5 May 2008
More people want "meaningful work"
The Work Foundation explains this growing 21st century phenomenon.
Not-for-profit research consultancy, The Work Foundation’s new paper explores the notion of “meaningful work” – a relatively new, and growing, phenomenon that would have made little sense to people 200 years ago.
"Meaningful work": a recent phenomenon
Author Stephen Overell, associate director, The Work Foundation, says that talking about “fulfilling your potential” in a job could only happen in the modern world of work.
“Meaningful work” rests on the rise of individualism and identity as pressing concerns for many people.
Talking about 'fulfilling your potential' in a job could only happen in the modern world of work.
“It speaks of huge and perhaps excessive expectations of working life – the historically unusual sense that fulfilment occurs, or should occur, in the everyday, ordinary business of going to work,” Overell says.
"Meaning" differs between people
“Meaning” differs for individuals and for a person at different times in their life. “Nevertheless, meaning is unmistakably in the air of the 21st century culture of work,” Overell adds.
His paper describes how the raising and dashing of hopes around meaning has become one of the major psychological forces in working life. “What goes on inside workers’ hearts and minds about work has become profoundly important to what they produce and how they do it,” he says.
More valuable work?
The Work Foundation's results echo findings from a study released earlier this year Worthwhile Work, from workplace communications consultancy CHA. Almost half of its survey respondents said they hanker after a job that's more worthwhile than the one they have at the moment.
It also found that the younger the worker, the more likely they are to consider crossing over to spurred on by what they see as socially or environmentally more valuable work.
Over 40% of 18-25 year olds who took part in the study said they're considering a move into the "more worthwhile" public or charity sectors, as did 38% of 26 to 35 year olds.
Have your say
To what extent do the notions of “meaningful work” impact on internal communication – particularly as these are said to affect what people produce and how they go about it?
“Making meaning” for people in organizations has long been recognized in terms of communicating strategy – so that it lands effectively at a local level. Is communication that enhances the meaning of individual work now an important aspect for internal communicators to consider too?
Discuss these issues with other comms practitioners by joining the Internal Comms Hub members' group on the Communicators' Network.
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Charity and private sectors are magnets to Generation Y
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