Fixing Work: A Tale about Designing Jobs Employees Love

2023 Goody Business Book Awards Winner in Big Ideas Business Books

Work is broken. But it can be fixed.

Most employees are not engaged in their work. Turnover rates are increasing. Productivity is stagnating. Why? Because when designing work, we rarely consider the deep-seated human need for meaningfulness, autonomy, and feedback.

Drawing from decades of research, executive and entrepreneur David Henkin and management consultant Thomas Bertels take us on an investigative journey to solve this problem and make work more productive, satisfying, and meaningful. Through their allegorical tale of a typical office with typical employees, they allow us to see ourselves in the characters while learning strategies to create better jobs and perform at higher levels. By empowering his team with these methods, manager Jerry provides a road map for us to fix what's broken at our own companies.

Fixing Work is a clarion call for managers and executives at all levels. Instead of treating employees like automatons and discouraging creativity, ownership, and engagement, we should rethink how work gets done and structure jobs to be intrinsically motivating. Not only does motivational work design increase employee engagement; it also improves productivity and the customer experience, strengthening the company as a whole--a triple win.

David Henkin is an accomplished executive and entrepreneur with a proven record of success in prominent global companies as well as start-ups. The author of several books, he has taught in a top-rated university business school program while also serving as a consultant and executive coach for corporate and nonprofit leaders. David is based in Philadelphia and holds an MBA from Villanova University, an MA from the City College of New York, and a BS from the University of Maryland.

Thomas Bertels is the president and founder of Purpose Works, a management consulting firm on a mission to make work more productive, valuable, meaningful, and impactful. He has twenty-five years of experience working with companies ranging from Fortune 10 firms to start-ups to improve organizational effectiveness and transform how work gets done. He has published several books and countless articles. Thomas is based in New Jersey and holds an MBA from the Stern School of Business.