Why Do I Spend 40 Hours a Week in an Office?: Why Meaningful Work Matters and How to Create it

Abstract

A review of existing literature and popular media exhibits an increasing demand for meaningful work from individuals as well as a desire to provide meaningful work by organizations. This study synthesizes existing research on the definition, sources, and outcomes of meaningful work for individuals and organizations. Insights from this review are integrated to advance a taxonomy of the different types of practices organizations can implement to promote meaningfulness for their employees. The categories from this taxonomy were used to determine most effective strategies for promoting meaningfulness, as well as the most influential sources in the experience of meaningfulness. Finally, the extent to which meaningfulness affects organizational outcomes was evaluated to assess the organizational value of implementing these practices and promoting meaningfulness. The results of the study confirm the growing need for and benefits of helping individuals experience meaningfulness in their work.