People only recently paid attention to whether or not they are doing meaningful work. The concept didn't matter much to employees and employers since all that mattered was that the job needed to be done and done quickly. However, companies and their workforce have realised that having meaningful work has many benefits.

The Science of Meaningful Work: What Happens When Purpose Meets Passion?

When the industrial revolution began, and the whole world was ramping up efficiency and maximising productivity and getting things done, few workers - if any - cared about what they were working toward or why they were working on it in the first place. Fewer workers and employers still stopped to consider whether people were happy with their work.

What is Meaningful Work?

Whether people enjoyed their work was never really addressed, and it’s only recently gaining traction. Whether people enjoyed their work or not may have been almost entirely irrelevant back then. Still, work, the global industries, and the whole worldwide economy have become so interconnected and complex that people have started thinking maybe it’s not all about getting paid to pay bills and survive.

People have begun to believe that perhaps work can be fun, gratifying, and something we can be passionate about.

The Science of Meaningful Work means to tackle issues of employee engagement in the workplace. These include whether they know why they are doing the work they are doing, whether they know the point of the work they are doing, and whether they are happy doing the work they are doing.

Meaningful work is being passionate about the work we do and finding meaning and purpose in that same work. It is work that has a clear point and objective, work that aligns with our core values and strengths, and work that motivates us to a high degree.

The Benefits of Meaningful Work and Meaningful Workers

When people feel that their work is meaningful, it provides a richer and more satisfying experience for the person. This might not seem like a big deal from an efficiency perspective because, after all, it shouldn’t matter whether the person doing it is happy or satisfied when it comes to getting the work done. All that matters is that the job gets done. But that’s not the case.

Research shows that meaningful work is tied to more commitment, organisational caretaking and motivation, and lesser absenteeism and intentions to leave an organisation. It’s also directly linked to the productivity and effectiveness of the people. It’s a win-win situation where there is more fulfilment for the employee and many benefits for the organisation.

Benefits of the company

• Higher job satisfaction

• Higher career commitment

• Greater strengths utilisation

• Lower reported cases of depression and hostility

Benefits for meaningful workers:

• Increased levels of organisational commitment

• Lower intentions of leaving

• Lower number of absences

• More faith in management

These are only some benefits, and there are virtually no downsides.

The 3 Central Components of Meaningful Work

For our work to be meaningful, three components need to be present.

The work we do must make sense

We need to know what is being asked of us. We need to know what we need to do our jobs, and we need to know how to do our jobs properly.

The work we do must have a point

There has to be a concrete goal and endgame that we are working towards. What is this report for? Why am I breaking this rock? What’s the point of writing this article? There is simply a need to know the goals of our work.

The work we do must benefit the greater good

The end goal, product, or result must, in one way or another, help other people. It can be by saving the planet, helping another person, or simply making our co-worker’s jobs easier.

In Summary

Not everyone is doing meaningful work, but everyone can be engaged in it. In today’s society, people find it difficult to walk away from a job because we have bills to pay and mouths to feed, and employers always fear their people are lacking commitment and engagement.

And so employers must find ways to make the workplace meaningful, and employees must also find meaning in their work. Doing so inspires, motivates, and engages people.