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Professional Self-care

Pursue meaningful work

Perception of work as meaningful is based on one’s own feeling of value and usefulness of their job, according to their own standards. It is connected with one’s own judgement and intrinsic motivation, rather than external pressure or evaluation from the society. 1/2 Work significant to others (bringing “the greater good”) and meaningful to oneself is linked with better mental health and well-being.3/4/5

A simple way to get an idea if we have meaningful work is to ask ourselves questions like:

“Have I found a meaningful career?,”
“Does my work contribute to my personal growth?,”
“Does my work make a positive difference in the world, benefit others, or serve a greater purpose?.”6/7
Ultimately, we decide if our work is meaningful to ourselves.

    Professional self-care

    Core aspects of meaningful work are:8/9/10/11

    • Self-actualization: realizing or expressing one’s full potential or purpose through the job.
    • Social impact: positive impact on others, serving others.
    • Personal accomplishment feeling: developing one’s inner self.
    • Career advancement: believing that one can achieve career goals in this job.
    • Autonomy: when a person feels like their actions emanate from his or her self and reflect who they are.
    • Relatedness to others: when one is well connected to others via caring relationships (belongs to a community).
    • Beneficence for others: sensing that one does make a positive impact on others brings well-being.
    • Felt competence: being efficient in his/her activities.

    Perceiving one's work as improving the welfare of others helps to experience work as meaningful and valuable. Whether you work such a beneficial job or not, it is good also for you to try to find new ways to help others during your regular work routine.12/13/14/15 Satisfying needs of oneself and needs of others should be balanced; if it is not the case for a longer time, it may lead to loss of meaning of work.16

    Perceiving one’s work as meaningful is associated with:

    • Reporting fewer mental issues such as psychological distress, depression, hostility and anxiety.17/18/19/20 
    • Protection against burnout and mental health problems.21/22 
    • Lower levels of depression, for lower levels of stress and anxiety.23
    • Fewer negative effects of work stress in forms of unhealthy behaviors (such as poor diet, tobacco and alcohol use).24 

    Supportive and fair environment and good relationships at work are important for finding work relatable and meaningful.25/26

    Tips and recommendations

    • Look for self-actualization: find and activate your purpose, values and goals. Try to remember what gives you passion, what makes you feel alive, or talk with your friend about what matters to you in life and career.
    • Try to find a good balance between working for others and working for yourself. If you are working “a grater-good job” but you lack satisfaction from your work, it might be connected with your stress level or even anxiety. Try to find a good balance between working for others and working for yourself. Your work should also satisfy you!
    • Check if your job or tasks have social impact and bring something beneficial to others. Or consider what other social impact do you wish to make? Are there any new ways how you can do it through your work?
    • During your regular work routine, try finding new ways how to help others even in a small way. People who help others many times in a day experience greater gains in work meaningfulness over time.27
    • Does your job feel like you do or can accomplish something significant? If not yet, can you find a way to get your personal accomplish.
    • Check if your career goals are connected to, or can directly be achieved in your work. If not, how else can you get closer to them?
    • It is a good idea to look for a job where you can experience meaningfulness and engagement (probably they will be connected). Probably you will be in the right place there, doing the job well and being happy at the same time. 
    • Do what you are good at. Feeling competent and mastering your field brings meaning to what you do. 
    • Feeling like being part of a community and good relationships with your co-workers can enhance meaningfulness you will sense in doing your work. 
    • If you work part-time, consider going full-time if you have good conditions for it. Those working part-time jobs apparently might find less meaning in their work than full-timers.28
    • See if your organization serves the society well and is in line with your own values. If you feel like it isn’t really the case, you may support extra activities in your organization such as volunteering with your team for a good cause, or starting internal program for employee development in the company.
    • If you work for a company which is really not congruent with your values and your idea of worthy work (e.g. a tobacco company or an alcohol producer while you don’t support smoking and alcohol drinking), you may want to pursue a career somewhere else to get to a more meaningful working experience. It may still be in the same profession though.
    Contribute to a mentally healthy workplace

