Does More Freedom at Work Mean More Fulfillment? | Sarah Aviram | TED

The flexibility to work from anywhere won't necessarily make you love your job, says HR leader Sarah Aviram. Sharing practical wisdom from research conducted while working remotely in 12 different countries, she reveals the real challenges that hybrid work policies can't fix -- and shows how to truly thrive at your job no matter where you get it done.
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[@agatal1487]

this speech is based on a corporate assumption everyone needs a career, and everyone would love *some* job. and I just can't agree it works for everyone. i just love peace, doing my tasks, having my money, and being calm and safe - not challenged on a daily. and i love having space to live my life, energy to dedicate to attention to my friends, time to do my passions... more often than during weekends... isn't this fulfillment...?

[@adammorra3813]

Indeed this is fulfillment

[@nokoolaid]

The amount of folks that find a career that is there identity, that they love it, really do, is less than 20%, I would say even as low as 10%. Most of us work for a paycheck, even if we like what we do and are good at it. The whole idea of following one's passion vis a vis work and passion this or that really only works for a small subset. If everyone did it, really did it, the workforce would be a mess and unmanageable for the ruling class. Work isn't everyone's life. There's a lot outside of work that's more important.

[@TheNervousnation]

no

[@rikachiu]

Remote makes any job better even if I hate it. People who don't experience 2 hr+ daily commutes don't understand.

[@starsha23]

Hybrid worked best for me. Remote was awful! I thought I would love it but I was miserable after two months.

[@rhondacarlson2697]

Hybrid works best for me as well. I feel isolated working totally remote.

[@25852Dan]

I love being fully remote. I get so much time back to find my own fulfillment outside of the workplace. Not having a commute adds up to a huge amount of time over the course of a career, and I have more energy to get my work done. It's greatly improved the quality of my life and I'm never going back to the office. The world is changing.

[@nokoolaid]

I didn't like it. I work in computer support and I am a hands on/tactile person. My commute isn't 2+ hours though.

[@noeliapersonal7270]

No one, no one can convince more freedom does not equal more happines/fulfilment it applies to all life experiences

[@drummer265]

At least for corporate jobs, people don't feel "fulfilled" because at the end of the day no perks or flexibility change the fact that you are selling hours of your life (which you have a finite amount of and can never get back the ones that have passed) to a company to do some role which doesn't actually matter--not really anyway, no one's gonna die if a financial statement gets released by a certain day or not--in exchange for the least amount of money that company can get away with paying you just so you can have maybe weekends and whatever PTO days you get per year to actually enjoy. And you just do that for 40 or so years until you retire or die.

[@adammorra3813]

The same routine, day after day, for 40 years. I thought about ending it all multiple times but cant hurt my old parents like that. But I agree with you, Corporate is Corporate

[@betusethu]

Sounded more like a 'retention discussion' with my HR 😜

[@ayasarsour2860]

Thank you 😊

[@homewall744]

I don't understand. If you can work anywhere, how you can be no more fulfilled. Sure, if the job sucks, then it will still stuck, but it'll have to suck a bit less. For most people who have a reasonably good job, this freedom definitely enhances things. After all, you could just go to the office (your choice after all). Clearly the job matters most.

[@adammorra3813]

You completely missed the point

[@Sathyanp88]

One alternative to quiting a job is to join as a freelancer and do part of the job with clear agreement on the scope of the work. That way, it will be a win-win situation - shared vested interest, no toxic work politics and more freedom to the increase your salary.

[@DaveSP196]

But by doing this you will ensure far worse working rights and benefits. I imagine you are American, and those things are not as strong in NA, but in Europe that is a bad idea as much would be lost.

Only 25% or people work jobs that can even be performed remotely. In other words, for the vast majority of people, remote work is not even a possibility. Any yet this woman talks about working remotely like it’s a mainstream thing that all people have access to. She should have at least acknowledged the percentages.

[@edbolton]

The audio is so bad, who placed that mic???

[@lawibii]

great

[@Dr.RiccoMastermind]

And for how many other people and their jobs will this be even possible? Not all jobs can be that creative for the better part. Most that can work outside the company will have to deal with all the advantages and disadvantages of home office. Even more cant do that, even bound to ever more shift working models

[@nerd26373]

I think not necessarily. If you're a corporate slave, then you'd genuinely know what it's like to have actual freedom. Also, fulfillment comes within, not in the outward sense.

[@MikeFromDownUnder]

💯❗️❤

[@nokoolaid]

After working 44 years in some shape or form, while I agree fulfillment is important, most of us don't have the situation and/or personality/attributes to make that happen in the way you have. I would say you have a privileged POV and it is different than most folks, where work is a paycheck. Not everyone is entrepreneurial or wants to be. Not everyone has jumped on the passion bandwagon, thankfully. It's nonsense. The failure is in our experiences from birth to age of majority. We aren't raised to become what you promote and those that are, it is a small subset of the population. You'd have to change how people are raised and educated and since corporations and our social fabric don't want that, obviously from the results, good luck. Here's another thing: Ditch the chief cultural officers. We have one at work where it's propaganda and almost cult like that really serves at creating in-groups of mini me's. Good luck.

[@celestialcircledance]

For the privileged few who have that opportunity don't overthink it and just enjoy it !

[@vikramkrish710]

Such a confusing talk! Great presentation, but no takeaway!

[@dataisbclub]

Remote work still wins. For a lot of reasons.

[@pragmaticpoet]

When freedom = self responsible, self accountable, self autonomy... working online does not necessarily qualify... in fact, it may end up being quite the opposite 😎

[@handleking1]

Shhhh don't tell em omg.... now everyone is going to catch on and ruin it.

[@sameo99]

kind of generic advice imo

[@zoella79]

This is vapid

[@adammorra3813]

No its not, believe me

[@TheNervousnation]

Is this propaganda