#48: I Asked Myself What Work Means To Us. Here’s What I Found
When purpose feels distant, where do we begin?
Welcome to SEAmplified’s newsletter—where we share inspiring stories for you to rethink the grind & discover your why in Southeast Asia!
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💼 Redefining Work
Exploring how Southeast Asian youths are rethinking success and hustles.
Are you trying to find meaning at work?
This question is becoming more important for people in Southeast Asia (SEA). It is especially true for young people like myself, who may be more inclined to prioritize purpose and personal growth over traditional motivations like high pay.
But it is something that still remains elusive for many people at work. In such cases, work can seem like something to go through, simply for survival’s sake, or because it’s just “what you’re meant to do”.
A recent report on pursuing purpose at work found that 98% of survey participants across six SEA countries felt meaning at work was important to them, an almost unanimous consensus.
Furthermore, 77% said that a company’s reputation surrounding social responsibility influences their decision on whether to join or not, while a majority expect their companies to promote sustainability and social impact solutions.
However, this same survey found that only 21% were ‘very satisfied’ with their current level of meaning at work. This included 20% of Singaporean respondents and 16% of Thai respondents.
Supplementing this data are insights from another survey by Jobstreet, which found that a substantial number of SEA workers are dissatisfied with their jobs, including 19% of Singaporeans, 12% of Malaysians, and 11% of Filipinos.
As young people across Southeast Asia strive, and sometimes struggle, to find deeper purpose in our work, it’s worth taking a closer look at what it encompasses. It can help us clarify our own career goals and support our development and growth in the early stages of our working lives.
The Struggles
What are the factors that can make it difficult for young people in our region to achieve strong satisfaction with their jobs?
First, there’s the stress of making ends meet.
The fact is, for most of human history, people worked primarily as a means of survival. Although living standards are now generally higher than they’ve ever been, most people still work with the main motive of making ends meet.
Someone who has to take loans to fund their university education will need to earn back the money to repay these loans, lest they fall into debt. Those who plan to get married and start a family will also feel the pressure to not only provide for themselves but also their children. Others may come from lower-income households or with parents about to retire.
For younger people just entering the workforce, it would be nice if there were none of these external pressures. They could focus solely on growth and exploration in the early stage of their careers instead.
Second, there’s the tiredness and pressure that comes with the job itself.
Intense expectations and heavy responsibilities can make work overwhelming. It can suck the meaning out of learning, developing and contributing to our jobs.
Full-time job commitments require you to dedicate a big chunk of your time—and therefore your life—to doing the job. This is especially the case in cultures where working overtime is the norm or expected.
It is not surprising, then, that burnout is quite common for young professionals in Southeast Asia. As people dedicate such large chunks of their time to work, it inevitably drains their energy to such a degree that it might remove any feeling of purpose, even if it existed in the first place.
It is also worth noting that this dynamic impacts the way people approach certain jobs that are usually thought of as quite meaningful, like medical professionals, social workers, and teachers.
For example, doctors, nurses, and pharmacists all play a role in caring for people who are sick or who have health issues, perhaps even in saving lives. However, once the demands of their hospital surroundings and systems become overwhelming—as they often do—the sense of purpose in helping people is replaced with fatigue and emotional detachment.
Meanwhile, social workers may enter their jobs full of zest and idealism, only to feel drained by the sheer number of people they need to take care of. This can be exacerbated by the traumatic and jarring aspects they are exposed to, which are often emotionally draining.
And from speaking to several teachers in Singapore, it appears that many of them are at high risk of burning out. They are not merely responsible for teaching students in the classroom, but also for many different aspects, like handling administrative duties, supervising extracurricular activities, marking test papers, and giving emotional support to students. Having to do all this at once can drain the original joy of nurturing students.
Finally, an important trend that can negatively impact a sense of purpose is the decreasing job security that defines today’s job market.
Lately, there have been quite a number of sad headlines reporting waves of layoffs in major companies, or the increasing number of recent graduates who struggle to land a job after finishing school.
Perhaps you have been struggling to secure a job, or were negatively impacted by restructuring and layoffs. Or if you are in a job, it might just be a contract role that doesn’t guarantee continued employment beyond a short window of time, which is becoming more common.
These factors can drain the satisfaction that workers feel regarding the purpose of their job. If you can’t have confidence that the job you’re doing will be sustainable on a long-term basis, the work itself may not feel as meaningful, and your growth potential can be stunted.
This sense of disillusionment and frustration can be compounded for young people when compared to certain ideas that previous generations shared about career building.
As our reader Khaizuran responded to our question on Instagram, the formula of studying and working hard to secure a typical office job with a guaranteed monthly salary may not be so viable for youths of this generation. He shared that those of our generation should be more open to pathways like entrepreneurship, the gig economy, or even being a digital nomad, with more fluid working hours and income streams.
Where Meaning In Work Can Come From
Discussing the value and the increasing prevalence of pursuing meaning in careers is all well and good. But it might not amount to much if we don’t define what gives work meaning in the first place.
So, what are some ways we can find meaning in our jobs and careers?
Firstly, it’s worth noting that the most conventional motive for work—earning money—can be meaningful in itself, but not necessarily selfish.
It is common for people to support their families financially through their salaries. Others could also use significant portions of their earnings to donate and support charitable causes that support the vulnerable in our society.
Meaning in a career can also come through the lens of personal experience.
For example, the biggest motivation I have for my career at this stage is simply to develop myself—my skills, knowledge, and mentality. As a young person who’s still relatively inexperienced, learning and growing in these areas holds a lot of value for me—perhaps even in ways I can’t anticipate yet.
Or perhaps you simply enjoy a challenge for its own sake—and therefore, challenging roles and tasks give you meaning. An inward sense of achievement from getting things done and creating a tangible impact could also give you meaning.
It is also possible to find a sense of meaning in your job through working in a positive work environment, with good colleagues and supervisors to support you. It can lead to a positive experience working in that team, and cherished connections and friendships outside the office. Others may find meaning through achieving work-life balance—doing your job in the designated time, while earning your living, and having the freedom to do other things you like outside of that.
Ultimately, it’s up to each individual to define what meaningful work looks like. The important thing for young people is to know their reasons for pursuing their career choices, rather than pursuing them mindlessly. And for companies, educational institutions, and those of the older generation, I hope they can play their role in supporting this upcoming generation in such an endeavour!
About the writer:
Gerald Koh from Singapore has been navigating his unconventional career journey by seeking to develop himself and contribute to positive social impact. He likes to write about topics as varied as history, social trends, and life reflections!
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