Workfeel Sort – Teacher Guide
A short interactive tool that helps students discover what kind of work feels good for them, before they worry about job titles.
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Open 80k Hours Companion →1. What is Workfeel?
Workfeel is a 30–40 minute activity where students:
- Sort 50 short “work moment” cards into piles: Love this / Like this / Not sure / Not really me.
- See patterns in what they enjoy — not job titles, but core work ingredients like engaging work, skill improvement, helping others, control, and team culture.
- Write a simple, personal “workfeel” statement.
- Choose 1–2 small experiments to try in the next few weeks to test their preferences.
It is not a test or personality type. There are no right or wrong answers.
2. Why are we doing this?
Traditional career tools ask, “What job do you want?” and produce a list of job titles. These tools often feel disconnected from students' real lives and don't match how careers actually work today. Workfeel asks a different question:
“What kind of work experience do you enjoy, and what small experiments can you run to learn more?”
Research suggests that satisfaction is driven by characteristics of the work environment — engaging tasks, skill growth, helping others, autonomy, and supportive colleagues — rather than specific industry names. Workfeel introduces these ideas in a clear, digestible way. These map to concepts in Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan) and the Job Characteristics Model(Hackman & Oldham, 1976), and are drawn together in the 80,000 Hours career framework.
3. Glossary: the five work ingredients
Each ingredient is a category that appears in students' results. No ingredient is better than another.
4. Teacher Set-up
What you need
- A 40-minute lesson slot (ECG, advisory, life skills, etc.).
- One device per student — laptop or tablet preferred; phone works too.
- Access to the Workfeel application link.
- Optional: printed reflection sheets or notebooks.
Your role
You do notneed to “teach careers.” Your role is to frame the activity as self-exploration, keep students moving, encourage quick honest choices, and facilitate a short debrief.
5. Lesson Flow (40 minutes)
Step 1 · Frame the activity (5 mins)
Say something like: “Today we're using Workfeel. It won't tell you 'your perfect job is X.' Instead, it helps you notice what kind of work experiences you enjoy. You'll spend around 80,000 hours working in your life — more than 9 years awake. This is a small step towards spending those hours on work that fits you.”
Emphasise: it's not graded, there are no right or wrong answers, and “Not sure” is always a valid, useful response.
Step 2 · Card sort (15–20 mins)
Walk around. Encourage fast, honest decisions. If a student freezes, say: “Go with your first reaction — you can use 'Not sure' if you genuinely can't tell.”
If a student says “none of these feel like me” — say: “That's useful information too. Pick 'Not really me' honestly — at the end you'll see what you leaned away from, and sometimes that's just as important.”
Step 3 · Work ingredients & summary (5–7 mins)
Students see their top ingredients and a few “flavour” descriptions. Hold a quick think-pair-share: “What feels most true? What surprised you?” Emphasise this is a snapshot, not a fixed identity.
Step 4 · Choose small experiments (5–8 mins)
Students choose 1–2 experiments and note: what they'll try, when, and what a good signal would be. Encourage realistic, low-stakes experiments (4–6 weeks). Suggest adding it to a planner or calendar.
Step 5 · Capture and debrief (5 mins)
Students see a final snapshot. Ask them to screenshot or download it. Quick reflection: “Write one sentence: 'This week I learned that I might enjoy work that…'” Connect to future ECG lessons.
5b. Condensed 25-minute version
For shorter slots (e.g. form time, assembly periods):
Skip the workfeel statement and experiments in this version, and revisit them in a follow-up lesson.
6. How the score is calculated
You do not need to know this to run the activity. But if a student asks “why is X my top ingredient?”, this section helps you answer confidently.
The simple version
Every card has hidden tags linking it to one or more work ingredients. When you sort cards:
- Marking a card Love this → adds 2 points to each ingredient on that card.
- Marking a card Like this → adds 1 point.
- Not sure and Not really me → add 0 points.
The app adds up points for each ingredient, then converts to a percentage of the maximum possible (because some ingredients appear on more cards than others). The ingredient with the highest percentage ranks #1.
Worked example
Suppose “Engaging work” appears on 20 cards. If you LOVEd all 20, the maximum score would be 20 × 2 = 40 points. If you actually scored 28 points, your normalised score is 28 ÷ 40 = 70%— and that's what determines the ranking.
