How to help employees love their jobs even if they don’t yet

Ideally, that changes over time.

“At the beginning of your career, you may do lots of things you don’t love,” Grumet said. “But the idea is that that evolves over time. When you get to my age, which is in my 50s, hopefully you’re doing mostly what you love.”

A career leaves plenty of time to pivot, Grumet said. A 2026 Conference Board survey found 68.9% of U.S. workers were satisfied with their jobs, a 39-year high, while a 2025 YouGov report found 74% loved or liked their jobs.

Helping employees before they love the job

Even if many workers eventually grow to like or love their jobs, that doesn’t mean everyone does, particularly early in their careers. Managers and HR can help employees find more satisfaction in their current roles, Grumet said, starting with a simple career inventory.

“Sit down and write all the roles and responsibilities, the things you love, the things you don’t love, and list them out,” Grumet said. “And then start scratching off everything you don’t like. I call this the art of subtraction.”