The Meaningfulness of Work
To what extent do employees in the Netherlands experience their jobs as meaningful? What is the relationship between experiencing meaningful work and work alienation? And what influences the experience of having meaningful work?
Project MethodologyĀ
Every year, The Work Lab, in collaboration with the Centre for Economic Transformation, conducts a labor market study focusing on a key theme relevant to both practice and academia. This year, the theme is the meaningfulness of work.Ā
In the Netherlands, there has been a significant decline in employee well-being in recent years (CBS, 2023) and a decrease in the level of good work (WRR, 2022). Both trends are alarming in the context of work sustainability and corporate social responsibility. These trends are the impetus for this research.Ā
Meaningfulness of work creates intrinsic motivation to do the job. Motivation ensures that employees deliver satisfactory work that meets the appropriate quality standards. Meaningful work is therefore an essential component of good work. Meaningful work gives the feeling that the work contributes to something larger, that the work aligns with personal values and interests, and that it has a positive impact on the organization, others, and/or society.Ā
This research complements the social and academic debate about meaningful work. David Graeber popularized meaningful work with his theory of Bullshit jobs in 2013. Graeber claims that more and more employees experience their work as pointless. According to Graeber, the conviction that work is pointless harms employee well-being and motivation. The theory resonated with many employees, but empirical research, such as that of Soffia et al. (2022), provides no evidence for this. However, there are strong indications that work alienation leads to a meaningless experience of work, which would cause a decline in well-being.Ā
Research ObjectiveĀ
The aim of the research is to gain insight into how much employees in the Netherlands experience their work as meaningful and to what extent they experience alienation. Using a questionnaire among panel members, we aim to gain insight into various factors such as meaningfulness of work, level of autonomy, social support at work, value employees place on work, and organizational commitment. And how do these factors relate to each other and how do they influence each other? In the research, we also pay attention to differences between groups of employees.Ā
ResultsĀ
The final report is expected in February 2024.Ā
TeamĀ
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Hafid BallafkihĀ
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DaniĆ«l van MiddelkoopĀ
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Sophie SasseĀ