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The Experience and Implications of Meaningless Work in the Public Sector

Author

Listed:
  • Christopher Belanger

    (University of Ottawa)

  • Samia Chreim

    (University of Ottawa)

  • Silvia Bonaccio

    (University of Ottawa)

Abstract

Research suggests that the experience of meaningless work is prevalent in various occupations, and that it is destructive for organizations and individuals, making this an issue of major ethical importance. In this paper, we present the results of a qualitative study based on interviews with Canadian public servants who self-identified as experiencing meaninglessness at work. Our main goal is to better understand participants' responses to the experience of meaningless work and the broader implications their experiences had on the rest of their lives. We surface and explore the harms inflicted on participants through their experiences with meaningless work and suggest that these harms may have been made worse by structural features of our study's public-sector setting. We contribute to organization studies literature by showing the intersection of meaningless work with three related concepts: bullshit jobs, empty labour, and functional stupidity and argue that our empirical findings complement and complicate these frameworks by presenting the complex but hidden emotional experiences that can accompany outwardly observable workplace behaviours.

Suggested Citation

  • Christopher Belanger & Samia Chreim & Silvia Bonaccio, 2024. "The Experience and Implications of Meaningless Work in the Public Sector," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 195(3), pages 563-578, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:195:y:2024:i:3:d:10.1007_s10551-024-05646-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-024-05646-7
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    References listed on IDEAS

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