Pride in one's own work grows in the peer group of entrepreneurs

Last autumn, we met a group of entrepreneurs over the age of 55 in a coaching and peer group organised by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health. The group has had six joint meetings and personal sparrings for entrepreneurs. In the group, we discussed the well-being of the entrepreneur, as well as the entrepreneurship and related knowledge and skills.

Before the group started and after the group ended, we, experts from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, asked the team members to assess their faith in their own abilities, faith in the future, the work engagement, and their ability to work. In the results of the evaluation, the experience of entrepreneurs with work engagement was especially pleasing. Work engagement refers to a positive state of emotion and motivation associated with work. It includes experiences of energy at work, dedication to work and immersion in work.  During their participation in the group, entrepreneurs ‘ experiences of work engagement had increased compared with the period before joining the group. The entrepreneurs felt more and more proud of their own work. The group members’ experience of strength and energy at work had also increased during the autumn.

After participating in the group, entrepreneurs also felt even more strongly that in the future they could do whatever kind of work they wanted. In addition, their assessment of their own ability to work improved during the participation in groups’ activities.

Nowadays, many people question the meaningfulness of their work and are exhausted by it. Some people find their work useless. Sometimes the job feels boring or crazy. Against the increase in work-related nausea, it seems wonderful that entrepreneurs who participated in our group valued their own work and believed in the future.

In particular, the mind is warmed by the increased pride of entrepreneurs in their own work in the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic. We believe that being part of the group contributed to this sense of pride, as the group offered the opportunity to reflect on work and entrepreneurship together with others who are in the same situation. During the autumn, every entrepreneur who participated in the group considered their work from many perspectives. It was important for everyone that working is meaningful and provides a livelihood.

In fact, satisfaction with work and high levels of work engagement is also more common for entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs usually experience more work engagement than employees. In our group, many people had started a business in the first place because they were tired of paid work and wanted to do self-looking work in a way that suits them. This reinforces the starting points for the engagement of work but does not mean that entrepreneurs do not need equal support for their well-being at work. Especially for sole entrepreneurs, opportunities to reflect on matters related to one’s own work with others may be few and far between. While participating in the group activities, entrepreneurs have received confirmation of their own solutions from other entrepreneurs as well as from experts from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health who guided the group. Although the pandemic, for example, may have made work difficult or temporarily impossible, pride in one’s own work has been a resource that holds up even in demanding times.

Test your own work engagement on the Website of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health: Työn imu -testi – Työterveyslaitos (ttl.fi)

Are you an entrepreneur aged 55 or over whose company operates in Uusimaa? Do you want to join a free coaching and peer group? Get to know and register:  Entrepreneurs’ coaching and peer groups | Entrefox

 

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