Workers who are fulfilled in their jobs are more likely to be engaged, committed and healthy.
For many people, work is a fulfilling part of their life. For others, work tasks, working conditions and the work environment make work unfulfilling. Access to work that is as fulfilling as it is capable of being is an important aspiration of the Fair Work agenda. People have different views of what type of work is fulfilling for them. All types of work at every level can be fulfilling where the tasks, work environment and employment conditions taken together are well aligned to the skills, talents and aspirations of the people who carry it out.
Work is an important element of personal identity. It can provide the opportunity - individually and collectively - to learn, to use talents and skills, to engage in challenging activities, to solve problems, to take responsibility and to make decisions. Fulfilling work can be an important source of job satisfaction and the basis for employee commitment. Fulfilling work is also associated with better health and well-being.
Fulfilling work also provides the basis for people to go beyond what is required of them. It encourages creativity and innovation and can unleash the talents and capabilities that generate benefits for their employers through better performance, quality and responsiveness.
Improved business performance impacts on national economic performance. In addition, fulfilling work that builds on the knowledge, qualifications and skills of the labour force increases the return on public investment in education and training. Indicators of fulfilling work are associated with higher productivity and innovativeness in more successful comparator EU counties. Fulfilment as a dimension of fair work can be supported in a variety of ways: through forms of job design and work organisation that focus on effective skills use, autonomy, opportunities to problem solve and to make a difference, investment in training and development and cross learning. Health, safety and well-being policies and practices also have an important role to play in generating fulfilling work and in influencing work pace and intensity.