The past few years have seen clear growth in the desire for meaning and purpose at work.  Often this is framed as something that is something of an indulgence from a generation who want it all, but new research from Trinity Business School reminds us how beneficial it is for organizations when their employees find their work meaningful.

The study shows that when we find our work meaningful we’re much more likely to secure a positive performance review, not least because we’re more likely to engage in what the researchers refer to as “promotive voice behavior”.

This is when employees are willing and able to offer suggestions for how their organization can be improved and generally function more effectively.

Having a stake

Such investment is a sense of reciprocity between employees and employers, as workers clearly become emotionally and intellectually invested in an employer that provides them with such meaningful work.  The study suggests this relationship is strongest when the employees have a great relationship with their boss.

The findings emerged after speaking with a few hundred employees from a UK-based consultancy and construction firm.  The participants covered a wide range of roles within the firm, from logistics to administration, management to property development.

Each participant was required to complete a questionnaire, which was then assessed alongside the performance reviews they had received from their direct supervisor.

The researchers believe that their work provides a useful reminder of the importance of providing people with purpose at work, and also the valuable role managers can play in helping to cultivate such a purposeful work life.

“Cultivating an environment in which employees find purpose in their work goes beyond a ‘feel good factor’; employees who find their work meaningful are more likely to offer constructive and innovative ideas, thereby increasing their work performance and ultimately contributing to organisational effectiveness,” the researchers conclude.