Less Autopilot, More Purpose

Less Autopilot, More Purpose

On this Labor Day, the numbers send a signal that is hard to ignore: in Chile, nearly 3 out of 4 workers do not feel fulfilled at work (Purpose Index Study, Almabrands, 2025).

 

This figure takes on particular urgency in the age of Artificial Intelligence and automation. Today, when technical execution can be delegated to an algorithm, real value shifts from carrying out the work to critical judgment and human sensitivity. That is why the invitation from Howard Thurman, philosopher and mentor to Martin Luther King Jr., is more relevant than ever:

 

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

 

For Thurman, who forged his philosophy under harsh racial segregation in the U.S., the greatest social danger was not only injustice, but “living death”: moving through the world on autopilot, with one’s purpose switched off.

 

Although our context is different, the symptom is similar. In Chile, a large part of our workforce operates on that same autopilot. This is not just a matter of individual well-being; it is a deep wound to our productivity and competitiveness.

 

The fulfillment gap in our country is alarming: while 82% of executives and managers say they feel fulfilled, the figure drops sharply to 25% in administrative, technical, or operational roles (Purpose Index, 2025). This gap is confirmed by our Organizational Trust Pulse study (Almabrands, 2025), where we found gaps of up to 30 points in trust toward the organization between those who manage people and those who do not.

 

Why does this happen? One hypothesis is that while executives and managers design the future, administrative, technical, and operational staff feel they must simply carry out someone else’s dream within rigid frameworks. This view is short-sighted and transactional, but perfectly natural given our recent work history of hierarchies and silos.

 

For employees to take ownership of their role, they must be able to “put something of themselves” into it. It is not about skipping the process, but about allowing them to leave their personal mark: think of the nurse who, in addition to following medical protocol, uses her people skills to comfort a frightened child; or the worker who, on their own initiative, takes care of the surroundings or the store so customers have a better experience.

 

In a service economy, real productivity lies in that “extra gesture”: the administrative employee who handles an urgent request at closing time, or the operator who ensures a smooth shift change so operations never stop.

 

Closing this gap requires commitment from both segments of the organization:

 

Leading with purpose: Directors and managers who stop seeing personal touch as a risk and start seeing it as the engine of excellence. Changing this mindset is the first and most fundamental step.

 

Psychological safety: An environment where workers feel safe and motivated to go beyond the technical script and contribute from their humanity.

 

The nudge: A push (or nudge) that opens the door for workers to see their work differently, reflecting on what makes them proud at work and exploring more deeply why they do what they do.

 

Only then will we transform the world of work, moving from seeing it as an exchange of hours for a paycheck to what Thurman dreamed of: a space to feel alive, empowered and, ultimately, fulfilled.

 

Written by Cristián Irarrázaval, Culture and Leadership Manager, Almabrands.