Meaningful work is an increasingly popular phenomenon when it comes to organizational health. More specifically, it appears that, when paired with job satisfaction, meaningful work improves employee's mental health. How are these mechanisms related, and how can organizations benefit from them? To answer these questions, we examined the findings of a study published in 2017 by Allan and colleagues aiming 1) to evaluate the perception of loss of meaningful work as a predictor of depression, anxiety, and stress and 2) to determine the influence of job satisfaction on the perception of meaningful work and mental health.
Legende: Recommendation of our expert
Expert advisor and lead author:
- Étienne FOUQUET, research assistant, Université de Sherbrooke
Authors:
- Rachèle HÉBERT, research professional, Université de Sherbrooke
- Marie-Eve MAJOR, associate professor, ergonomics, Faculty of Kinesiology, Université de Sherbrooke
- Rébecca LEFEBVRE, research professional, Université de Sherbrooke
This initiative was made possible through a collaboration with the Université de Sherbrooke.
What do we mean by :
Perception of meaningful work
An employee’s perception of meaningful workrefers to their feeling that the work they are doing has importance, value, and usefulness based on their own ideals and standards. Work that is significant, or meaningful, answers the question “why am I here?” It is useful to distinguish between the terms meaningful work, which refers to the meaning that a person perceives in the work they do, and the meaning of work, which refers to the value ascribed to work by society. Meaningful work can be highly motivational, leading to improved commitment and job satisfaction.
Job satisfaction
Job satisfactionmeans that an employee has a positive view of their work based on their work experiences and expectations. In other words, an employee is satisfied with their work if it meets their expectations of what their job should be.
Mental health
In the article that we are examining, good mental health refers to an absence of depression, anxiety, and stress. It would nevertheless be useful to define this concept. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines mental health as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.*
What do the study's results reveal?
Meaningful work and job satisfaction improve the mental health of employees. But, for this to happen, both must be present!
Taken separately, the perception of meaningful work and job satisfaction do not appear to be enough to improve or positively influence mental health.
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