    Contribute to a mentally healthy workplace

    At a mentally healthy workplace, risk factors for mental wellbeing are acknowledged, appropriate action is taken to minimize their negative impact, and protective factors are fostered. With good workplace conditions, quality leadership and co-worker relationships, work benefits our overall well-being: besides providing for our basic needs it gives a sense of purpose, meaning, and opportunities for development.1 

    But stressful and demanding workplace without proper support may be mentally unhealthy and linked to high stress levels; burnout and depression and anxiety.2/3 Unhealthy workplace can increase the likelihood of mental distress or illness, or it can make already existing mental illness worse.4

    Risk factors associated with increased rates of mental health problems are:

    • High job demand.
    • Low job control.
    • Low social support at workplace.
    • Reward which doesn’t match the effort made at work
    • Low justice in how benefits are distributed .
    • Low justice in how much respect and dignity one receives from their management.
    • Organizational change.
    • Job insecurity.
    • Temporary employment status.
    • Atypical working hours.
    • Bullying.
    • Stress: when one lacks information about their responsibility and objectives, or when there are opposing expectations from their role.5

    Mental illness is a leading cause of sickness absence in most developed countries.6 Yet people who have experienced mental issues need to work like anyone else (if their health condition allows it). Being able to talk about mental health contributes to healthy workplace, co-worker relationships and mutual support. 

    Undertaking specialized programs for mental health might be beneficial, according to their participants:7 

    • Effectively reduce the stigma and enhance resiliency and coping abilities.
    • Help raise awareness about mental health.
    • Bring greater comfort in disclosing a mental health problem to others (family, friends, and even one’s employer).
    • Support help-seeking.8 

    Protective factors

    For mentally healthy workplace, research9 suggests interventions in six areas: 

    1. Designing and managing work to minimize harm. 
    2. Promoting protective factors at an organizational level to maximize resilience.
    3. Enhancing personal resilience.
    4. Promoting and facilitating early help-seeking in case of worsen mental health. 
    5. Supporting workers’ recovery from mental illness.
    6. Increasing awareness of mental illness and reducing stigma. 

    American Psychological Association identified five elements of a psychologically healthy workplace:10/11

    • Work–life balance: It is important to have a life and responsibilities outside of work, be it family and children, or something else. Using family support programs and other flexible adjustments in workplace can help reach a good balance in employees’ lives (e.g. kindergarten near workplace, flexible shift system/job sharing).
    • Employee growth and development: Besides tasks, work is also about gaining experience, learning new things, interacting with colleagues, expanding one’s horizons.
    • Health and safety: Like physical health, mental health is an important part of overall wellbeing. It starts with one’s mental wellbeing and ability to handle stress. The first step is to work on your resilience. Mindfulness-based interventions can improve your way of handling stress and help prevent/improve anxiety, stress and distress, depression and burnout, while they improve wellbeing and can help with sleep quality.12/13/14
    • Employee recognition: Being recognized for work is important, whether in form of money, public communication, “best-employee” reward, personal acknowledgement. A good leader should remember to recognize good work and effort of the team.
    • Employee involvement: It is important to make decisions, bring ideas and new perspectives, and solve problems in work. It takes a certain level of autonomy in work and being really involved in decision making, which has been identified as a key psychosocial factor in workplace by WHO, too.15

