#meaningful work

[nova-moon13]

[ossie50]

"More businesses die from indigestion than starvation"

“More businesses die from indigestion than starvation”

That was David Packard, co-founder of Hewlett-Packard in 1995. He was warning businesses and company leaders of the tendency to add more, more, more, and subtract too little. In part that trend was being fuelled by the rise of technology and the belief that this would make things more efficient. Well, it really didn’t work that way! Now 27 years later his words are even more…

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[worklabournewsresearch]

What Makes a Job Meaningful?

“The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the near shutdown of many economies around the world. It has already thrown at least 10 million out of work in the U.S. and threatens the jobs of millions more worldwide. Yet, job loss often means much more than a lost livelihood—it entails being deprived of social identity, status, routine and time structure, and contacts with colleagues. While many hope that unemployment will quickly decline once economies recover, the psychological consequences of job loss for individuals and their families are severe and long-lasting.”

“Our analysis shows that that relatedness, which is about relationships at work, is the most important determinant of work meaningfulness. … In general, we discover that autonomy, relatedness, and competence are almost five times more important for perceptions of having meaningful work compared with compensation, benefits, career advancement, job insecurity, and working hours. Our research also shows that those who perceive their work as meaningful exert more effort on the job. … Despite what most economic models predict, work is not just a source of income but also provides identity and individual self-esteem. As such, work is a pivotal part of human life. Since most adults spend a large part of their waking hours in work-related activities, understanding what factors make work a life-enriching and dignifying experience or, on the contrary, a degrading and meaningless one, can help design policies to enhance workers’ well-being, boost organizational performance, and increase civic engagement and social welfare, especially at a time when the future of work is changing.”

“Tasks that seemed so important a few months ago are now low priority, and even though being connected to our colleagues is crucial, social distancing measures in many cases prevent us from getting the support and relatedness that we need. This should not be taken lightly: Diminished work meaningfulness can have serious and long-lasting complications for productivity, health, and happiness at work. Employers who show some extra support and understanding, or make job tasks more relevant to the current crisis (see some great examples listed here), might be on the right track in mitigating one of the many unseen side effects of the coronavirus and its aftermath.”

Brookings, April 8, 2020: “What makes a job meaningful?” by Milena Nikolova and Femke Cnossen

IZA Institute of Labor Economics, April, 2020: “What Makes Work Meaningful and Why Economists Should Care about It,” by Milena Nikolova and Femke Cnossen (34 pages, PDF)

[funsimplethings]

[quotes-for-a-good-life]

Deprived of meaningful work, men and women lose their reason for existence; they go stark, raving mad.

- Fyodor Dostoevsky

[kamiboothblog]

[creatingnikki]

A job where I am doing meaningful work. Work that I love, work that I have the skills for and work that improves my skills and knowledge. I don't want to do the work I'm doing just because someone has to. Just because I have to do some work.

Things I want