Values in the Workplace
Career Skills and Exploration Team
WHAT ARE WORK VALUES?
● Definition: the subset of your beliefs and ideas that are related to your
occupation or job; what you believe matters most regarding your
job/career
● 6 Global Work Values, according to onetonline.org (O*NET Work Values)
○ Achievement: doing work that yields results
○ Independence: working and making decisions on your own
○ Recognition: receiving attention for your work
○ Relationships: working alongside coworkers, as well as helping
others
○ Support: having support management, a strong connection
between workers and management
○ Working Conditions: being in an environment that you are
comfortable with
● Additional Values to Consider
○ Helping others
○ Prestige
○ Job security
○ Collaboration
○ Helping society
○ Artistic expression
○ Influence
○ Compensation
○ Leadership
○ Creativity
○ Variety
○ Challenge
○ Leisure
○ Recognition
● We should consider different cultures with work values
○ Culture influence
■ Cultural affects how we perceive many different situations
and behaviors
○ Build understanding
■ We should get to know one another because we all come
from different places
APPLICATION OF WORK VALUES
● Work Values Apply in Many Different Situations
○ Near future
■ Different college options, choosing a major, gap year,
business, etc.
○ Internships
■ What are your necessities and trade-offs?
○ Entry Level Jobs
■ High school students, new career path, etc.
○ Reflection
■ Evaluate yourself after each experience, and don’t be afraid
to change.
IMPORTANCE OF WORK VALUES
● Serves as a guide
○ They help with figuring out your personal views of work in your
life
● Helps with decisions
○ Work values help in making important decisions and career
choices
● Finding your job
○ Organizations want to know if you’re a good fit for them
● Job satisfaction
○ Job satisfaction is calculated using values and work environment
REALITY OF WORK VALUES
● Your values will likely change over time - (and that’s okay!)
● A job is like an article of clothing…
● The ability to base one’s future plan solely on one’s own values is a
privilege - (...and that’s okay too!)
USEFUL LINKS
● Work Values Matcher | Careers
● O*NET Work Values
● Why You Need to Know What Your Work Values Are
● Exploring Work Values: Helping Students Articulate Their Good (Work)
Life
● Chapter 3: Values and Decision Making | Career/Life Planning and
Personal Exploration
● Understanding Workplace Values - Importance of Culture Fit From
MindTools.com