Positive Psychology at Work:

The Meaningfulness of Work

Stairs and Gilpin (2010) view engagement as a product of enjoyment, challenge and meaning, a definition which suggests that those who find their work meaningful are more likely to find it engaging. Our sense of the meaningfulness of our work is affected by the view we take of the purpose of our work. Research has found that people view work in one of three ways: as a job, a career or a calling (Wrzesniewski, 2003). When people view work as a job, they focus on its material benefits. Those with a career orientation work for the rewards that career advancement brings, such as greater self-esteem, increased power and higher social standing. And those with a calling orientation work primarily for the sense of fulfilment their work brings them. They believe their work helps make the world a better place, which is its own reward. These three orientations towards work are associated with the person, not the role. So someone working as a teacher may view his or her work as a job, a career or a calling. Each of these different perspectives is associated with different levels of engagement.

Blessed are the roughly one third of the working population who view their work as a calling. Having a sense of purpose in life and believing your work to be meaningful are both positively associated with authentic happiness and the satisfaction of a life well lived (Seligman, 2006). Meaningful work is also associated with many other good things, including greater work satisfaction, ...