Beyond engagement: Redefining meaning at work for the modern workplace

In a recent episode of the Leading Culture podcast, Mike Ross, former CHRO at Simons and current PhD researcher studying meaning in work, reflected on a striking statistic: just 21% of employees worldwide feel engaged at work. This marks the lowest engagement level since the pandemic and, as Mike emphasized, represents not just an organizational issue but a profoundly human one. 

Together, Mike and Kahina Ouerdane, Chief People Officer at Workleap and host of the Leading Culture podcast, explored a critical distinction that might help leaders address this engagement crisis: the difference between finding meaning in work versus finding meaning at work. 

The critical distinction: "In" versus "at"

When we talk about meaningful work, we often conflate several distinct concepts. In their conversation, Mike broke down meaning into three categories: 

• Meaning of work: The broader societal understanding of what labor represents. ‍
• Meaning in work: The sense of purpose derived from what you actually do. ‍
• Meaning at work: The meaning found in the environment and community where you work.

This distinction is far from semantic. It represents a fundamental shift in how we should approach workplace engagement. While many organizations focus exclusively on one or the other, truly thriving workplaces need strategies for both. 

Meaning in work connects to the tasks, development, and impact of one's role. It's about competency, progression, and the sense that what you're doing matters. Meanwhile, meaning at work relates to belonging, community, and the environment created by shared purpose and values. 

Where does the responsibility lie?

Perhaps the most challenging question this distinction raises is: who bears responsibility for

Perhaps the most challenging question this distinction raises is: who bears responsibility for creating meaning? Is it the employer's job to manufacture purpose, or should employees arrive with their own sense of meaning? 

The answer, predictably, lies somewhere in between. But understanding the distinction between meaning in work and meaning at work allows us to better allocate these responsibilities. 

As employers, we have a clear obligation to create conditions where people can develop competency in meaningful tasks. This includes providing opportunities for skill development, ensuring job variety, and connecting individual contributions to broader impact. We might not be able to manufacture purpose, but we can certainly remove obstacles that prevent people from finding it. 

As Kahina shared during the conversation, “Years ago, when discussing purpose and meaningful work, I noticed some employees would approach me asking, ‘So, when are you finding me my perfect role?’ This revealed a misalignment of expectations. We needed to rebalance the responsibility between employees and employers. To paraphrase JFK: Don't ask what the company can do for you. Also, ask what you can find within yourself that will eventually benefit the company.”

Crisis as opportunity: Meaning during difficult times

Interestingly, crisis moments often create unexpected opportunities for meaning at work. Mike shared how, at Simons — a 185-year-old Canadian retailer — they faced unprecedented challenges during COVID. With stores closed, they had fashion buyers who normally travelled the world working in distribution centers loading clothes into boxes. 

"A lot of people talk about that as one of the most meaningful moments in their history in the organization," Mike noted. Why? Because the crisis activated a powerful sense of meaning at work — togetherness, shared purpose, and community. When the CEO himself is loading boxes alongside everyone else, hierarchy dissolves and belonging intensifies. 

This insight offers a valuable lesson: while meaning in work may diminish during crisis (as development opportunities and progression are put on hold), meaning at work can actually strengthen. Organizations that have built strong cultures and sense of belonging have more "savings" to draw from when challenges arise. 

Creating rituals that matter

One powerful way organizations can foster meaning at work is through rituals. Mike defines a ritual as "a habit that has a deeper meaning." At Simons, one such ritual involves cashiers walking around the counter to personally hand customers their purchases. This seemingly small gesture reinforces their commitment to exceptional service and becomes part of the cultural identity. 

This highlights a crucial truth: Culture is strategy. The two must be aligned. If your business strategy claims superior customer service as a distinctive advantage, you must create a culture where people willingly provide that level of service. The rituals you establish either reinforce or undermine this alignment. 

For leaders seeking to address the engagement crisis, implementing meaningful rituals offers a tangible starting point. Consider what habits within your organization could be elevated to rituals by connecting them to your deeper purpose. 

The collective vs. individual balance

Another tension in creating meaningful work environments lies in balancing individual and collective performance. To borrow a sports analogy: it’s not about having the best scores in the league and not making it to the playoffs. We want to win the cup. 

Mike extended this sports analogy by challenging the conventional understanding of roles on a hockey team. When asked what a goalie does, most people say, “stops the puck.” But the actual job of everyone on the team (goalie, defense, forward) is to win the game. This explains why legendary goalie Martin Brodeur scored five goals during his career; in certain moments, he recognized that's what winning required. 

This perspective helps us see that while individual objectives may be constrained within specific roles, the collective objective must remain paramount. The challenge for organizations is creating conditions where more people can transcend their role boundaries when needed, without abandoning their core responsibilities. 

Staying connected to humanity

Perhaps the most important insight for HR leaders and executives is the need to maintain human connections, especially in increasingly remote work environments. As Mike warns, many people enter HR because they care about people, but the role often forces a certain detachment to handle difficult situations and maintain consistency across large workforces. 

His advice: "Fight that urge." Don't forget the humanity of your employees. Sometimes this means making exceptions, like buying a replacement bike for a low-wage employee whose transportation was stolen — an accommodation you wouldn't necessarily make for a senior executive. 

At Workleap, Kahina has instituted random coffee chats with employees across all levels. Initially, employees were apprehensive when receiving these invitations ("Am I in trouble?" used to be a common reaction), but after publicly explaining that the purpose was simply connection, the practice has since spread throughout our leadership team with profound results. 

These conversations reconnect us with the humanity we sometimes forget about in our strategic planning. They reveal the challenges employees face that we wouldn't otherwise consider, and they demonstrate genuine care beyond formal policies. 

So how do we move forward? While there’s no single answer, here are some final thoughts.

The engagement crisis won't be solved with ping-pong tables or free lunches. It requires a fundamental rethinking of how we approach meaning in the workplace. 

By distinguishing between meaning in work and meaning at work, we can better allocate responsibility between employers and employees: 

• By understanding what creates meaning during crisis, we can build more resilient cultures.  
• By establishing rituals that reinforce purpose, we can align culture with strategy.
• And by maintaining human connection, we can ensure employees feel seen and valued as whole people.

The future of meaningful work depends not on grand initiatives but on this more nuanced understanding of what drives human engagement. As leaders, our responsibility is to create the conditions where both types of meaning can flourish, while recognizing that the ultimate experience of meaning remains deeply personal. 

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Kahina Ouerdane is the Chief People Officer at Workleap and the host of the Leading Culture podcast. Mike Ross is a PhD researcher studying meaning in work at Concordia University, former CHRO at Simons and current board member.

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