That's what the research tells us, too. Over the years, there's been quite a bit of research into the factors that make up a great working environment. Here's a quick summary of what the research and my own experience tell us make for a great working environment. People want to do work that's interesting and meaningful. They want what they do to be enriching for them and important to others.
Different people define interesting in different ways.
For some folks, it means that they're learning a lot, having lots of personal growth. For others, the most important thing is that there are lots of different situations to deal with or lots of different problems to solve. The self-fulfillment comes from being part of a team, an elite group, or just a bunch of folks you like working with. It's also important for the work to have value to others. Clear and Reasonable Expectations People like to know what's expected of them.