Studies show that people are happier, healthier, more engaged, more committed, and better-performing when their work is meaningful to them. According to the researcher, these results seem to hold true whether you are working as a nurse or a custodian, whether you lead an international charity or Fortune 500 company, or whether you work in a warehouse fulfillment center or a school. We benefit when we believe that our work is meaningful; however, there is a downside.
The more passionate, committed, and fulfilled by what they do are working for reasons much loftier than just a paycheck. This can be taken advantage of and for some, leads to burnout. To prevent this, the author has several recommendations,
- Treat Meaningful Work Like A Renewable Resource: Meaningful work is nourishing, but only sustainable if its replenished. Practice self care and set limits.
- Strive For Work Life Harmony: Let go of balancing all aspects of personal and work life. Instead, consider how all the different aspects of life can work together.
- Be Open To Collective Action And Support: We are social beings. Trying to do things individually isolates us and the issues we are trying to address often seem insurmountable. Working with others dealing with the same issues and supporting each other are not only therapeutic, but lead to change and growth.
Meaningful work is an important dimension of well-being. It is good. The bad and the ugly are preventable!