Montréal, October 22, 2008 - Meaningful work has vitamin effects on the worker's mental health and encourages his commitment towards an organization, while work without it promotes the onset of symptoms of stress, and even distress. This is one of the findings of a study funded by the Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST) on the meaning of work, mental health and organizational commitment, whose results have just been published.
Positive or negative influence The team led by researcher Estelle Morin used questionnaires to collect data from the personnel in four organizations: a hospital, a health and social services centre, a research centre, and a
consulting engineering firm. It involved demonstrating that characteristics such as the work's usefulness and moral rectitude, opportunities for learning and development, autonomy, recognition, and the quality of human relationships were linked to the meaning that people give to their work. The researchers also observed that work that is seen as being useful to society and allowing learning is a factor that affects people's perception of it. Other hypotheses relating to the positive or negative impact of the meaning given to work on psychological well-being or distress also emerged from the study.
Ethical and moral problems The researchers developed a theoretical model that presents work organization as a
determinant of employees' health, their attitudes and their performance. If a person perceives his work activities, the conditions in which he does it and the relationships with his coworkers and his supervisor in a positive light, he will tend to find meaning in his work and, as a result, to feel good physically and psychologically about it. Conversely, if his perception is negative, he will tend to consider that his work and the environment in which he does it do not have meaning. As a result, the person will present symptoms of stress or distress. The researchers also noted that ethical and moral problems are a growing preoccupation in workplaces.
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Source
Communications Division
IRSST
514-288-1551
For information
Estelle M. Morin, Professeur titulaire
HEC Montréal
514 340-6376
