Love Your Job, Colleagues, and Your Company
Briana Gosselin joined Sodexo’s Talent Acquisition team as an Employment Brand Manager in 2018. After joining Sodexo as a part-time hourly employee during college, Briana gained a firsthand understanding of how Sodexo’s culture, opportunities and growth mobility can support a candidate’s long-term career needs. As the social media manager of the Sodexo USA Careers channels, Briana is constantly discovering inspiring employee stories to share with potential candidates. In her spare time, Briana can be found taking care of her "kids”! Briana is a fur mom of her own mini farm, including two dwarf goats, a dog, a horse and chickens.
Working for a living doesn’t mean you have to suffer. In honor of February being Heart Health Month (and Valentine’s Day, for those who celebrate), we’re going to talk about how loving your job, your colleagues and your company can greatly improve your quality of life.
(Yes, lets normalize loving our jobs!)
Love Your Job
Let’s start by evaluating your career. Look at your current job, what might be the next step for you and where you want to be in five years. Do you see any common themes?
Maybe you’re seeking a career that offers variety in the day-to-day, maybe you crave unique challenges or maybe you’re called to make a difference in people’s lives. Loving your job is a lot more than just loving the salary that comes with it. Think about what’s going to make you feel fulfilled. You spend half of your waking hours working and if you don’t love what you do, that’s a lot of time to spend being unhappy.
Still not sure what it means to love your job? Check out some of these Sodexo employee stories to hear it firsthand.
Love Your Colleagues
Remember how I said you spend half of your waking hours working? Not only do you spend a lot of time executing your responsibilities, you also spend a lot of hours with your colleagues – whether it’s in person or through video conferencing.
At Sodexo, we frequently hear people say, “It’s like a big family” or “I feel comfortable bringing my whole self to work.” Having colleagues who have your back and lift you up is important because showing and receiving gratitude and appreciation can completely change your world.
While you can’t choose your coworkers, you can choose a company that’s known for having people who respect each other.
Love Your Company
Research shows that many generations coming into the workforce care less about salary as a main career motivator. While salary is still important, it’s also critical to love your company and to align with the company’s values. Are you proud of how your employer handles tough situations? Do you feel like they have your best interest in mind?
As you seek out positions, consider your values and organization’s stance on things like sustainability, fighting community hunger, diversity, inclusion and more. This process will require some reflection to determine what’s truly important to you, so do your research! Look at the company’s website, read press releases and search for notable accomplishments.
Don’t just look for commitments – find a company that maps out specific goals and can show results. For example, Sodexo has established a global goal to ensure that 100% of our workforce has access to our programs for people with disabilities by 2025.
Your employer will hold you accountable in your role, so it’s OK to hold them accountable in theirs.
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I promise loving what you do and where you work isn’t a myth - you just need to be strategic in your job search! Visit the Sodexo website to find out why you’ll love working with us and then get started by searching current openings in your area below!