    Tips and recommendations

    • Learn techniques to manage stress and pressure at work. If that seems complicated, a psychologist or other mental health expert can guide you. For example, CBT-based stress management techniques are effective for improving wellbeing and also work functioning17 and reducing depression.18 You may also find programs offered by your employer as benefits (e.g. training of resilience, stress/time management, and others) – try them out!
    • Mindfulness can be a good way to start getting better at handling stress and anxiety. Some companies offer mindfulness-based program to employees. If that isn’t the case for you, try to find a qualified experienced mindfulness teacher and learn few basic techniques. If it works for you, why not spread the word? At the end, you might organize a mindfulness-based program with a qualified lecturer in your workplace for your team. You and your colleagues may benefit from an online delivered mindfulness-based training, too.19
    • Focus on your work–life balance and make sure you have quality life outside of work. It may be family, hobbies, other projects or things to learn and try – reserve time for those areas of your life and don’t hesitate to leave from work on time to enjoy them. Find out if your workplace offers any work-life balance programs or flexible solutions which can help you achieve balanced way of life (e.g. adjusting your working hours).    
    • Get involved in activities supporting your growth and development at work. See if you can find an experienced colleague to learn from/to mentor you. Look for new types of tasks which would allow you to apply newly gained skills in practice. You can study independently and then bring your new know-how to your work as a new asset. You can try the role of a leader (start with a specific working group within team). Some workplaces have learning & development programs/academies, in others it is up to oneself to make sure their work provides them growth. Take an active role in your own growth.  
    • Contribute to developing more open debate about mental wellness at workplace and help lift the taboo. It may start with asking your colleague how they have been doing lately. More effective way is to get involved in (or organize) a delivery of mental health awareness program at your workplace. Notice that speaking about mental health, which we all have, might be more useful and less stigmatized than talking about mental illnesses.
    • If you sense that recognition is lacking at your workplace, find a way to help fixing this – often it is enough to tell others what you appreciate about their work, what you find really useful, well done, exceptional... A simple honest compliment from a co-worker can make a difference. If you manage/lead a team, you should take extra care to recognize the good work of your team!  
    • See if you can participate in the decision making at your job. To expand your involvement, try to join (or form) a self-managed work group and get involved in a new way here.
    • Learn about unhealthy working patterns (stressful habits, overworking with late hours, keeping all focus in life on work, …) – see if any is present in your way of working and try actively to behave differently. Get familiar with burn-out prevention strategies.
    • See how co-worker relationships impact the workplace and invest in keeping or improving them. Simple question “How are you doing?” with sincere interest might help you to open up with your colleague.
    • Are you a manager/leader? Your possibilities to contribute to mentally healthy workplace are wide. Consider:
      • Taking training in leadership and management oriented towards employee well-being and mental health.
      • Orient yourself on the topic of mental health, consider implementing an anti-stigma program in your team/company to lift the taboo around mental health.
      • Invest inquality relationships with your team, within healthy boundaries.
      • Consider introducing mindfulness-based intervention programs for employees.

    Other evidence-based practices

    • Maintain work-life balance.
    • Build healthy relationships with co-workers.
    • Learn time management skills.

