Loss of meaning at work, brown-out, quiet quitting... These terms, which have proliferated in recent years, all testify to employees' need to feel useful in their day-to-day work, particularly following the consequences of the pandemic, which has significantly transformed the professional world.
What is the loss of meaning at work?
The loss of meaning at work is defined by François Baumann in his book Le brown-out: quand le travail n'a plus sens as "an exhaustion of the individual by the absurdity of what he does". It's a syndrome known as "brown-out", which translates as "a drop in tension". This syndrome leads to moral resignation and can have an impact on mental and physical health.
This loss of meaning at work can be caused by a number of factors. It can be triggered by a project that is impossible to complete, or simply by the work itself. One example is "bullshit jobs", a concept theorized by anthropologist David Graeber, which refers to a meaningless job that causes suffering for the employee.
In 2022, France experienced a major resignation phenomenon, with almost two million people deciding to quit. Faced with these facts, salary compensation seems insufficient to convince employees to keep their jobs. Many are now deciding to change jobs in the hope of finding a sense of purpose in their work. Resigning because a job does not correspond to the employee's social and environmental values has a name: it's called conscious quitting.
The lack of recognition and appreciation an employee may feel, unachievable goals and the installation of a monotonous routine lacking in autonomy and freedom are the main causes of the loss of meaning at work.
The loss of meaning at work is also one of the reasons for the widespread wave of quiet-quitting we have seen (and continue to see). Discouraged employees decide to work only the bare minimum.
What are the symptoms of brown-out?
Loss of meaning at work has specific symptoms that should not be missed, as it can have repercussions for both employees and the company!
Among them, a few key signs that may indicate a possible loss of meaning at work for employees:
- Concentration and attention problems,
- A tendency to procrastinate,
- A growing boredom that annihilates any initiative on the part of the employee,
- A lack of investment and negligence in fulfilling missions.
But fortunately, there are ways of giving meaning back to employees who may have lost their way.
How can we give meaning back to employees' work?
Giving meaning to your employees' work helps motivate them. There are several ways to improve your employer brand:
- A corporate culture centered on the respect and dignity of the individual,
- The feeling of doing something important in one's work and being valued,
- Alignment between internal and external corporate discourse.
The role of companies in defining the meaning of work is therefore crucial. When we ask employees about their loss of meaning, we find many elements relating to the organization of the company. Only the company can remedy the problem, since it is the company that defines its vision and values, and the way in which it instills them in its employees.
What is the role of the company?
As we've seen, there are a number of ways in which companies can influence their employees' work experience. Here are the main measures:
1. Communicating and promoting the usefulness of work
It's important to share the company's values, strategy and objectives. Transparency in team meetings is one way of ensuring that employees understand what's at stake and the social utility of the tasks they have to perform.
In addition, receiving signs of the esteem that one's work deserves helps to keep employees motivated: salary, prospects for development or regular feedback add value and meaning to the work performed.
The DARES (Direction de l'Animation de la Recherche, Des Études et des Statistiques du Ministère du Travail) stresses that "the expression of full potential" also plays an important role in the meaning given to work. Everyone must be able to develop their skills and put them to full use: skills sponsorship, access to training, a change of position or career advancement are all avenues to be explored.
2. Develop employees' listening skills and sense of belonging to create a serene climate
Paying attention to the needs, difficulties and successes of each employee is one way of avoiding conflict and building trust. To this end, you can opt for regular one-to-one interviews.
Enabling employees to participate fully in the day-to-day running of the company and developing their sense of belonging is another way of responding to employees' quest for meaning.
To reinforce this response, companies can also offer training courses to their employees. These courses will make them feel more useful and valued, since by offering them, companies show that they are planning for the long term with their employees. It's a win-win situation, too, since it helps to keep employees loyal and motivated.
Involving employees in their CSR policy also enables companies to create a sense of belonging. This can be achieved through various initiatives, such as skills sponsorship, participation in information conferences on the causes supported by the company, or fund-raising. These are all measures that meet the requirements of the new generation, and will help to make jobs attractive and interesting for them. Indeed, the new generation wants to join a company whose values are close to their own.
