What is Occupational Thriving?
Work is an important facet life. Occupational research has stated that our time at work encompasses almost half of a human being’s life while awake (Wrzesnieswski, Rozin, & Bennet, 2002). Although this reality of working throughout the lifespan is true, many of us have labored in work environments that we dread. Some of these environments contribute to our internal wrestling that call into question “what am I doing with my life” or “is this what work is supposed to be like?” For some workers, these are important questions to ponder. In my opinion, they derive from a place of hopefulness. That hopefulness may be rooted in the belief and cultural value that thriving at work is an option over solely surviving.
Reaching optimal performance in the work environment is an aspect that we strive for in many occupational domains.Which leads us to the question of what is occupational thriving? The way that I define occupational thriving is the combination of constructs from work engagement, work effectiveness, and thriving (Williams, 2018).
Work Engagement
When I began my research of Occupational Thriving, the construct of work engagement was specifically salient. The Utecht Work Engagement Scale (Schaufeli, Bakker, & Salanova, 2003) was particularly interesting due to the embedded components of vigor and absorption. Vigor can be interpreted as the energy level a worker has when working. In other words, is their work energy giving or energy draining? Absorption can be interpreted as the amount of dedication that a worker has towards their work. Therefore, work engagement encompasses the energy received from work and the dedication that a person has from that work.
Work Effectiveness
The idea of work effectiveness is based off of the combination of your perceived work performance. Essentially asking the worker if they believe they are doing a good job at their work. In addition, do they believe their work is contributing to mission completion in meaningful manner.
Thriving
Finally, my understanding of thriving comes from the work of Porath, Spreitzer, Gibson, & Garnett’s (2011) conceptualization which includes learning and vitality as primary features. Learning latency is whether the worker feels they are in a position to continually develop and improve in their role. Vitality is whether the worker feels spirited and alive in their work.
So what do I do to increase my occupational thriving?
These concepts are great, but what do they mean for the everyday worker? How do people increase their occupational thriving? I offer two solutions that can help workers move towards occupational thriving.
Career + Talent Assessments
Any valuable solution begins with an initial assessment. Specifically, an assessment of your work engagement and your perceived effectiveness at work. Utilizing assessments prompts the worker to reflect on their current role. In the military we often talk about the 4 rights; Right place, right time, right uniform, and right attitude. This guideline is transferable. Asking ourselves if we are the right person at the right time for our current role can be a helpful process in navigating and thinking through our career trajectory and capacity to thrive.
Executive + Individual Coaching
Once an accurate assessment is completed, an individual has the ability to work with a Coach to help establish realistic goals and co-create change. Having a coach allots for individuals to navigate through parts of their careers that may be causing them to feel stuck. The coaching process creates space for individuals to see internal and external barriers and behaviors that may keep them in this stuck position. During the work with a Coach, the individual and coach will work to make pivots that empower the person to make decisions and build skills that move towards occupational thriving.
Next Steps
If you are interested in learning more about how our team at Legacy Consulting & Research Group utilizes Career Assessments and Coaching to help individuals move towards occupational thriving, contact us today by filling out the service request form below.
Up next Blog 4. Resilience: Before, During, and After Crisis
References:
Porath, C., Spreitzer, G., Gibson, C., & Garnett, F.G. (2011). Thriving at work: Toward its measurement, construction validation, and theoretical refinement. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 33, 250-275.
Schaufeli, W., Bakker, A., & Salanova, M. (2003). UWES utrecht work engagement scale. Utrecht, NL: Utrecht University Press.
Williams, C. (2018). Psychological Well-Being, Occupational Thriving, and Positive Interpersonal Relationships (Doctoral dissertation, Fuller Theological Seminary, School of Psychology).
Wrzesniewski, A., Rozin, P., & Bennett, G. (2002). Working, plying, and eating: Making the most of most moments. In C.L.M. Keyes & Haidt (Eds.), Flourishing: The positive person and the good life (pp.185-204). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Dr. Cedric Williams
Founder + CEO
Legacy Consulting & Research Group LLC
