skills can be taught, but values can’t; ultimately, when push comes to shove, many managers would prefer to teach an engaged engineer the skills they lack rather than trying to carry a disengaged genius.

CTO and co-founder Eimear found that this shared set of values helped her enormously in her relations with her co-founder when she was running her business.

When searching for work, it can be beneficial to filter out companies or industries that actively clash with the personal values we hold. On top of this, searching for a company that actively promotes these values through its impact in the world can increase our engagement, helping us to perform the work to the best of our abilities. It is likely to help us stand out to potential employers too, as a shared set of values helps collaboration and determination when facing in-work challenges. Ultimately, a shared set of values is a vital ingredient in finding the organisation in which to do our best work.