My research about a person’s sense of meaning in work (often called “meaningful work”) with employees of all ages, showed that an employee’s age is a significant predictor in experiencing meaning in work. In other words, older employees more often experience meaning in their work than do younger employees.
Why might that be? One reason could be that, as a result of past achievements and disappointments, as you grow older, you develop a more informed sense of yourself in the workplace. As you go through life, you develop a clearer sense of your values and priorities which, in turn, gives a clearer idea of what you value as you expend energy and time at work. When a closer alignment of your sense of self, beliefs, and behaviors, you feel more authentic in your work.
Through a variety of experiences in your career, you begin to realize what is important to you. You may get a sense of how you can make a difference in your organization. You may learn to identify what you value and what your customers value. It isn’t necessary to work for a charitable non-profit to gain a sense of working for something greater than yourself.
How does this apply if you are on the younger side of the workforce? It’s never too early to embrace more varied work experiences. Even within the same company, you are always learning which job activities align best with your values and talents. You may come to realize that helping people grow and develop in their work is very fulfilling to you, which also helps the organization. Or you may realize that the people your company hires and promotes are not aligned with who you are and where you want to go. In either case, you discover, through good or bad experiences, clues to what gives you a sense of purpose and a reason for going to work each day. You begin to learn what gives you more meaning in your work.