When work doesn’t feel meaningful, people stop caring. Engagement drops, performance suffers, and employees quietly look for the door.
Gallup’s 2024 State of the Global Workplace report shows global employee engagement is at just 21%. With Gen Z’s appetite for value-driven work, employees rethinking priorities post-pandemic, and the disconnect of remote and hybrid settings, the challenge grows even bigger.
When employees ask, “Why bother?” meaningfulness becomes critical.
Meaningfulness is “the amount of significance something holds for an individual” (Rosso et al., 2010, p. 95). It’s a personal, subjective construct shaped by the self, others, work context, and even spiritual life.
In the workplace, meaningfulness isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s a powerful driver of outcomes. Research shows it’s linked to stronger performance, higher job satisfaction, lower turnover, greater resilience, and even reduced stress (Rosso et al., 2010). It also helps employees use their time with more focus and purpose (Kaur & Mittal, 2020). Over the long term, there is a positive relationship between work engagement and meaningfulness, revealing a great avenue for growth in employee engagement levels (Han et al., 2020).
The data is clear:
When people see their role as part of something bigger, they don’t just clock in and out. They show up with more energy, focus, and resilience, creating a ripple effect that benefits the entire organization.
But here’s the issue: only 18% of employees get as much purpose from work as they want (McKinsey & Company, 2021).
Despite decades of research, meaningfulness is still too often overlooked as a driver of engagement, performance, and retention. This gap is both a challenge and an opportunity.
Finding purpose and meaning at work does not happen by accident; it’s created through leadership choices. Leaders have the power to make work feel connected, purposeful, and energizing to their team.
The DX Learning CARE (Clarity, Autonomy, Relationships, Equity) Playbook® can help leaders do just that:
Learn more about CARE here.
Here are some ways to start bringing CARE and meaningfulness to life in your workplace:
Write out and reflect on how your daily responsibilities connect to both your personal values and goals as well as the organization’s mission. Notice what differences exist when responsibilities and goals are aligned and uncover greater meaning in your role.
Before assigning a project to a team member, ask them: “What part of this feels most meaningful to you, and how would you like to approach it?” Let them shape the “how” and the “why” to create ownership tied to meaningfulness.
Take the time to ask a team member what aspects of their role are most important, engaging, and meaningful to them. Listen intentionally and ask questions to uncover what means most to them in their work. Then, support and encourage them to find ways to engage in these activities more in their day-to-day.
4. Meaning Check-InHave a one-on-one conversation with a team member or consider for yourself, “What part of your work feels most meaningful right now, and what feels disconnected?” Use this conversation or reflection time to adjust the workload for yourself or the team member in a way that is better aligned with values and goals.
Culture is a mirror of leadership. Without meaning, employees are less engaged, resilience fades, and performance drops. But when leaders CARE, they connect the dots between purpose and performance. This fosters conditions for people to feel valued, energized, and motivated to do their best work and live a work life of meaning.
Meaningfulness at work isn’t just about making people feel good; it’s about shaping a culture where people want to stay, grow, and contribute their best. Leading with CARE turns meaning into performance fuel, creating a ripple effect that strengthens both individuals and organizations.
Want to learn more about CARE, how to create more meaning, and find more purpose at work? Contact us.