Work Motivation Activity

In this activity, the worksheet will help guide your child to think more deeply about their work motivations. Take your time working through the activity and use your own experiences as reference points for your child.

Sections:

1. Why do you work? If your child is struggling to complete this you can complete this section with a number of different work motivations from adding value to the world to maximising a skill you possess.
2. What do you want from an employer? Work with your child in understanding what responsibilities an employer has towards their employees and what your child would expect. This could include flexibility for working hours to remote work or training and professional development opportunities.
3. What defines worthwhile work? Remember in our Ikigai section we spoke about how fulfilling work can be linked to providing value for others, this can be a starting point for you and your child to discuss work that is worthwhile. Think about roles that bring value to others and why this is worthwhile. Does your child see a nurse or teacher as worthwhile? How about bank managers or marketing executives?
4. Your perfect work environment? The world of work is changing and this includes the environments we work in. Talk to your child about if they would find happiness working in teams or on their own, in an office or coworking space or even the option of becoming a digital nomad and working from anywhere in the world!
5. How much money do you want? This can be a tricky question for all of us, but remember that more money doesn’t bring more happiness (remember in week one we looked at the ultimate salary for happiness and it was much lower than many expected). Get your child to think about how much a particular lifestyle might cost and the advantages and disadvantages (maybe more money leads to increased responsibility and increased stress!) associated with it.
6. What if money were no object? Have some fun with your child in this step, and get them to think about what they would do if money was no object. This can lead to interesting conversations about hobbies they have or allow them to follow different interests. This can provide a building block to look at career options and choices when your child starts to ‘Explore’ their career path.