What I Learned about Purpose from My Office Experiment

By Timothy Johnson, Contract Administration & Operations, Bayer U.S.

Purpose is one of those words that may make some people cringe a bit. We all struggle on a daily basis to find our “purpose in life.” Purpose can seem like an intimidating idea, and that might be because we don’t feel we know “our purpose” or even where to start on the path to find it. But I would argue we should look at purpose differently.

We all live with purpose in the decisions we make every day. Each choice we make — to get out of bed, to eat, to feed our families — is a decision made with a purpose. One week, when I was on “kitchen duty” at our office, I sought to learn more about the purpose, thoughts and feelings behind the choices of those I work with every day.

It started out like this. I wondered how my colleagues would answer simple questions like: Why did you come to work today? Why do you show up? I thought these simple questions might lead to some profound answers about why people make the choice to live the way they do every day.

I posed two questions, both of which garnered interesting feedback. The first question was: Why did you start working at Bayer? The feedback consisted of a range of answers — about income, quality of work and family history, but none seemed to be the same. Each answer had its own touch of personal history and purpose. The second question: What are you most proud of since joining Bayer? My goal was to appeal to the result of their decision to work here and identify where peoples’ motivations lie. Again, the feedback varied — from KPI metrics to mission-oriented ideals like being a part of an organization that cares for people’s needs. These questions allowed the participant to look at their choices and analyze their decisions with a lens of purpose and answer: What’s my ‘why’?

The exercise revealed a lot about the way people think about the work they do. The uniqueness of each of the answers begged the attention of the participants and onlookers, and helped us understand that even for jobs that seem so categorically similar, everyone has their own thoughts and ascribed purpose behind their daily activities. Additionally, the exercise revealed people want to believe there is a purpose behind what they do; that how they choose to spend their lives at work fuels their sense of purpose and meaning in their lives, or at least this is what they want.

I believe an exercise like this makes it clear our people are just like everyone else. We want meaning. We want to believe we are a part of something bigger than processes, Key Performance Indicators and compliance metrics. People have a choice. We should always remember that for some reason, our colleagues choose to stay. They choose to work here.

In reflecting on the exercise, participation could’ve been better. Perhaps our colleagues could contribute more to fueling a spirit of purpose and cultivating a participatory culture where people share and experience. To test this theory, I might encourage a quick exercise for yourself: If you’re a manager, do you know the reason your people work for you? Do you know why they choose to continue to work at your company? If you’re not a manager, do you know anything about your colleagues’ “why?” Do you know your own “why?”

If you’re like me, you love learning about the purpose behind others’ actions. You might want to run this activity in your department, and do your part to help others learn about the “why” behind their lives at work.

If you want to see the real answers people gave to these questions, all of them are below. Below are the raw, unmodified answers people gave to these questions. They are interesting and even inspiring to read. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Question: What’s your “WHY?” Why did you choose to work at Bayer?

To move closer to my aging parents

It was important to me to work for a company that makes the world better with what they do.

It was an opportunity to do what I love for a great company. Turns out, the people are pretty great too!

It was a large corporation with so many different opportunities. It was the best manufacturing facility [in the area].

Because they sold quality products and I wanted to represent a company with like values as mine.

I wanted to make a difference in the world.

Question: What are you most proud of since starting at Bayer?

Saved the company millions of dollars annually

My Team

I gladly work for the paycheck but give my life for the “why.” The “why” is saving lives and giving hope.

Knowing I made a difference in the health of patients by entering orders, sharing the benefits of products, and expediting deliveries.

The amount of knowledge, experience, and wisdom [I have gained].

I’m proud of coming here every day and working hard to learn and perform well.

The experiences I had in certain positions that I wouldn’t have had anywhere else.

Having the same job for 30 years!