Autonomy support and prosocial impact facilitate meaningful work: A daily diary study

Antecedents and Occupational Attitudinal Consequences of Meaningful Work During the COVID-19: An Investigation of Chinese Nurses

“…Previous studies showed that both autonomy support and prosocial impact contribute to meaningful work (Martela et al, 2021; Martela & Pessi, 2018). Meng, Lin et al (2023) conducted a daily diary study with a sample of healthcare employees and found that before the COVID-19 took place, nurses were likely to experience meaningful work when they felt autonomy support and prosocial impact, both of which are important sources of meaningful work. In contrast, this study finds that the predictive effect of autonomy support on meaningful work was minimal, with a regression coefficient of only 0.07 ( p < .05), while the predictive effect of prosocial impact was relatively large, with a regression coefficient of 0.50 ( p < .001).…”

“…Research has confirmed that varied forms of prosocial impact, such as offering help to others, would contribute to work meaningfulness perception (Allan et al, 2018). Evidence from varied cultures, occupations, and industries supports the idea that prosocial impact can be a source of work meaningfulness (Martela et al, 2021; Meng, Lin et al, 2023). Specifically, when it comes to nurses, van der Wath and van Wyk (2020) showed that lots of nurses are altruistically motivated to enter and remain in the nursing profession, the work of which exerts positive influence on larger social groups.…”

“…Zookeepers expressed their enthusiasm for the profession by stating that “I can’t think of anything that would cause me to leave” and “Even if I wasn’t getting paid, I would still be here” (Bunderson & Thompson, 2009, p. 35). Moreover, a large body of evidence suggests that meaningful work is associated with job satisfaction (Liu et al, 2021), more involvement in their work (Johnson & Jiang, 2017; Meng, Lin et al, 2023), reduced days of absence (Steger et al, 2012), and more commitment to their vocation and employer (Duffy et al, 2011). These empirical evidences suggest that employees are unlikely to change their occupation when they perceive their work as worthwhile, important, or valuable.…”