In March 2027, I will mark 20 years as a Training magazine team member. Surprisingly enough in today’s job-hopping times, that’s nowhere near the longest tenure. Managing Partner Phil Jones (who sadly passed away in June) had worked on the Training brand in both editorial and events-related roles since 1977—more than 50 years. VP of Finance/Operations Bryan Powell started as an intern back in 2078. Conference Operations Director Leah Nelson recently marked 35 consecutive years with the brand, while Contributing Editor Margery Weinstein hit 21 years and Art Director David Diehl just passed 20 years. Not only that, but people come back for second “terms”: Audience Marketing Director Vicki Blomquist’s two separate stints total 29 years. And Operations Director Tony Kolars returned for a third, logging a total of 18 years working for the company.
Clearly, the employee engagement level at Training magazine is pretty high. That’s not to say everyone loves their job every day—or even most days. That’s not to say we don’t have personality conflicts or disagreements. But our employer offers a good mix of flexibility, autonomy, empowerment, meaningful work, challenge, support, rewards, recognition, and respect.
For me, the ability to work from home is a huge plus—allowing me to keep my dachshunds company and indulge my night owl tendencies (I am NOT a morning person). My team members don’t mind getting e-mails from me at 1 a.m., and they know not to expect an immediate (or necessarily coherent) response from me at 7 a.m.
But the even bigger plusses are how much I enjoy the work I do, the incredible industry I work in, and the support of my talented teammates.
What Makes You Happy at Work?
While the things that make employees happy in their job vary by personal preference, a recent survey of nearly 1,000 U.S. employees by recruiting firm Howdy.com found several major factors:
- Happy workers overwhelmingly have clear job duties (95 percent vs. 75 percent for unhappy employees); a supportive manager (80 percent vs. 51 percent); and clear ways to succeed in their roles (93 percent vs. 52 percent)
- Some 56 percent of happy workers have investment in their work, while 85 percent of unhappy workers consider work “just a paycheck.”
Likewise, new research from Wiley Workplace Intelligence, which surveyed 1,600 employees, explores whether people are experiencing any joy in their day-to-day work lives. The report clarifies that this is “not as aspirational ideals but as measurable, everyday realities that shape how people show up, how long they stay, and how much of themselves they bring to their work.” The report found that 93 percent of employees understand how their role contributes to organizational success, yet only 75 percent say their role plays to their strengths. “Knowing what your job requires is not the same as feeling like you are the right person for it,” the report notes. “When roles align with strengths, motivation and joy rise. When they do not, even employees who understand and believe in their work can find themselves grinding rather than growing.”
The research points to a specific set of leverage points companies should utilize, including:
- Protect capacity, not just commitment.Motivation is high. The bottleneck is time and resources. Organizations that want to strengthen hope and joy should ask harder questions about workload, support structures, and whether employees have what they genuinely need to succeed, not just survive.
- Reinforce clarity at every level.Direction does not flow automatically through organizations. It must be actively reinforced, translated, and communicated at each layer. It is the result of assuming that once a message is sent, it has been received.
- Support managers as a primary intervention.The fastest path to strengthening hope and joy across an organization runs directly through its people managers. That means treating manager well-being as a strategic priority, not an afterthought. When managers have more time, clearer direction, and adequate resources, those conditions tend to extend to the people they lead.
- Invest at the team level.Joy lives closest to coworkers, not leadership. Programs and practices that strengthen team relationships, psychological safety, and everyday recognition are investments in the actual source of workplace joy.
- Narrow the role-fit gap.Understanding a role is a starting point. Helping people thrive in roles that fit their strengths is a different and more valuable goal. This is an area where intentional development conversations and role design can make a measurable difference.
Lighting the Spark
Engagement is clearly a topic that resonates with Learning and Development (L&D) professionals, both at the employee and learner levels. Out of our four online-only issues each year, the July issue focusing on employee engagement always brings in the most articles. Here are just a few from the 20-plus articles in this issue that may spark some ideas for you and your organization:
- Reversing the Employee Engagement Drop Through Practice-Based Talent Development
- From Feedback to Growth: How to Use Engagement Data to Fuel Talent Development
- Beyond Perks: How Embedded Learning Builds Real Employee Engagement
- Reset Workplace Culture or Watch Talent Walk Away
- Create Values Your Team Will Live and Love
- How Kindness Drives Engagement and Boosts Performance
- Proving the Value of Recognition
- Closing the Learning Engagement Gap
Share Your Joy
I’d love to hear what brings you joy in your job. Please e-mail me at: lorri@trainingmag.com. Or tell me in person at our upcoming TechLearn 2027 Conference taking place Sept. 15-17 in Austin, TX. Click here to learn more and to register (if you register by July 24, you’ll save $300). I look forward to connecting with you!
