Families motivate people at work

Families Motivate People at Work

Zurich (Switzerland) — December 2026

What really motivates people at work?

We often point to the classics:
💡 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘤 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 -- the joy and fulfillment we get from doing what we love.
💡 𝘌𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘤 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 -- rewards, recognition, or advancement.
💡 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 -- the desire to make a difference for others.

But there’s another, often overlooked source of motivation: 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺.

In our research, Lauren Howe and I found that people who see their work as benefiting their family -- by providing, being a role model, or making loved ones proud -- show up more energized, focused, and fulfilled. Family doesn’t drain energy from work; it fuels it.

So how can leaders and organizations unleash this powerful motivation?
➡️ 𝘔𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦: through stories, photos, or family days at work.
➡️ 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: offer flexibility, predictable schedules, and meaningful time off so that work supports family, rather than competes with it.
➡️ 𝘔𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘭 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴: talk openly about how your own family gives meaning to your work -- showing that ambition and affection can coexist.

When employees feel supported as whole human beings, motivation deepens. Family becomes not a distraction from work, but a reason to give our best to it.

I’m grateful that Harvard Business Review has reprinted our article “𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘔𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘋𝘰 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘉𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘬” in its special issue “𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘔𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦.”

Honoured to share pages with inspiring thinkers like Adam Grant, Bill George, Teresa Amabile, Nitin Nohria, Ethan Bernstein, Sally Blount, Michael Horn, Bobby Moesta, Rebecca M. Knight, Bror Saxberg, Ron Carucci, Rob Cross, Karen Dillon, Martin Reeves, Adam Galinsky, Zach Mercurio, Ph.D., Nigel Nicholson, Scott K. Edinger, Hooria Jazaieri, Olivia (Mandy) O'Neill, Monique Valcour PhD PCC, Jamil Zaki, Dan Cable, Joonyoung Kim, Eric Anicich, Dart Lindsley, Zeynep Ton, Marcus Buckingham, Lori Goler, Janelle Gale, Ph.D., Brynn Harrington, Thomas Buberl, and Hubert Joly.

With thanks to my brilliant co-author Lauren Howe, to our team at the UZH Center for Leadership in the Future of Work -- and to the families who power our daily efforts. 💛

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