Do Good At Work: How Simple Acts Of Social Purpose Drive Success And Wellbeing

by Bea Boccalandro

Most jobs lack a compelling purpose. Research finds that this workplace deficiency makes people sluggish, disengaged, careless, disloyal, unhappy and unhealthy.
Fortunately, there is a way to be free from the modern trap of meaningless labor without switching careers or quitting jobs. The scientifically-validated practice of job purposing, which consists of surprisingly modest acts that anybody can do, elevates ordinary work to a fulfilling venture.Do Good At Work is a delightful, do-it-yourself guide to igniting meaning in any job and, consequently, becoming more successful, fulfilled, and happy. Unlike existing books which focus on helping executives with the corporate purpose statement that adorns the lobby, speaker and consultant Bea Boccalandro equips the individual worker to do work that matters regardless of their position.

Serving as president of VeraWorks, a global consulting firm specializing in workplace purpose for over 20 years, Bea has helped companies such as Aetna, Disney, FedEx, IBM, PwC, Toyota, and others obtain job purpose. She explains why most workers face a painful purpose void when they walk into work and guides readers through specific steps to fill that void, even including a list of 50 simple job purposing tactics to get readers started.Do Good At Work makes it possible for anybody to go home proud of their workday-every day.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction

205 pages, Paperback

Published July 21, 2020

About the author

Bea is author of Do Good At Work: How Simple Acts of Social Purpose Drive Success and Wellbeing , which was selected by three-time New York Times bestselling author Adam Grant as a top-30 new book. She is also president of VeraWorks, a global firm specializing in workplace purpose, and faculty at Georgetown University and the University of Nevada Las Vegas.

Bea has twenty years of experience helping to make customer interactions more human, products more inclusive, meetings more meaningful, operations more environmentally sustainable, marketing more charitable and otherwise tilting everyday work toward a meaningful contribution. This do-good-at-work practice, termed “job purposing,” is a proven way to heighten workplace productivity, performance, satisfaction and personal wellbeing. It also improves business performance. Bea’s clients include Aetna, Allstate, Bank of America, Caesars Entertainment, Disney, Eventbrite, FedEx, HP, John Hancock, IBM, Levi’s, PwC, TOMS Shoes and Toyota.

Bea can be seen drawing cartoons of innocent people anywhere she finds herself or trying to surf the waves of San Clemente, California, where she lives with her husband.

Learn more about Bea at www.BeaBoccalandro.com.

Reviews

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rarely make it through a “business” book but Bea Boccalandro’s Do Good At Work was a bright exception. Well-researched information, solid advice and clear examples of what she calls “job purposing,” this book is also a passionate homage to her Papi. In its writing, Bea demonstrates the entire premise of the book: doing good for others is good for you.

[Shanda Vangas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly recommend for anyone working in CSR, employee engagement and leadership in purpose-driven companies. Great combo of personal stories and experiences and in-depth research on the value of social purpose in the workplace.

[Liz Van Brunt]

This is an engaging and enlightening read. Anyone who does any kind of work can learn how to bring in a little (or a lot) of social purpose into their job. The personal anecdotes and the plentiful examples of others was very inspiring. Definitely recommend this book!

[Melissa Dees · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do Good at Work is the perfect combination of stories and learning and actual steps to achieve the goals discussed. It is easy reading but don't let it fool you. The concepts are deep and the data is there to back up the claims of "How Simple Acts of Social Purpose Drive Success and Wellbeing". Fulfilled and happy employees create so much good n the world and, at the same time, create successful businesses. Whether you're the employee or the big boss, invest some time in reading this book.

[J.R. Leyven · Rating 5 out of 5]

One might pick up Do Good at Work, by Bea Boccalandro, and be skeptical of the subtitle’s promise, “How simple acts of social purpose drive success and wellbeing.” One might think: isn’t work about making money, and NOT about doing good? or, aren’t some jobs inherently devoid of meaning? or, how much will we have to spend on this social purpose? And one would be wrong. Boccalandro is a consultant who guides companies’ efforts to increase productivity, engage their employees, AND effectuate positive change in society at large. With her years of experience to draw from, she describes dozens of ways that employees and managers augment the scope of their work to improve the lives of their customers, their fellow workers, and random strangers, only to find that their productivity has increased, along with their enjoyment of work.
In addition to its powerful message for change, two things set this book apart from much of the genre. The first is Boccalandro’s incorporation of many academic studies into her analyses and conclusions, whether they address productivity, behavior patterns, job satisfaction, or what have you. The second, and most charming, is how she shares from her life and her family’s story, even poignant and difficult episodes from the past.
In this volume, brains and heart come together to inform our actions so that we can make our world more human, and our lives better.

