Every organisation I work with is trying to achieve more.
More productivity. More innovation. More engagement. Better retention. Better performance.
Yet I rarely hear organisations asking one simple question:
Does every person in our organisation truly understand the value of the role they perform?
In today's economic climate, very few organisations can afford to employ people they don't need. Every salary represents an investment. Every position exists because it contributes something important.
Which means something we don't often stop to acknowledge:
Every role has value.
The challenge is that not everyone knows it.
Value isn't about job title
There can sometimes be an unspoken hierarchy in organisations.
Some roles are seen as more important because they carry bigger salaries, greater responsibility or higher visibility. Others quietly become viewed as "support" functions or "just operational."
But organisations don't succeed because of one department.
They succeed because hundreds of individual roles connect together to achieve a common purpose.
Without finance, suppliers don't get paid. Without IT, systems fail. Without administration, nothing runs smoothly. Without customer service, relationships suffer. Without facilities teams, workplaces don't function safely or efficiently.
Every role removes a problem, creates an opportunity or enables somebody else to do their job.
When we lose sight of that, people begin to lose sight of their own contribution.
The HSE recognised this years ago
One of the six areas within the HSE Management Standards for preventing work-related stress is Role.
Most people think this simply means having a clear job description and avoiding role ambiguity. T
That is certainly part of it, people need to understand what is expected of them, where responsibilities begin and end, and how their role fits within the organisation.
But there is another aspect that often receives far less attention.
Do people understand why their role matters?
Do they know the value they bring?
Do they understand how what they do contributes to the organisation's wider purpose?
Managers have enormous influence over this. So do organisations.
If people only know what they do, they may perform tasks.
If they understand why they do it, they're much more likely to feel connected to the outcome.
The NASA story still resonates
There is a well-known story about President John F. Kennedy visiting NASA during the Apollo programme.
As the story goes, he asked a janitor what he was doing.
The response wasn't, "I'm cleaning the floor."
It was:
"I'm helping put a man on the moon."
Whether every detail of the story is historically accurate is almost beside the point.
It has endured because it illustrates something powerful.
The individual understood that their contribution mattered.
Their work wasn't isolated.
It formed part of something much bigger.
Imagine the difference if every employee could answer that question in the same way.
Not by describing their tasks.
But by describing the impact of their work.
Managers create meaning
One of the most important responsibilities of a leader isn't simply allocating work.
It's helping people understand why their work matters.
That doesn't require expensive wellbeing initiatives or motivational speeches.
Sometimes it is as simple as explaining:
how someone's work affects colleagues
how it improves the customer experience
what would happen if that role didn't exist
how it contributes to the organisation's mission
recognising the impact people have, not just the tasks they complete
When people can see the connection between what they do today and what the organisation is trying to achieve tomorrow, engagement changes.
People don't just complete work.
They contribute with purpose.
Perhaps we've been measuring the wrong things
Organisations are excellent at measuring financial performance.
Revenue. Profit. Productivity. Costs. Targets.
These are all important.
But how often do leadership teams measure whether people genuinely understand the value of their role?
Because if people don't understand their contribution, should we really be surprised when engagement declines?
Purpose is not a "nice to have."
It influences motivation, commitment, collaboration and ultimately performance.
Helping people understand their value isn't separate from business success.
It is part of it.
Perhaps the question isn't whether every role has value.
It's whether leaders spend enough time helping people recognise it.
Something to reflect on
As you think about your own organisation, consider these questions:
Could every member of your team explain how their role contributes to your organisation's mission?
When was the last time you explained to someone the impact their work has beyond their daily tasks?
Are you recognising effort, or are you recognising contribution?
If you asked every employee, "Why does your role matter?", what answers would you hear?
And perhaps the biggest question of all… if people don't understand their value, how can we expect them to reach their full potential?
Sometimes improving performance isn't about changing the work.
It's about changing how people see the value of the work they already do.
The Hornbeam Perspective: Healthy workplaces don't happen by accident. They are built through the everyday decisions leaders make. Sometimes the biggest shift starts with a single question.