    References

    Pursue meaningful work
    1. Lips-Wiersma, M., & Wright, S. (2012). Measuring the meaning of meaningful work: Development and validation of the Comprehensive Meaningful Work Scale (CMWS). Group & Organization Management, 37(5) 655–685. doi: 10.1177/1059601112461578
    2. Steger, M. F., Dik, B. J., & Duffy, R. D. (2012). Measuring meaningful work: The Work and Meaning Inventory (WAMI). Journal of Career Assessment, 20(3), 322-337. doi:10.1177/1069072711436160 
    3. Fairlie, P. (2011). Meaningful work, employee engagement, and other key employee outcomes: implications for human resource development. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 13(4):508-525. doi:10.1177/1523422311431679
    4. Fairlie, P. (2013). Meaningful work is healthy work. In R. J. Burke & C. L. Cooper (Eds.), The fulfilling workplace: The organization's role in achieving individual and organizational health (187-205).  Surrey, England: Gower Publishing. doi:10.13140/2.1.4825.4086
    5. Steger, M. F., Dik, B. J., & Duffy, R. D. (2012). Measuring meaningful work: The Work and Meaning Inventory (WAMI). Journal of Career Assessment, 20(3), 322-337. doi:10.1177/1069072711436160 
    6. Kim, M., & Beehr, T. A. (2018). Organization-based self-esteem and meaningful work mediate effects of empowering leadership on employee behaviors and well-being. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 25(4), 385-398. doi:10.1177/1548051818762337
    7. Steger, M. F., Dik, B. J., & Duffy, R. D. (2012). Measuring meaningful work: The Work and Meaning Inventory (WAMI). Journal of Career Assessment, 20(3), 322-337. doi:10.1177/1069072711436160 
    8. Fairlie, P. (2013). Meaningful work is healthy work. In R. J. Burke & C. L. Cooper (Eds.), The fulfilling workplace: The organization's role in achieving individual and organizational health (187-205).  Surrey, England: Gower Publishing. doi:10.13140/2.1.4825.4086
    9. Fairlie, P. (2011). Meaningful work, employee engagement, and other key employee outcomes: implications for human resource development. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 13(4):508-525. doi:10.1177/1523422311431679
    10. Steger, M. F., Dik, B. J., & Duffy, R. D. (2012). Measuring meaningful work: The Work and Meaning Inventory (WAMI). Journal of Career Assessment, 20(3), 322-337. doi:10.1177/1069072711436160 
    11. Allan, B. A., Dexter, Ch., Kinsey, R., & Parker, S. (2016). Meaningful work and mental health: job satisfaction as a moderator. Journal of Mental Health 27(1):1-7. doi:10.1080/09638237.2016.1244718
    12. Kim, M., & Beehr, T. A. (2018). Organization-based self-esteem and meaningful work mediate effects of empowering leadership on employee behaviors and well-being. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 25(4), 385-398. doi:10.1177/1548051818762337
    13. Allan, B. A., Dexter, Ch., Kinsey, R., & Parker, S. (2016). Meaningful work and mental health: job satisfaction as a moderator. Journal of Mental Health 27(1):1-7. doi:10.1080/09638237.2016.1244718
    14. Lips-Wiersma, M., & Wright, S. (2012). Measuring the meaning of meaningful work: Development and validation of the Comprehensive Meaningful Work Scale (CMWS). Group & Organization Management, 37(5) 655–685. doi: 10.1177/1059601112461578
    15. Steger, M. F., Dik, B. J., & Duffy, R. D. (2012). Measuring meaningful work: The Work and Meaning Inventory (WAMI). Journal of Career Assessment, 20(3), 322-337. doi:10.1177/1069072711436160 
    16. Martela, F., & Riekki, T. J. (2018). Autonomy, competence, relatedness, and beneficence: A multicultural comparison of the four pathways to meaningful work. Frontiers in Psychology, 9(1157). doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01157
    17. Fairlie, P. (2013). Meaningful work is healthy work. In R. J. Burke & C. L. Cooper (Eds.), The fulfilling workplace: The organization's role in achieving individual and organizational health (187-205).  Surrey, England: Gower Publishing. doi:10.13140/2.1.4825.4086
    18. Fairlie, P. (2011). Meaningful work, employee engagement, and other key employee outcomes: implications for human resource development. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 13(4):508-525. doi:10.1177/1523422311431679
    19. Steger, M. F., Dik, B. J., & Duffy, R. D. (2012). Measuring meaningful work: The Work and Meaning Inventory (WAMI). Journal of Career Assessment, 20(3), 322-337. doi:10.1177/1069072711436160 
    20. Allan, B. A., Dexter, Ch., Kinsey, R., & Parker, S. (2016). Meaningful work and mental health: job satisfaction as a moderator. Journal of Mental Health 27(1):1-7. doi:10.1080/09638237.2016.1244718
    21. Fairlie, P. (2011). Meaningful work, employee engagement, and other key employee outcomes: implications for human resource development. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 13(4):508-525. doi:10.1177/1523422311431679