The formula
Sub-flavour comparisons
Alongside the five core ingredients, the app compares pairs of sub-flavours (e.g. challenging groups vs relaxed groups; calm environments vs fast-paced ones). If one tag scores 2 or more points ahead of its pair, the app says you “leaned toward” it. If the scores are close, it says you seemed to like both.
7. How counsellors can use the output
Counsellors can use the Workfeel snapshot in 1:1 sessions. Start with 1–2 “Love this” scenarios: “Tell me about why this appeals to you.” Explore tensions if they exist: “You liked small serious groups and also relaxed fun groups — how do you see that?” Revisit experiments in follow-up: “You planned to join the tutoring club — how did it go?”
Keep the conversation on the experience of work, not immediately jumping to specific job titles.
8. FAQ for Teachers
Q: What if a student says 'none of these are me'?
A: Encourage them to use "Not really me" honestly. Finding out what they don't enjoy is valuable. You can also check if they understand the scenario — sometimes a quick example helps. If they're genuinely disengaged, don't force it — invite them to revisit it later.
Q: Are students being pushed toward specific careers or causes?
A: No. The tool doesn't say 'you should be X.' It surfaces what they enjoy in work and suggests small, student-chosen experiments. Some scenarios mention community or environment issues as examples, but they do not prescribe a path.
Q: Can this replace interest tests like RIASEC or Holland Codes?
A: It's a complement or alternative starting point. Use it before or alongside other tools. Workfeel focuses on the experience of work rather than mapping interests to job codes.
Q: What if a student is upset or distressed during the activity?
A: Some students find career activities anxiety-inducing. If a student becomes distressed, pause and remind them: 'This is just for you — it's a thinking tool, not a judgment.' Follow your school's pastoral support protocol if the distress continues.
Q: Do I need to collect or see students' results?
A: No data is stored on a server — results exist only in the student's browser session. Students can screenshot or download their snapshot if they want to keep it. You do not see their results unless they choose to share.
Q: What if a student finishes much faster than others?
A: Ask them to go back and review a few "Not sure" cards to see if any are clearer now. They can also start drafting their workfeel statement while others finish.
Q: What if a student has very low scores across the board (all 'Not sure')?
A: The app handles this gracefully. Encourage the student to revisit the activity at a later point, or reflect on which cards they found hardest to sort and why — that's a useful conversation in itself.
Q: Is this tool culturally appropriate for all students?
A: The scenarios are designed to be broad and accessible, but some students may find certain examples more relatable. 'Not sure' or 'Not really me' are always valid. You can briefly acknowledge beforehand: 'Some scenarios might not match your exact experience — just react to the feeling behind it.'
Q: Can parents or guardians see the results?
A: Only if the student chooses to share their snapshot. Results are stored locally in the student's browser and are not shared automatically with teachers or the school.
Q: How is this activity graded or assessed?
A: It isn't, and it shouldn't be. Workfeel is explicitly a non-assessed exploration tool. If you need to record participation, note that students completed the activity. The workfeel statement could go in a portfolio as a personal reflection, but should never be graded for content.
Q: What if a student's results don't feel right to them?
A: That's a great conversation to have. Ask: 'Which part doesn't feel right — the top ingredient, or the flavour descriptions?' Sometimes results surface something the student hasn't tried yet. Encourage them to treat the result as a hypothesis to test, not a verdict.
9. Key messages to repeat to students
- “This is about how work feels for you, not about getting a perfect score.”
- “You can change your mind later. This is a snapshot, not a lifelong label.”
- “Small experiments are better than big, risky decisions. Try things and learn from them.”
10. Research foundation
Workfeel is inspired by research in career development and occupational psychology. Key ideas it draws on:
- Job Characteristics Model (Hackman & Oldham, 1976): Meaningful work involves skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback — these map closely to Workfeel's five ingredients.
- Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan): Intrinsic motivation is driven by Competence (getting good), Autonomy (control), and Relatedness (people & culture).
- 80,000 Hours career framework: Prioritises engaging, impactful work that uses your strengths in a supportive team — the inspiration for Workfeel's ingredient structure.
Workfeel is not officially affiliated with 80,000 Hours or any other organisation. It is an independent educational tool for secondary students inspired by this body of work.