•We study the determinants of meaningful work.•Intrinsic, rather than extrinsic, work aspects matter more.•Meaningful work predicts labour market behaviours.•Meaningful work is important to ...economists.
We demonstrate why meaningful work, i.e. job-related activities that individuals view as purposeful and worthwhile, matters to labour economists. Building on self-determination theory, which specifies the roles of autonomy, competence, and relatedness as preconditions for motivation, we are the first to explore the determinants of work meaningfulness. Specifically, using three waves of the European Working Conditions Survey, we show that autonomy, competence, and relatedness explain about 60% of the variation in work meaningfulness perceptions. Meanwhile, extrinsic factors, such as income, benefits, and performance pay, are relatively unimportant. Meaningful work also predicts absenteeism, skills training, and retirement intentions, which highlights the concept’s economic significance. We provide new insights that could help organise the future of work in a meaningful and dignifying way and propose concrete avenues for future research on meaningful work in economics.
Despite conclusive evidence about the positive impact of working relative to unemployment for psychological well-being, there remains much uncertainty about why working relates to improved ...well-being. Two theoretical perspectives that have often been contrasted in examinations of this question are the latent deprivation model and the agency restriction model. The former emphasizes (latent) psychological benefits of work (time structure, collective purpose, social contact, social status, and enforced activity), asserting that lower well-being in unemployment is due to the deprivation of access to these benefits. The latter emphasizes the monetary (manifest) benefit of work, asserting that it is the financial strain caused by lacking income that is primarily responsible for restricting agency and lowering well-being in unemployment. Here, we integrate these theories with a meta-analysis based on 90 primary studies/sources, 1147 effect sizes, and 69,723 people. Results support a unified account of these theories: employment provides access to all of these psychological and monetary benefits of work, and each benefit is significantly associated with lower psychological distress and higher life satisfaction. The monetary benefit was especially strongly related to life satisfaction. Meta-analytic structural equation modeling revealed that the benefits (except for enforced activity) fully mediated the effect of employment status on psychological distress; in contrast, only collective purpose, social status, and financial strain partially mediated the effect of employment status on life satisfaction. We discuss the implications of these findings for future research and for individuals, organizations, and policymakers to improve the experience of employment and mollify the harms of unemployment.
This research examined whether volunteering would grant an alternative route to meaning at work (in the form of the latent benefits of work), even when people are deprived of meaning in times of job ...insecurity. Two longitudinal studies conducted in Germany (2 waves; n = 110) and the United Kingdom (3 waves; n = 377) showed that volunteering was related to more latent benefits in general, although the specific relationships differed between the countries: In the German sample, volunteering led to more collective purpose and social contacts over time, in the UK sample, it increased time structure and activity. Cross-lagged path analyses further showed that the relationship between volunteering and the latent benefits was reciprocal in both countries: volunteering increased the latent benefits and vice versa. There was limited evidence for the depriving effect of job insecurity, which was found only cross-sectionally. In sum, the results confirm that volunteering can enhance the benefits of work in times of job insecurity and that the effect is reciprocal.
The involuntary loss of employment has been shown to deteriorate subjective well‐being. Adopting a cross‐cultural perspective on Jahoda's () deprivation model this study examines several latent and ...manifest benefits of work that were expected to mediate the effects of employment status on well‐being. It was hypothesized that in more collectivistic societies the decline in subjective well‐being would be a consequence of a diminished sense of collective purpose for the non‐employed, whereas in individualistic societies the crucial factors would be a loss of social status and financial benefits. The findings from two representative national surveys conducted in the United States (N = 1,093) and Japan (N = 647) provided partial support for these hypotheses. Cultural differences moderated the effects of employment status on the benefits of work. As a consequence, different processes mediated the decline in well‐being for the non‐employed in the two countries. These results are embedded within the wider discourse on culture and its effect on unemployment.
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore the opportunities provided by the workplace as an arena for learning and academic credit for first year undergraduates at Manchester Metropolitan ...University Business School. The research focuses on the evaluation of a work-based learning (WBL) module designed for full-time business students who are working part time to fund their progress through university.Design methodology approach - Primary reflective data were gathered in a structured evaluation from a cohort of 85 participating students at the end of the WBL module. A self-selected sample of 14 of these students provided additional data through questionnaires and interviews. Material was also captured from tutor reflections and some employers who volunteered comments. Recent literature on WBL was reviewed.Findings - Some recent literature suggests that part-time work has a detrimental effect on student study and attainment. However the findings of this research revealed both anticipated and unexpected benefits, not just for the students but other stakeholders. Students liked the flexible delivery and the opportunity to learn in the workplace rather than the classroom. Students also reported short and longer term career benefits as a result of doing WBL and a boost in job motivation. In addition, there were development opportunities for tutors, employers and the employing business.Research limitations implications - The research was limited to one cohort and was also undertaken by the tutors and not independent researchers. The sample was self selected and was not representative. Employer feedback was limited and possibly unreliable. However, there is clear evidence of positive enthusiasm for this mode of learning and the rich seam of learning opportunities for all parties in this mode of undergraduate delivery deserves more research.Practical implications - Given the economic necessity for full-time students to engage in part-time employment, this form of WBL that carries academic credit can greatly enhance the curriculum of business students. Linked to the employability agenda WBL could also be included in the curriculum of students taking non-vocational degrees and this University is currently exploring this development. Working students are offered an alternative form of learning delivery which supports their complex lives by being flexible and perhaps meets the learning preferences of pragmatists and activists more than the traditional classroom.Social implications - There is evidence that students who engage in WBL are more motivated and committed employees. They have also contributed to improvements in their workplaces in areas around waste, "green issues" and health and safety. All students, but particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, can use their part-time employment as an asset rather than a hindrance to learning, thus supporting widening participation in higher education. Employers are encouraged to use the intellectual abilities of their student employees to mutual advantage.Originality value - The design of the WBL unit and the research is original to the authors. All secondary sources are cited.
Interviews with parents and primary caregivers of 10 adults with severe intellectual disabilities participating in supported employment programs in South Australia found parents and caregivers were ...generally satisfied with supported employment but expressed low expectations for improving wages, career advancement, or social integration. (DB)
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