Goals help workers develop. They increase motivation and provide a purpose behind workers’ efforts; organizationally, they serve as a critical aspect of performance management. But their impact doesn’t end there. Because goal setting involves thinking positively about the future, and achieving those goals helps bolster feelings of confidence and self-efficacy, goals themselves can serve as an important tool for improving worker wellbeing.
In the workplace, goals are often focused around meeting targets, increasing productivity, and boosting business performance. Typically, wellbeing isn’t included as a goal. This is partially because only one-third of workers share information about personal wellness goals with their leaders. As a result, wellbeing often suffers in pursuit of other objectives. But views are changing. In fact, they have changed: our 2021 Global Human Capital Trends report noted how wellbeing impacts retention, worker engagement, and workers’ sentiments about their organization. The vast majority (94 percent) of respondents agreed that wellbeing drives organizational performance.2 With wellbeing reaching a high point in importance for workers3, organizations should rethink how it plays into the goal-setting process.