Beyond Engagement: Finding Meaning In and At Work

Engagement isn’t broken. We’ve just been solving the wrong problem.

While global engagement scores slide toward historic lows, HR leaders keep chasing the same playbook: surveys, perks, pulse checks. But what if the real issue isn’t about feeling engaged—it’s about feeling that work matters?

A subtle but critical distinction is reshaping how progressive organizations think about workplace culture: the difference between finding meaning in work and finding meaning at work. This isn’t just semantics. It’s strategy.

Let’s unpack what it means—and how HR can use it to build cultures where both purpose and people thrive.

What Do We Mean by “Meaning”?

PhD researcher and former CHRO Mike Ross breaks it down clearly:

• Meaning of work — The big picture of labor’s role in society.
• Meaning in work — The sense of purpose you get from the job you do.
• Meaning at work — The connection you feel in your workplace environment.

Confusing these two has real consequences. Most organizations over-index on job design or compensation (“in” work) and underinvest in culture and community (“at” work).

The result? Talent feels competent, but disconnected. Or welcomed, but unchallenged.

Truly thriving organizations build both.

Why the Distinction Matters in 2025

As hybrid work reshapes proximity and AI redefines productivity, employees are asking deeper questions: Why am I here? What’s the point of this meeting? Do I matter?

And increasingly, they’re not getting answers.

That’s not a morale problem. That’s a meaning problem.

HR can’t supply meaning. But we can remove the obstacles that block it.

Who Owns Meaning at Work?

One of the hardest questions leaders face is: Whose job is it to create meaning?

Employees? Employers? Both?

Let’s be honest—expecting people to show up already full of purpose is unrealistic. But equally, the idea that HR can manufacture fulfillment is naïve.

The solution is shared ownership.

• Employers must create the conditions: psychological safety, role clarity, opportunities for growth.
• Employees must engage with those opportunities, reflect, and connect their values to the work they do.

How Crisis Reveals Meaning at Work

One surprising insight from Ross’s research: meaning at work often spikes during crisis.

During COVID-19, for example, retail employees at Canadian company Simons—normally stylists and buyers—found themselves loading boxes in warehouses. And yet, many described it as one of the most meaningful periods of their careers.

Why?

Because hierarchy faded. Purpose became collective. The CEO was packing boxes too. And in that moment, community was the job.

Rituals: Small Habits, Big Meaning

One of the most powerful drivers of meaning at work? Rituals.

Not the corporate-y kind. The human kind. Habits infused with shared purpose.

At Simons, cashiers walk around the counter to hand customers their purchases. Simple. Personal. But over time, it becomes identity.

Rituals:

• Reinforce values.
• Signal intentionality.
• Scale human connection across teams.

If your strategy says “we care,” your culture better show it. And rituals are the proof.

Individual vs. Collective Purpose

Another tension HR must balance: supporting personal growth while serving collective goals.

Here’s a reframe from sports. Most would say the goalie’s job is to stop pucks. But as Ross points out, the real job is to help win the game. That might mean scoring a goal, not saving one.

So ask:

• Are we rewarding only what’s on the job description?
• Or are we building systems where people can flex to serve team outcomes?

Creating meaning at work means allowing (and celebrating) moments when people transcend their formal role in service of shared success.

Staying Human in HR

Finally, none of this works without real, messy, human connection.

But that’s hard. Especially in remote settings. And especially in HR, where the job often demands neutrality, policy, and tough calls.

Ross offers a challenge: Don’t let empathy erode. Make space to connect.

Whether it’s replacing a stolen bike for a frontline worker or simply asking someone how their week’s going, these moments matter.

They build trust, reveal hidden pain points, and rehumanize strategy.

Moving Forward: Building Both Kinds of Meaning

The engagement crisis isn’t about snacks, swag, or software. It’s about significance.

And solving it starts by recognizing that meaning in work and meaning at work are different levers. Both matter. Both can be cultivated.

Here’s how to start:

• Audit roles for purpose, variety, and visible impact.
• Review rituals to ensure they reflect your values, not just habits.
• Talk to people—and actually listen.

Because in the end, engagement isn’t a metric. It’s a feeling.

And feelings are built through moments—not mandates.

Let’s design workplaces where those moments thrive.

Stay human. Build meaning. Lead the future of work with depth, not noise.