✨ What Keeps Us Learning Throughout Life?

⇒ On the one hand, research shows that personal fulfillment and a sense of control are strong motivators, especially for adults over 45, who often learn to stay mentally sharp and define their path (Source).

⇒ On the other hand, educators highlight that intrinsic motivation, the joy of learning itself, is key to retaining knowledge and applying it across life contexts (Source).

So, what does this mean for lifelong learning?

It suggests that while career and security are important, people often keep learning because of curiosity, personal growth, and the satisfaction of discovery.

At DIAMOND Empower, we explore how these motivations shape lifelong learning pathways across schools, workplaces, and communities.

👉 Question for you: 

What motivates you most to keep learning throughout life ~ Career growth, Personal interest, Community influence or Job security?

Learn more: https://diamond-empower.eu/

✨ How Much Does Your Job Define You?

We recently asked: “To what percentage does your job define you?” 

The poll is closed, and here are the final results:

• I am not my job ~ 18%
• Job matters ~ 38%
• Job defines me a lot ~ 31%
• Career = Identity ~ 13%

(Original Poll by Nektar Baziotis from Evolutionary Archetypes Consulting SL)

The answers tell a story: most feel their job defines them to some extent, but only a small share equate career with their full identity.

In Europe, a survey of 5,600 professionals across 15 industries found that 45% think their job must have meaning, and about 70% already find their work meaningful. That shows purpose matters – even if meaning and identity aren’t the same thing.

In the U.S., Pew Research Center found that 39% of workers say their job is “very important” to their identity, 34% say it’s “somewhat important,” and 27% say it doesn’t matter much.

And for younger people, the Deloitte Gen Z research report found that 61% of Gen Z feel work is a big part of who they are – showing how strongly the new generation connects career and self.

These insights reflect the core questions DIAMOND Empower explores: How does work shape who we are, how we grow, and how we learn across life contexts?

Learn more: https://diamond-empower.eu/

✨ Finding Balance in Work & Life

Our latest DIAMOND Empower poll asked: What do you believe would help achieve a better work-life balance for you?

The poll is closed, and here are the final results:

• Flexibility in work hours ~ 37%
• Reduced weekly hours ~ 30%
• Supportive work culture ~ 27%
• Clear personal boundaries ~ 7%

(Original Poll by Nektar Baziotis from Evolutionary Archetypes Consulting SL: https://tinyurl.com/3x9jtems) 

The strong preference for time-related solutions echoes what European research highlights:

⇒ Eurofound notes that “working hours have a direct bearing on standard of living, work–life balance and the overall sustainability of working life” (Eurofound).

⇒ And the European Economic and Social Committee confirms that “appropriate working-time arrangements can make enterprises more sustainable and improve their productivity… [and] have the greatest impact on people’s quality of life (well-being)” (EESC).

These insights mirror what we explore in DIAMOND: how working conditions, social innovations, and policies can shape not just jobs, but the way people live, learn, and grow. 

Learn more: https://diamond-empower.eu/

📍 How much does your job define you, and why does that matter for motivation?

⇒ Some see work as identity.
Large studies show a majority of workers say their job contributes to their sense of purpose, which shapes career choices and learning priorities (McKinsey).

⇒ Others treat work as a role.
For other people, a job is mainly a source of income, stability, or flexibility, practical needs that push career decisions (for example, low pay or no advancement are top reasons people leave jobs) (PewResearch).

So what does this mean for motivation and skills?

People whose job is part of their identity often prioritize meaningful work and career development. People who separate identity from work more often emphasise pay, schedule flexibility, and work-life balance. Knowing which of these matters most helps design the right training, supports and job pathways.

💡 At DIAMOND Empower, we conduct surveys, literature reviews and grassroots feedback, to refine tools like the ᴱGROW Index and MOVEᴱ, so that career supports, training offers and policy recommendations reflect real motivations and lived experience. 

👉 Question for you: Which matters most for your motivation at work ~ pay, purpose, growth, or balance? 

Learn more: https://diamond-empower.eu/

📍 How many hours is “full-time” work? It varies around the world.

• France: Officially set at 35 hours/week by the Aubry law in 2000 (Source).
• Germany: Commonly 36-40 hours/week (Source). 
• Netherlands: Typically between 36-40 hours/week (Source).
• Spain: Often 40 hours/week is standard (Source).
• USA: 40 hours/week is the traditional benchmark for full-time (Source).
• Mexico: Allowed up to 48 hours/week under federal law (Source).

Why does this matter?

Work-life balance, productivity, and well-being are shaped by these definitions. What counts as “full-time” can affect everything from parental leave to overtime rules.

💡 In DIAMOND Empower, we develop tools to improve re- and upskilling programs, and take factors, such as contracted hours, job satisfaction, and hourly wage into account in our analysis and policy recommendations.

