Federal Manager's Daily Report

The MSPB has said that in response to its most recent merit principles survey, when asked which of 10 items was most important for them to feel engaged in their job, in every age group employees cited “supporting a particular purpose, mission, or calling” more often than any other single factor.

That ranked above factors such as using skills and talents; recognition and appreciation; and compensation and benefits, the MSPB said in a recent publication.

“It is not surprising that people who are attracted to public service or meaningful work would seek out employment in the civil service. But, given these results, it is important for supervisors to emphasize the meaningfulness of the work to enhance employee performance. Employees who receive services from other work units may also find it beneficial to help their providers understand the beneficial effects of the services being received,” it said.

“Feedback can be an opportunity to help employees to find the meaning in the work,” it added, saying that such feelings arise when there is a sense of a job well done, one recognized and appreciated by others.

“It would be difficult for management to make work meaningful if meaning was not inherent in the work. But, supervisors can encourage people to see their work as meaningful by demonstrating how jobs fit with the organization’s broader purpose or serve a wider, societal benefit. Managers can track and communicate the effects of the work being performed to show employees that their work matters,” it said.

In contrast, “poor managers can create the impression that the work being performed is meaningless to that larger, more important agency mission. It is not enough that the work has meaning in some abstract way as understood by the designers of the workforce planning documents. Rather, employees need to feel that the work has meaning to perform their best.”

“It would be difficult for management to make work meaningful if meaning was not inherent in the work. But, supervisors can encourage people to see their work as meaningful by demonstrating how jobs fit with the organization’s broader purpose or serve a wider, societal benefit. Managers can track and communicate the effects of the work being performed to show employees that their work matters,” it said.

In contrast, “poor managers can create the impression that the work being performed is meaningless to that larger, more important agency mission. It is not enough that the work has meaning in some abstract way as understood by the designers of the workforce planning documents. Rather, employees need to feel that the work has meaning to perform their best.”