Why and when is meaningful work important for performance?

: the roles of PsyCap and workload

Abstract

“It is impossible to have a great life unless it is a meaningful life. And it is very difficult to have a meaningful life without meaningful work.” James C. Collins. The alignment and balanced development of mental health and economics and business are crucial for the well-being of individuals and the global community. The subject of happiness and the perception of meaningful work has garnered significant attention in academic research, particularly in the field of human resources management. However, despite the growing body of literature on this topic, a comprehensive understanding of the impact of meaningful work on job performance remains difficult to determine. In light of the significance and growing attention surrounding these subjects, a research investigation was conducted to explore the correlation between meaningful work and job performance, with Psycap acting as a potential mediating factor and workload acting as a potential moderating factor. The present study involved a sample of 204 Portuguese employees hailing from various companies and sectors. As hypothesised, a significant indirect relationship was observed between meaningful work, PsyCap and job performance. However, contrary to initial estimations, the moderating influence of workload was not observed.

Date of Award	15 Mar 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Tatiana Pires Marques (Supervisor)