‘Making Work Meaningful'

Work is central to most people’s lives. Other than sleeping, most of us spend more time working than doing anything else. This means that a positive experience at work is a crucial component of our lives going well. One positive experience individuals report as especially important is having work that is meaningful. But what exactly makes work ‘meaningful’? Is it just whatever the worker feels is meaningful? Or is it work that has certain features, such as being complex, or giving the worker a say in how it is carried out? And once we are clear on what meaningful work is, could state policy aiming to promote meaningful work ever be justified?