The Dark Side of Meaningful Work with Andrew Soren

The Happy at Work Podcast

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In his second appearance on Happy at Work, Andrew Soren explores the complex relationship between meaningful work and well-being.
Drawing from recent research, he reveals surprising findings about how highly meaningful work can sometimes lead to decreased well-being, and discusses practical ways to balance purpose with personal sustainability.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• Why meaningful work doesn't always correlate with increased well-being, particularly in highly purpose-driven professions
• The six different motivations people have for finding work meaningful, according to researcher Michael Pratt
• How diversity in work motivations can strengthen teams and organizations
• Why an ecosystem approach (individual, team, organization, society) is necessary to address burnout in meaningful work
• The importance of regular check-ins about how work aligns with personal meaning and purpose

Quotable Moments:
"Half of everything that's been written about meaningful work has been published basically in the last year... The amount of people writing and thinking about this topic is just doubling basically every single year."

"If we go to them and are just like, 'hey guys, you just need to develop some more self-compassion here... you need to build your resilience skills'... there is nothing that will result in more moral outrage than kind of saying like, 'just take another meditation class.'"

Practical Takeaway: Consider implementing regular check-ins with team members about how their work aligns with their sources of meaning, whether that's utility, status, passion, service, kinship, or mastery. Remember that these motivations can change over time and that having diverse motivations within a team can create stronger organizational dynamics.

Resources Mentioned:

• "The Call of the Wild" study by Bunderson and Thompson (2009) about zookeepers - link
• Michael Pratt's research on meaningful work motivations - link
• Carol Riff's model of psychological well-being - link

Connect With Our Guest:

• Connect with Andrew Soren on LinkedIn
• Eudaimonic by Design
• Meaningful Work Matters
• Listen to Andrew's first appearance on Happy at Work here!

To stay connected and continue the conversation, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn.
And don't forget to check out our previous episodes for more tips and strategies to boost your workplace happiness. You can find them on your favorite podcast platform or on our website.
If you have any questions, comments, or topic suggestions for future episodes, please reach out to us. We'd love to hear from you!
Stay inspired, stay motivated, and stay happy at work!