A couple of weeks ago, Kate and I interviewed a client about the notion of culture – what creates a strong culture, how it’s preserved, and what organizations can do to make sure all employees feel like they’re part of it. During our conversation, our client referred to the notion of an “invisible bonus,” or the idea that a company’s mission, vision or work itself can be a powerful motivator for employees and an important factor in job satisfaction.

If you’ve read any of our marketing materials, you probably wouldn’t be surprised to know that my ears perked up at the idea of an invisible bonus – we call it “the motivation of meaningful work” or “higher purpose,” but it’s the same idea. Here at Brilliant Ink, we believe that if we can help employees feel like they’re part of something larger than themselves, we stand a much better chance of increasing employee satisfaction and inspiring better work as a result.

Sometimes this is a slam dunk. For example, we work with many healthcare companies. When your business is saving lives or improving the health of patient populations, it’s usually pretty easy to help employees feel inspired and connected to the people they’re serving.

Sometimes we need to go a little deeper to connect the dots for employees. Another client, NVIDIA, is best known for its graphics that bring some of the most popular video games to life. However, the company’s significant technological advances, sustainable products and philanthropic contributions are also changing the world in numerous ways. By helping NVIDIA educate employees about

the many ways their products are making a difference around the world, we’re also helping them understand that their work is significant and meaningful. Incidentally, there’s meaning in the notion of entertainment itself – video games may not seem quite on par with life-saving treatments, but sometimes a little fun is exactly what gets us through the hard times.

An invisible bonus can be on a small scale, such as thinking about how one individual’s life might have been improved by your product or service, or it can be on a much larger scale. We’re currently working with another client who’s in the process of rolling out a new vision for the company – one with the potential to radically transform an entire industry. It’s bold, exciting stuff, and it’s enormously rewarding to help employees think about their individual roles in this transformation.

At Brilliant Ink, I like to think of our invisible bonus as two-fold. On a smaller scale, we’re helping our individual clients reinforce the value and the need for a smart, dynamic employee communications program at their companies. And on a larger scale, we’re also helping them inspire their employees to do their best work, which directly translates to the bottom line. Of course I can’t speak for my entire team, but it sure gets me out of bed every morning.

So what’s your invisible bonus? What’s the higher purpose of your business, and how will you help employees connect to it? If you haven’t already spent some time thinking about how you can help connect the dots for employees through your communications to them, now’s an excellent time to start.