Why do people work? - Project Management Application: Clinical Trial

RE: Why do people work?

Andy 86 — Mon, 04 May 2026 03:45:55 +0000

From looking at the results listed, they don't surprise me honestly. I think when someone thinks of their ideal or "dream" job, the reason is that it is both excited and challenging for them to do for most of their adult careers. Everything below the results sort of follows suite in that pursuit. Being able to be fulfilled at your place of work to then be able to experience life outside of it with a fair pay is what a lot of people strive for. That is what motivates me at least, to be able to be fulfilled at a job that I am proud of and then having money to experience life with my wife and family.

RE: Why do people work?

crc56 — Mon, 04 May 2026 03:39:41 +0000

After looking at the result from Dr. Simon's study, I find it very interesting that it challenges the common belief that pay is the main reason for staying at a job. While fair pay is a very important thing, it is ranked lower than other factors like exciting and challenging work, career growth and development, and working with great people. This suggest that employee look and are more motivated by intrinsic factors like engagement, personal growth and work place relationships rather than just a paycheck.

These result align closely to my expectation even though it may come as a surprise that money isn't a little bit higher. This just highlights that long term job satisfaction is more valuable and can lead to a better overall work experience. People want to feel challenged, supported, and connect to their role.

My personal motivations closely align with the top response of the study as I like to be challenged and working with great people to help inspire me to do my best work. I have worked in a toxic workplace and it is one of the worst feeling ever and make you want to quit or feel way less motivated. But having a great workplace helps to give you more a sense of fulfillment and motivation.

Overall the study help to reinforce the importance of creating a great work environment. Though fair compensation is very important, a great ork environment is just as important to ensure longevity within a company.

RE: Why do people work?

jfm23 — Mon, 04 May 2026 03:14:50 +0000

I was at first surprised how low meaningful work was in the list then thought about it. If your job has poor pay with a bad work environment and boring work, even if the work helps others, you are likely to burn out and not want to continue on that career path. As engineers, I believe we all want work that is exciting and challenging, it is likely one of the main things we want out of a job.

As for myself, I am looking for a job where I find the work interesting, with amicable coworkers, and a salary that matches my effort.

RE: Why do people work?

Ad282 — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 00:37:13 +0000

Like many others, I’m not really surprised by these results. I think most people value enjoying their work and the people around them more than we might initially expect. That said, I would’ve thought career growth and development would be the top factor, just not by a huge margin. At the end of the day, working with the people you surround yourself with will have the biggest impact on your life and your motivation at work. Even if growth opportunities are there, it’s a lot harder to stay engaged if the environment or team isn’t strong.

Do you think people would still prioritize growth if they were in a bad work environment, or would team and culture always come first?

RE: Why do people work?

gk376 — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 21:23:12 +0000

I saw the top three as being fitting but I am surprised by a few of the results, especially doing meaningful work as the last of the bunch and having a great manager being higher than I expected. I am happy that most individuals want to work to do things they genuinely are excited by. I was honestly; surprised pay wasn't higher up. Personally, I agree that I pursued biomedical engineering because I find the research aspect of it exciting. I always wanted to be there making things happen, making the impossible possible, I want to be on the other side of the story, not just the girl watching and reading these wonderful advancements. Similarly I too want to grow my career and work my way up to higher positions, as a natural leader, one that loves guiding teams and supporting my peers, I want to work myself up to such a position in industry too. I have met such inspiring and passionate people at career fairs and employer events, I really see myself in such communities of likeminded individuals.

RE: Why do people work?

BenjaminRofail — Mon, 05 May 2025 02:30:05 +0000

I personally believed that compensation was a larger part of why people work. It was both comforting and motivating to see that people work to make a difference, to help others, and to feel fulfilled. This is the exact cause of the human mission. One must live for others, to give themselves for others. Whether that be in working to provide for another, or that by one's work, someone else is helped. In the modern age, work has taken on a veil of tiresome hours, stress, and many difficulties. But at the core of the issue, work is the area in which a human exerts effort to better themselves and others. It is the perfect demonstration of ethic, morals, and community.