⇒ Question for you: 

What weekly hour total do you think strikes the best balance between productivity and quality of life?

Learn more: https://diamond-empower.eu/

📍 What’s the right balance between work and life?

⇒ Some believe success demands relentless hours.
Elon Musk once said: “Nobody ever changed the world on 40 hours a week.”

He has spoken publicly about pushing for 120-hour work weeks during Tesla’s most intense periods.
Source: Business Insider

⇒ Others challenge this.
Advocates of the 4-day work week argue that reducing hours actually boosts productivity and well-being.

A large UK pilot study found that 71% of employees had less burnout, and most companies kept the shorter week after the trial.
Source: UK pilot study results

So what’s the “right” approach to work-life balance?

⇒ There may not be just one. But it’s clear that balance isn’t only about hours, it’s about how we work, who has flexibility, and whether systems support people’s well-being and goals.

💡That’s why DIAMOND Empower explores the conditions that shape employment pathways across Europe, especially for those balancing caregiving, education, career change, or economic pressure. Our tools, like the ᴱGROW Index and MOVEᴱ, help uncover what individuals need to thrive, not just survive.

What do you think?
What’s the best way to create a healthy work-life balance for you, your team, or society?

Learn more: https://diamond-empower.eu/

📍 What are Empowerment Capabilities, and why do they matter?

Everyone deserves a fair chance to learn, grow, and access meaningful work. But not everyone starts from the same place. 

That’s why DIAMOND Empower is working to understand the deeper factors, called empowerment capabilities, that affect how people approach learning and make decisions about their future.

These capabilities include things like:

• Feeling confident in your ability to succeed
• Having access to learning support and resources
• Being open to change and new challenges
• Knowing how to move forward even when things feel uncertain

🔎 How does DIAMOND Empower study this?

The Universität Wien has been leading the work to build tools for empowerment capabilities with the following activities:

• We mapped out common drivers and barriers for these empowerment capabilities through research and surveys with grassroots communities.
• Then, the partners used behavioral studies to understand how different learners think, learn, and stay motivated.
• Other partners tested how empowerment affects performance in real-life training, both online and in person.

The partners Aarhus Universitet, Universidad de Burgos, Fundacja Obiektywna, Proportional Message Associacao, Ente Morale Giacomo Feltrinelli per l’incremento Dell’Istruzione Tecnica, Youth Power Germany EV, & Fundación Miradas worked on this process.

All of this helps DIAMOND shape inclusive, evidence-based tools like the ᴱGROW Index and MOVEᴱ, so that the support people get is actually grounded in how they learn best.

Learn more: https://diamond-empower.eu/

📍 What is the ᴱGROW Index?

In today’s job market, it takes more than qualifications to get ahead. People need the right mix of skills, mindset, and support to navigate a changing world of work.

That’s where the ᴱGROW Index comes in.

This tool ~ developed by DIAMOND Empower ~ is designed to help people identify the skills they already have, discover the ones they need, and build a path toward meaningful employment. It especially supports those facing economic, social, or educational barriers.

How it’s being developed:

• First, Universität Wien led the review of existing research on employability and inclusion, supported by Aarhus Universitet, Universidad de Burgos, and Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen.
• Then, Aarhus Universitet and project partners designed a structure based on key factors like motivation, opportunity, and access to learning.

🧪 A first prototype of the ᴱGROW Index has already been developed by Aarhus Universitet,
CETIC, Immersion and Universität Wien.

It maps out different factors that influence employability, such as:

• motivation and self-efficacy
• digital readiness
• access to support services
• learning or work experience

On July 3rd, grassroots organizations and experts met to test and simplify the prototype, ensuring it’s easy to use, accessible, and aligned with real-world needs, including green and digital skills.

→ The next steps will focus on refining and finalizing the index, making sure it’s ready to support people across Europe.

DIAMOND Empower supports inclusive, community-driven innovation for the future of work and learning.

📍 What is the Grassroot Living Lab in DIAMOND Empower?

A central feature of DIAMOND Empower, the Grassroot Living Lab serves as a dynamic research, innovation, and engagement environment ~ designed to support inclusive, bottom-up transformation across the project.

• Living Lab = co-creation space where stakeholders test and shape new tools, technologies, and services in real-life settings
  • Agile, iterative process → real-time feedback, adaptation, and improvement
  • ‘Grassroot’ = human-centric and community-driven, involving vulnerable groups directly in research and innovation
  • Embedded across the project, closely connected to the development of the ᴱGROW Index and MOVEᴱ tools

The Grassroot Living Lab is one of the 4 Key Exploitable results (KERs) of the DIAMOND Empower project: a transferable and scalable model of inclusive engagement for future labor market innovation

By engaging the very communities it aims to empower, the Grassroot Living Lab ensures DIAMOND’s impact is lived, not just designed. 💎

🔗 Learn more: https://diamond-empower.eu/about/