Searching for Meaning at Work: Evidence From an Agricultural Research Organization

Abstract

Emerging research on work meaningfulness shows that growing number of workers are lacking meaningfulness at work. This paucity of essential element of job performance is adversely affecting their performance and productivity. This adverse experience at workplace is not uniform across all ages and work experience groups as prior studies suggest. Thus, this study intends to explore the differences in meaningfulness at work among various age and professional work experience groups of knowledge workers working in agricultural research organizations. The study respondents were selected using stratified random and proportionate sampling techniques. Data were collected from 350 respondents. Data were collected by employing structured questionnaires having questions about work meaningfulness and demographic variables. Collected data were analyzed utilizing descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, the Kruskal–Wallis test, and Bonferroni-adjusted pairwise comparisons. The study findings show that there are significant differences in meaningfulness among knowledge workers based on their age and professional experience group. Younger knowledge workers have more meaningfulness at work than older knowledge workers. Similarly. knowledge workers having less professional experience has more meaningful ness than more experienced knowledge workers. Pair wise comparisons were also statistically significant for most of the comparisons. The study reveals that work meaningfulness decrease as workers become aged and more experienced. Organizations should introduce policies that help seasoned and aged groups of workers so that they can have meaningful experience at workplace.