Meaningful Work and Personal/Social Well-Being Organizational Communication Engages the Meanings of Work

Conceptualizing Compassion as Recognizing, Relating and (Re)acting: A Qualitative Study of Compassionate Communication at Hospice

“…Clearly, patients are a significant beneficiary, as they are likely to receive better treatment when healthcare employees recognize their pain, relate to them as whole human beings, and (re)act in ways that tend to specific needs. Furthermore, insomuch as relationship building and contributing to the greater good are primary characteristics of meaningful work (Cheney et al, 2008), workers themselves benefit from communicating compassion. Fostering positive social interactions through compassion also improves the collective organization (Gottschalk, Munz & Grawitch, 2006).…”

Blue-Collar Discourses of Workplace Dignity: Using Outgroup Comparisons to Construct Positive Identities

“…While it has long been documented that blue-collar workers think of and value their work in largely instrumental terms (Thomas, 1989), it does not mean that they do not desire meaningful work and work experiences (see Cheney et al, 2008;Lucas & Buzzanell, 2004). Although the participants may not have openly or directly talked about challenges to their own workplace experiences of (in)dignity, their central concerns still came through in their talk and pointed to problems they likely face on the job as they attempt to construct positive, dignified work identities.…”

“…Communication plays a central role in the accomplishment of dignity-from dyadic interactions to communicatively (re)produced organizational cultures and structures to macrolevel discourses (Lucas, 2010). Dignity is an important conceptual focal point for research and, perhaps more important, an essential requirement for meaningful work (see Cheney et al, 2008;Ciulla, 2000).…”

“…Work is a central and significant facet of modern life (Ciulla, 2000) and a direct and indirect source of meaning and self-worth (Cheney, Zorn, Planalp, & Lair, 2008). It should come as no surprise then that people possess a strong desire to construct positive identities related to their participation in work activities and/or membership in work-based organizations (Dutton, Roberts, & Bednar, 2010).…”

“…One possible way in which a positive identity can be constructed is through finding a particular kind of meaningfulness in work: dignity (see Cheney et al, 2008;Lamont, 2000). Yet achieving a fully dignified work experience-and by extension, a positive, dignified identity-may be more challenging for some, especially those whose occupations may not offer typical qualities associated with workplace dignity (e.g., status, autonomy, participation; see Hodson, 2001).…”