About the event

A key component of job satisfaction is the sense that our work is meaningful. Sometimes, the search for meaning becomes insistent, even triggering a career crisis. However, prioritising meaning in our career can be high-risk, increasing the odds of burnout and locking us into a rigid career path.

In this webinar, Dr Kira Schabram from the University of Washington will investigate what happens to people who devote themselves to a professional ‘calling’; which approaches work (and which lead to burnout), and what tends to be the most sustainable long-term approach to finding purpose.

We will also explore the latest academic research on what drives our sense of meaning at work and how we can all make small changes to enhance it.

We will explore:

• The difference between meaningful tasks and meaningful professions
• Five factors that determine whether day-to-day work feels meaningful
• Why pursuing a “calling” can be a high-risk strategy
• What happens when people go “all in” to pursue meaningful work
• How to reengineer your job to create more meaning for yourself and your colleagues

Before the webinar a pre-survey will be shared with registered participants including a meaningful work self-assessment exercise.

About the speaker

Professor Kira Schabram is head of research at the Sabbatical project and is a Faculty Affiliate of the Center for Positive Organizations at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business.  Her research has been published in top academic journals (Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, the Journal of Applied Psychology) and is frequently featured in outlets such as the BBC, CNN, Forbes, Financial Times, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal.

How to book

This webinar is being hosted in partnership with Sensible Media and you can register through their Eventbrite. Tickets are free for Imperial alumni and can be booked online here (use code “ImperialAlum” if the free ticket is not shown). Imperial staff can also sign up for free here (or by using the code ‘ImperialStaff’).