Finding the true riches in work

To be truly fulfilled, make happiness the end goal, not 'good' jobs and money

By Laurence Lien, Published The Straits Times, 12 Jan 2013

WHEN I switched careers - from the civil service to civil society in 2008 - people close to me were concerned that I was making an irrational and unwise decision.

After all, I was leaving a seemingly glamorous job in the Administrative Service of the Singapore Government, with its good pay and prestige.

Exiting obviously was not an easy decision. But I have not looked back since. In fact, I am happier today than four years ago.

The work is personally satisfying as I have free rein to express my interests and creativity. At the same time, I am serving the common good by making a difference in transforming Singapore into a giving society and building civil society.

Yet there is still a stigma attached to working in the non-profit sector. A couple of my young officers have told me how their parents (usually their mothers) keep pressurising them to leave the non-profit sector for "greener pastures" elsewhere.

This raises the question: What is work for? Is it a necessary evil - to survive or to be rich? If you have so much money you don't have to work for the rest of your life, would you work? Does it matter what career we choose, if each paid us the same?

Let me try to answer these questions with three points.

First, work is good when ordered to serve humans, and when humans are the subjects, not instruments.

Many people have conflicting views about work. We tend to denigrate some jobs, particularly the more menial and lowly paid ones.

In such roles, humans are being treated merely as factors of production. The ancient philosopher Aristotle thought no one could be both free and obliged to earn a living; while a more modern one, Bertrand Russell, argued that the road to happiness "lies in an organised diminution of work".

But even in a menial job, there is dignity in work. Indeed, every job that is not immoral has dignity. Work has intrinsic value and is not a necessary evil. Instead, it can be uplifting and fulfilling.

Through work, humankind not only transforms nature, but also achieves fulfilment and self-realisation as a human being.

No one should look down on any honest job, no matter how menial. Instead, we can adopt a more egalitarian ethos to provide all workers with a fair, living wage, so they are not under the constant stress of inadequate job security.

In Singapore's society, we do value some jobs, especially those that are intellectually stimulating, prestigious and well-paid. In some cases, we prize them too much. Work then defines us and becomes our essence. We go to the extreme of placing our working life at the centre of any desire for happiness. Some even compete with their friends to see who works longer hours.

When it comes to work, the most critical questions are not what you do, how hard you work or how much you get paid.

Rather it is: Why do you do what you do?

This brings me to the second point. In doing our work, we must move from extrinsic to intrinsic and transcendent motivations. Only then can we be truly happy.

Extrinsic motivations are about satisfying a set of tangible needs, with money considered a universal motivator, and power and recognition included as well. People with intrinsic motivations focus on using their skills and strengths, and engage in tasks for which they learn and enjoy. Their satisfaction comes from the work itself. For persons driven by transcendent motivations, they see that their actions affect others, and hence take those people's needs into account. For them, satisfaction derives from being useful to others.

In Singapore, extrinsic motivations are dominant. Work is often primarily seen for the purpose of making good money, in whichever way we are skilled, so that we may live comfortably, have status in society and provide for the family. Most pay little attention to the intrinsic worth of the work we do, and its value to society.

In our society, we need our workers to be more driven by both transcendent and intrinsic motivations.

What a person is paid is often not commensurate with the value of his or her job to society. A bus driver earns on average $4,700 a month in Australia, but only $1,500 in Singapore. Is the bus driver in Australia doing a job that is three times more worthwhile? A pre-primary teacher in Singapore earns $1,840 a month, while a foreign exchange broker earns $11,000; is the latter's vocation six times as valuable?

I would also argue that employees who are more transcendentally driven are also more values- driven. They would care about doing the right thing all the time and for the long term, and are more likely to be loyal and collaborative, to invest in positive change, and to practise social responsibility. They are also more likely to take on important "below-market-rate jobs" like non-profit worker and volunteer.

When workers see their work as more than just a job, they become much more engaged and passionate, creative and enterprising. Singapore ranks poorly in global surveys on job satisfaction, and employee engagement and loyalty. This augurs poorly for our aim to have a dynamic and productive workforce.

While extrinsic motivators are not completely unimportant, we must desist from using them as the mark of all that is worthwhile. Pay, specifically, should not be the presumptive measure of self worth and job worth.

My final point is: We ought to make the happiness of ourselves and others an end goal. Instead, we often get it the wrong way round, as we make "good" jobs and money our end goals instead.

Research tells us that happiness is found in healthy relationships, in loving and being loved; in doing things we are passionate about; in being creative (and "pro-creative"); and in having fewer wants and being contented and thankful for what we have.

Instead, many of us chase jobs for their financial rewards and status-enhancing qualities. We have no work-life balance. We want more and more, and end up less and less satisfied. We suffer burnout, disillusionment and broken relationships as a result.

What should we do then? As we begin a new year, we should start reassessing our priorities and what gives true meaning. We must starting respecting the dignity of those who work in less-skilled jobs, and give them a fair, living wage.

We need to teach our children proper values and motivations, obsess less over their grades, and support them in careers that they are passionate about and that serve the common good.

Then perhaps I would hear more of my staff having their loved ones cheer them on in their chosen profession. And perhaps we will have more willing to serve as ministers too.

The writer is a Nominated Member of Parliament, chief executive of the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre, acting chief executive of the Community Foundation of Singapore and chairman of the Lien Foundation.