People don’t work for the money

Respect and meaning are important at the workplace these days. Maybe even more important than the salary, according to TiU-researchers Thijs Jansen and Gabriel van den Brink.

In NRC Handelsblad the two researchers note that a mental change has taken place at the workplace. Employees want to feel useful again, are eager to commit themselves to society. “They want to practice a craft again”, says Jansen. “For a long time we thought that happiness was hidden inside ourselves. A typical misconception of individualism. In a reaction against this we are now searching for happiness in a social context, our job. It gives us self-confidence. Old values like craftsmanship  and professional pride seem to be universal”.

The result of the European Value Study proves that values such as self-development, fun and meaning have become more important at work the last few years. Thirty years ago only 40 percent of the Dutch appreciated these values; nowadays it’s 70 percent. The paycheck has become subordinate to higher values.

“Ask a policeman about the way he experiences his job, and he won’t start talking about targets”, adds Van den Brink. “He will talk about sense of justice, autonomy, and the ‘will to learn’. Even employees of the Rabobank, a ‘hard’ company, will tell you about social aspects and ethical dilemmas, not about spreadsheets”.

Jansen and Van den Brink published Beroepszeer, waarom Nederland niet goed werkt in 2005, a book about the devaluation of professional pride.