[Bruce Cline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do Good at Work explains what many of its readers may consider, with no small degree of surprise, a blinding flash of the obvious: trying to do good things at work. Of course, what we should see, but don’t, are often the keys to our success. Bea reveals and illuminates through personal experience, shared stories, and research the extraordinary power of going beyond the requirements of virtually any job to help ensure worker satisfaction, increased commitment, and positive societal impacts. The secret is, of course, part of this book’s title: “Simple Acts of Purpose Driv[ing] Success and Well-being.” Anyone — worker, manager, or owner — who wants to improve their business and the world at the same me needs to read this book.

[Elena Sacca · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! This is a must read if you are a people leader and looking to create meaningful work for yourself and others in your organization. It's also for anyone who wants to make a greater difference through their work. Bea's mission and focus is that any job can be "purposed" or leveraged to make an impact and she offers practical steps and evidence-based solutions to show you how. This is not just a business book, it's a page-turning, heartfelt and personal story about how we can treat the fundamental human need in us to serve - and what we discover about ourselves when we do.

[Paula Waldron · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t typically enjoy reading business books anymore largely because they read like text books, or the author comes across pompous, or my 30+ years experience coupled with 20+ hours of annual training make business books less compelling.

So imagine my delight when I found a business author who approached her content through the art of story telling. I was riveted from the start to the end! The concept isn’t really new-find ways to enrich your job satisfaction and personal happiness by doing good deeds throughout the work day, week, month-but the beautiful way Bea weaves examples through personal stories certainly is.

If you’re feeling stuck, unfulfilled or under appreciated. Read this! You don’t have to make big changes to improve your outlook. In addition to increasing your satisfaction, you may also find a new circle of friends, develop new skills or create new opportunities.

[Blayre P · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this book is employee engagement for those that are just starting out. It might be helpful for individuals or companies that do not have any ongoing social purpose programming or initiatives.

I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone working in CSR/employee engagement/citizenship unless you are just getting started. My team (in Corporate Citizenship) read the book and we all felt we wanted to learn much more than we did, and the author missed a few important opportunities with this book. I think we had our very critical hats on though for this book review, my team of seven readers averaged a 3.3 /5 rating.

I feel bad giving this book a low rating, I’m sure it will be a 4 or 5 for many! It just wasn’t my cup of tea.

[Guy Burt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book: engagingly written and packed with examples, anecdotes and personal reflection to support and enhance the lessons and arguments. Whether you're an entrepreneur, a small business owner, a workplace manager or a CEO, there's important, timely advice here.

Although I've made it a point to spend my adult life avoiding any kind of corporate workplace, I thought the values-based approach was excellent. If all companies had more of the kind of moral compass Bea Boccalandro champions, we wouldn't be in the state we're in now. It's also a book of broad appeal, and now that I've finished it, my teenage son is reading it avidly. Thoroughly recommended.

[Deb]

Subject: Thought provoking!
Wow, has this read been thought-provoking! My mind has been racing at so many levels of “purpose“ at work. The author generated an outline of purposeful points for me to use, including by incorporating purpose into my morning crew meetings.

“Do Good at Work” casts a net of inspiration for others. I was also struck by the author’s bravery in sharing her autobiographic history. Her stories about various characters and pen-and-ink illustrations contribute beautifully to the reading experience. I share and recommend this book widely!

[Scott Snedaker]

Nice perspective

Makes solid case for job purposing. The focuses, motives, and applications of these efforts in some cases may have mixed opinions of relative importance, but the principles are good. She says the motives to do inner self good to others is based on evolutionary conditioning. I'd suggest it's based on being created in God's image with core desire to love. All humanity is plagued with the selfish sinful nature, but book gives nice encouragement to make the world better (in my opnion motivated by and for God's love and His glory) each day in your work.

[Steph Bormann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved Do Good at Work! As a practitioner of these types of books and a person who runs giving and volunteering programs, this one was particularly accessible. It clearly showed how to structure a program to drive employee participation and fulfillment. Even if you are not in the CSR space, this book will give you a new perspective to help you look for meaning in your job.

[Wade Galt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful Message on How Purpose Amplifies Happiness, Success, & More

This book's message on purpose at work is brilliant and life changing. The author simplifies and explains how tiny and seemingly simple acts of social purpose impact our health, motivation, results, happiness, success, and workplace.

[Qazi Jawad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book!