    22. Kim, M., & Beehr, T. A. (2018). Organization-based self-esteem and meaningful work mediate effects of empowering leadership on employee behaviors and well-being. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 25(4), 385-398. doi:10.1177/1548051818762337
    23. Allan, B. A., Dexter, Ch., Kinsey, R., & Parker, S. (2016). Meaningful work and mental health: job satisfaction as a moderator. Journal of Mental Health 27(1):1-7. doi:10.1080/09638237.2016.1244718
    24. Lease, S. H., Ingram, C. L., & Brown, E. L. (2019). Stress and health outcomes: Do meaningful work and physical activity help? Journal of Career Development;46(3), 251-264. doi:10.1177/0894845317741370 
    25. Fairlie, P. (2011). Meaningful work, employee engagement, and other key employee outcomes: implications for human resource development. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 13(4):508-525. doi:10.1177/1523422311431679
    26. Lips-Wiersma, M., Haar, J., & Wright, S. (2020). The effect of fairness, responsible leadership and worthy work on multiple dimensions of meaningful work. Journal of Business Ethics, 161, 35–52. doi:10.1007/s10551-018-3967-2
    27. Allan, B. A., Duffy, R. D., & Collisson, B. (2018). Helping others increases meaningful work: Evidence from three experiments. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 65(2), 155-165. doi:10.1037/cou0000228
    28. Lips-Wiersma, M., Haar, J., & Wright, S. (2020). The effect of fairness, responsible leadership and worthy work on multiple dimensions of meaningful work. Journal of Business Ethics, 161, 35–52. doi:10.1007/s10551-018-3967-2
    Contribute to a mentally healthy workplace
    1. Harvey, S., Joyce, S., Tan, L., Johnson, A., Nguyen, H., Modini, M., & Groth, M. (2014). Developing a mentally healthy workplace: a review of the literature. National Mental Health Commission, Sydney.
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    4. WHO : https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/113144
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    7. Dobson, Szeto, and Knaak, 2019
    8. Henderson C, Robinson E, Evans-Lacko S, & Thornicroft G. (2017). Relationships between anti-stigma programme awareness, disclosure comfort and intended help-seeking regarding a mental health problem. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 211(5), 316-322. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.116.195867 
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    11. Grawitch, M. J., Gottschalk, M., & Munz, D. C. (2006). The path to a healthy workplace: A critical review linking healthy workplace practices, employee well-being, Copyright American Psychological Association and organizational improvements. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 58, pp.129–147. doi:10.1037/1065-9293.58.3.129
    12. Grawitch, M. J., & Ballard, D. W. (Eds.). (2016). Introduction: Building a psychologically healthy workplace. In M. J. Grawitch & D. W. Ballard (Eds.), The psychologically healthy workplace: Building a win-win environment for organizations and employees (p. 3–11). American Psychological Association. doi:10.1037/14731-001
    13. Bartlett, L., Martin, A., Neil, A. L., Memish, K., Otahal, P., Kilpatrick, M., & Sanderson, K. (2019). A systematic review and meta-analysis of workplace mindfulness training randomized controlled trials. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 24(1), pp. 108–126. doi:10.1037/ocp0000146
    14. Lomas, T., Medina, J. C., Ivtzan I., Rupprecht, S. & Eiroa-Orosa, F. J. (2019). Mindfulness-based interventions in the workplace: An inclusive systematic review and meta-analysis of their impact upon wellbeing, The Journal of Positive Psychology, 14(5), 625-640. doi:10.1080/17439760.2018.1519588
    15. Janssen, M., Heerkens, Y., Kuijer, W., van der Heijden, B. & Engels, J. (2018). Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on employees’ mental health: A systematic review. PLoS ONE 13(1). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0191332
    16. World Health Organization & Burton, J. (‎2010)‎. WHO healthy workplace framework and model: background and supporting literature and practices. World Health Organization. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/113144
    17. Pomaki, G., Franche, R.L., Murray, E. et al. (2012). Workplace-Based Work Disability Prevention Interventions for Workers with Common Mental Health Conditions: A Review of the Literature. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, 22, pp. 182–195. doi:10.1007/s10926-011-9338-9
    18. Tan, L., Wang, M.-J., Modini, M., Joyce, S., Mykletun, A., Christensen, H., & Harvey, S. B. (2014). Preventing the development of depression at work: a systematic review and meta-analysis of universal interventions in the workplace. BMC Medicine, 12(74). doi:10.1186/1741-7015-12-74  
    19. Joyce, S., Shand, F., Bryant, R.A., Lal, T.J., Harvey, S.B. (2018) Mindfulness-based resilience training in the workplace: Pilot study of the internet-based Resilience@Work (RAW) Mindfulness Program. J Med Internet Res, 20(9). doi:10.2196/10326
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