Via Thrive Global
By Craig Dowden, Ph.D., Certified Positive Psychology Coach and author of “Do Good to Lead Well”

Schwartz says business leaders should look beyond financial incentives to what really drives employee engagement and job satisfaction, such as giving workers autonomy, allowing people to meet new challenges and gain mastery, providing a positive social environment, and, perhaps most importantly, ensuring employees find meaning and purpose in their work.

Employee engagement is not only critical to successful business outcomes, feeling gratified by our work is an essential part of leading a fulfilling life and is something everyone deserves. However, even with a recent focus on boosting engagement in organizations, it remains a widespread problem, with more than half of U.S. employees reportedly feeling disengaged in the workplace.

“It’s a criminal waste of, in some sense, the most valuable resource we have, which is other human beings,” says Barry Schwartz, emeritus professor of psychology at Swarthmore College, and visiting professor at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.

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