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3. Ensure personal and professional balance
A real separation between professional and personal life contributes to personal fulfillment. For example, you could avoid calling on your employees outside working hours or on their days off, except in emergencies. Other benefits include flexible working hours, teleworking days, extra days off, etc.
Companies can also consider giving their employees a certain number of days to get involved with causes that are close to their hearts. This gives employees more time and opportunities to devote to causes they love.
4. Promote cooperation and develop collective intelligence
Cooperation, mutual aid and support are also essential to professional fulfillment. Team building is an increasingly common corporate solution. It facilitates team cohesion, collaborative work and develops collective intelligence.
To give you a concrete example, Wenabi worked with KCO to facilitate team building workshops for Covivio during SoCovivio week in July 2022. During this cohesion week, some 250 hours of volunteering were carried out! Nearly 90 employees were involved in this solidarity project, taking part in various activities such as field missions, coaching and skills sponsorship, with the associations Pik Pik Environnement, Wake up Café and Cravate Solidaire.
5. Involving employees in CSR
As we've already mentioned, federating employees around CSR and corporate values, and enabling them to act according to their own values and convictions (ethical consistency), is also a good way of combating the loss of meaning at work. How can we do this? By involving them in a solidarity program, for example.
👉 Get inspired with our article featuring examples of committed companies!
To this end, Wenabi encourages companies to get involved by helping them to define and manage their involvement program. The platform makes it easy for employees to get involved with associations on field missions to be carried out on and off the job.
90% of employees say they are ready to commit to a cause close to their hearts. This commitment is beneficial because it enables employees to add meaning to their professional lives and feel useful by supporting causes close to their hearts. As for companies, encouraging this commitment to solidarity reinforces their values.
Need more information on this subject?
Discover best practices, key trends and expert advice in our benchmark of solidarity involvement programs!
Examples of companies that give meaning back to work through community involvement
Wenabi helps companies involve their teams in their CSR and solidarity action plans. Many companies have chosen Wenabi to support them in their social commitment projects!
The Groupama example
Bénédicte Crété-Dambricourt, Groupama's Human Resources Director, says that implementing the operation to donate 1 to 5 days' leave to a charity, nonprofit, was a real team effort. Involving employees in this solidarity program helped to unite them around shared values.
Taking part in this type of action was a request from employees, and the Group was able to listen! The employees were very satisfied with the experience, and delighted to see their company embracing the values they hold dear. It was a very positive experience for Groupama!
The figures speak for themselves, with a total of 1,300 days donated to 17 associations!
Together, we then built the process to make the payment of donations viable. A fine example of collaboration around a solidarity initiative.
Bénédicte Crété-Dambricourt, Groupama HR Director
Also read: Understanding everything about corporate donations to associations
The CFM example
CFM's teams attach great importance to equal opportunities, which is why their commitment program focuses on inclusion, particularly of women and disadvantaged populations. One of the program's initiatives is the GivingBack@CFM platform, which connects associations and employees. Employees are given one working day a year to support thenonprofit of their choice. These initiatives enable employees to get involved within the company, as they require a substantial investment. In particular, they need to be supported by each team, and this helps to create strong moments with each other. But in addition to this positive contribution to teamwork, these efforts enable the company to uphold values that are important to employees, giving them the opportunity to defend them in their work!
Giving meaning back to work is one of today's major corporate missions. One of the possible solutions to employees' quest for meaning is to become involved in community work and skills sponsorship. Indeed, this practice offers employees the opportunity to help associations working for causes close to their hearts on a one-off basis through their company, enabling them to rediscover a sense of usefulness on a daily basis. As for the company, it has the opportunity to reinforce its values and bond its teams by mobilizing them around the causes it wishes to support! Wenabi can help you develop and implement your commitment program!
This kind of initiative shouldn't just be driven by an HR or CSR department, but by every team.
Mathilde Savalle, HR Development Associate at CFM
Giving meaning back to work is one of today's major corporate missions. One of the possible solutions to employees' quest for meaning is to become involved in community work and skills sponsorship. Indeed, this practice offers employees the opportunity to help associations working for causes close to their hearts on a one-off basis through their company, enabling them to rediscover a sense of usefulness in their day-to-day work. As for the company, it has the opportunity to reinforce its values and bond its teams by mobilizing them around the causes it wishes to support! Wenabi can help you develop and implement your commitment program!
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