RE: Why do people work?

sm2744 — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 18:13:57 +0000

Honestly, I'm not too surprised by the results of the study. For me personally, my top 3 motivators to work for a specific company would be, in no particular order, working with great people, having exciting and challenging work, and be recognized/valued & respected. As adults, given that we don't have WFH, we're going to be near our coworkers for a vast majority of our day. It would be horrible to come into work and dislike the people around you. Working with people who don't help you become a better person or are friendly could impact your own performance, as for example, I wouldn't want to come into such a place. Having exciting and challenging work is also important for me because I personally need stimulation to have motivation. When you do the same thing over and over again with no changes, you face a burnout. Working in a place like that would definitely result in me probably looking for another opportunity elsewhere. Finally, I think that it is also important to be recognized, valued, and respected. I've had it happen before where I was complimented on how I handled things by other individuals involved in the project, but was heavily criticized by my manager because it was not the way that they would have done it. That interaction had further solidified to me that I do not want to work in an environment like that, one where the person who you report to does not uplift you or recognize the hard work you put in to pull things off the best that you can that were out of your area of expertise, while other more senior members of the team are saying the opposite and are thankful and impressed with your work.

RE: Why do people work?

veron_perez — Wed, 26 Apr 2023 02:34:11 +0000

These results don't really surprise me because when I look over them and reflect on myself, I can agree that these couple attributes would be important for me. Out of the results shown I would have to agree and say that the ‘exciting and challenging work’, ‘working with great people’ and being ‘recognized/valued or respected’ would be key motivators for me when I work. Having exciting and challenging work would allow there to never be a dull moment. In most situations, constant repetition can be tiring and can be draining. After a while it can make heading to work a bit boring without some excitement so challenges and exciting work would be a priority. Working with great people is also a great motivator because even if a job is difficult or very time consuming, the people around you could be the ‘make it or break it’ point. They could make the assignments and tasks manageable because the environment is friendly and there would be the air that each person can rely on each other. And finally being recognized/valued and respected is a very important factor for me personally. It is very disheartening to work hard every time at work and there is little to no recognition. It makes the person feel like another cog in a machine of a company. So having some value and being respected can help to ensure that people are appreciated for their work.

RE: Why do people work?

vv48 — Tue, 25 Apr 2023 11:45:07 +0000

A good motivator for me is fair pay, which resembles the responsibilities you need to take care of in the company. The more responsibilities you are in charge of, the more money they need to pay you. Also, personal and professional growth takes immense importance in work performance. It is important to say that the work environment is a plus too. If you are happy working with people that contribute to a positive atmosphere at work, then the job becomes easier to perform. The results of that study are not a surprise to me, people find stability in their lives by having a job where they can make a difference to the world while getting paid. If one factor is not reached, then the job environment becomes troubled and people find discomfort; therefore, they start looking for a new job.

RE: Why do people work?

hk425 — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 00:40:40 +0000

These results are not surprising because of the way corporations work. Many people are motivated by challenging work that has good career growth prospects and great pay because that’s what people need to live comfortably in our society. Fair pay, working with great people, career growth, etc., all come when you are able to acquire higher work positions, and when people get to these positions, the work seems worth their hard work. Because it allows them to lead a very comfortable life. Most people don’t care about doing meaningful work because it’s unrealistic for work to be meaningful and come with all the benefits a regular corporate job would. Pursuing meaningful work while trying to live in a society requires privilege that a regular corporate employee cannot afford. In addition, ‘meaningful work’ is subjective and can differ from one person to another. Someone may find working in developing countries meaningful, while another person may find a job with flexible hours/location meaningful because that’s what allows them to live how they want. In addition, employees who do meaningful or impactful work, such as research, are severely underfunded and underpaid. My motivation to work is to challenge myself and push my boundaries as to what I can accomplish.