WORAPUT CHAWALITPHON/GETTY IMAGES
Voices
ADAM
GRANT
The No. 1 Feature
of a Meaningless Job
A
SK PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT in a job, and
meaningfulness looms large. For decades, Americans have ranked purpose as their top priority —
above promotions, income, job security, and hours.
Work is a search “for daily meaning as well as
daily bread,” wrote Studs Turkel after interviewing
hundreds of people in a striking array of jobs. Yet
all too often, we feel that our work doesn’t matter. “Most of us have jobs that are too small for
our spirit. Jobs are not big enough for people.” ¶
What makes a job meaningless? After more than
40 years of research, we know that people struggle
to find meaning when they lack autonomy, variety,
HUFFINGTON
02.09.14