Health insurance, dental and vision plans, flexible annual leave, and wellness plans…these are the makings of a solid employee benefits package. But slowly, some employers are expanding the definition of “wellness” from the narrow scope of mental and bodily wellness to a broader vision that includes “career wellness,” defined by the University of Maryland as pursuing meaningful paid or unpaid work that is aligned with your talents and values.[1] Just as our physical health involves a good balance of challenge and rest, our career health requires alignment with our innate talents to balance challenge and contentment.
As an education and career counselor, I’m used to individuals coming to me to help build a plan that puts them in the driver’s seat of their lives. However, it was something new when an employee benefits company came to me wanting to make career counseling one of the perks in their benefits packages.
I wondered if I’d lose the contract if what resulted from our counseling sessions was the client’s realization that they were in the wrong career. It’s a risk I assume the companies are willing to take. After all, an unhappy employee isn’t a productive one for very long. These companies also realize that career guidance will help the right employees stick around with renewed confidence in their abilities and the agency to ask for the appropriate work placements and assignments. Employees who leave their counseling sessions with an understanding of how small work adjustments—asking for more client interaction, offering to write the newsletter, asking to sit in on design meetings, requesting more solo research time—can tap into a few more latent talents and transform their personal satisfaction, while uplifting the collective work culture in the process.
Specifically, career guidance that uses objective aptitude assessment can unearth talents that have been dormant for years. Playing to these never-before-seen strengths can be a game changer for the employee and the employer. So essential—and so misunderstood—are aptitudes that my coauthor, Betsy Wills, and I sought to convey their influence on career and life satisfaction in our new book, Your Hidden Genius: The Science-Backed Strategy to Uncovering and Harnessing Your Innate Talents. Unlike self-reported measures of our personal qualities, aptitudes can only be assessed using a scientifically sound series of timed brain games, like those offered in an online assessment, YouScience, which is used in 50 states by 7,000 schools.
The clients I’ve worked with aren’t planning to leave their jobs immediately—most can’t afford to. Instead, they’re exploring ways to grow within their companies, pursue education, or find activities outside work that align with their strengths. For example, one woman in a customer service call center loves helping people and is great at calming anxious or angry callers. However, she wants a role with more face-to-face interaction, like in-home care or childcare, which matches her aptitude for relational thinking and her flexible work, open-minded approach, all revealed in the assessment.
She’s also explored selling homemade creations and gift baskets on the side, but her cautious, process-oriented personality makes self-employment challenging. She thrives as part of a team and values contributing to something bigger than herself, which makes her a loyal and dedicated employee. If her employer recognized her hidden talents, they could help her find roles that make her happier and more effective, even if they can’t meet all her preferences. Adjusting her role slightly, for example, to include more in-person interactions or training new hires, could make a big difference in her job satisfaction and impact.
Burnout, a growing concern globally, is often linked to a mismatch between personal strengths and job demands. A 2021 McKinsey & Company study found that 42% of employees globally report burnout. Employees who understand their aptitudes can advocate for roles and tasks that align with their natural strengths, leading to better engagement and productivity. Meanwhile, employers who encourage this alignment foster a culture of support and resilience, benefiting both employees and the organization.
Employee engagement and development, like physical and mental health, requires continuous attention and care. It’s not a one-time consideration during school or early career stages but a lifelong journey. Employers who embrace career wellness by integrating tools like aptitude assessments create workplaces where employees feel valued and energized—and where the company reaps the rewards of higher retention, better morale, and stronger performance. '
Just as mental and physical health are lifelong commitments, so too is employee engagement and development. Employers interested in fostering career wellness will invest in healthy career trajectories for their teams, laying the foundation for a thriving workforce and a successful future.
[1] “Wellness: Active Terps Live Well.” Active Terps Live Well RecWell, recwell.umd.edu/safety-wellness/wellness#:~:text=Pursuing%20meaningful%20paid%20or%20unpaid,a%20healthy%20work%2Dlife%20balance. Accessed 11 Jan. 2025.
Alex Ellison is an education consultant with a private guidance counseling practice, which has enabled her to work with schools, nonprofits, and families across the country. She writes and lectures extensively on the subject of careers and college readiness and has been a featured speaker at SXSW and TedX. She is the author of Go Your Own Way: 7 Student-Centered Paths to the Best College Experience and the creator of the Go Your Own Way Student Archetype Quiz used in schools and by individuals to jump-start their college search. Alex holds a degree in German and Business from Northwestern University and a Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Nevada. She lives in Santa Cruz, California. Your Hidden Genius: The Science-Backed Strategy to Uncovering and Harnessing Your Innate Talents is available everywhere books are sold.
