As we work with our clients in developing communications strategies and messages to keep employees engaged in their jobs, we often find ourselves coming back to a common theme, regardless of the industry or project we are working on. That theme is meaningful purpose. It's the answer to "why should I care about working here?" Sure, people come to a job every day because they receive a paycheck, but it's the purpose behind the job that keeps them coming back day after day, and it's often the difference between an employee loving his job - or leaving it. Finding a clear purpose that people can connect with on a human level is incredibly important. For some companies, this is more apparent - for example, if you're a pharmaceutical company, the medicine you make can help make sick people well. Despite this, employees can become wrapped up in their daily activities and lose sight of the larger purpose of their work. Continually reconnecting them with the real, human stories of the patients that benefit from their hard work can be very powerful. In cases where the connection isn't as obvious, we encourage our clients to seek them out. It's usually not that hard - simply ask employees the question and chances are you'll get some amazing replies about what customers are doing with your product. For instance, tech companies who create cool gadgets may discover that those gadgets are actually being used for something really important - like creating models for scientific research or being used by underprivileged kids. Or maybe it's the philanthropic work that a company does, or what fellow employees are doing in their own volunteer efforts that makes a workplace fulfilling - or perhaps even inspiring. We've found that it's definitely worth the time to seek these stories out, and then to invest some time retelling the stories to a broader employee audience. To get you going, I'll offer my personal reason for working at Brilliant Ink. I work here because I get inspired by finding creative ways to tell those very stories I'm talking about, working with lots of different clients from lots of different industries. So what keeps you going at work? Please leave your comments about what inspires you - or the people you work with - below. @janni10