Purpose The purpose of this paper is to compare the importance currently placed on meaningful work (MFW), and determine the frequency by which it is experienced in blue-, pink-, and white-collar occupations. Design/methodology/approachs Using the comprehensive meaningful work scale (Lips-Wiersma and Wright, 2012) with 1,683 workers across two studies, ANOVAs were conducted to examine differences in dimensions of MFW. Findings While unity with others and developing the inner self were regarded as equally important for white-, blue-, and pink-collar workers, the authors data suggest that white-collar workers placed more importance on expressing full potential and serving others than blue-collar workers. The frequency of experiencing MFW differed across the three groups with white-collar workers experiencing higher levels of unity with others, expressing full potential, and serving others; however no mean differences were found for developing the inner self. Originality/value This study is the first to empirically investigate an oft-discussed but previously untested question: does the experience of MFW differ across white-, blue-, and pink-collar jobs?

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In this article we build on two in-depth qualitative studies to systematically develop and validate a comprehensive measure of meaningful work. This scale provides a multidimensional, process-oriented measure of meaningful work that captures the complexity of the construct. It measures the dimensions of "developing the inner self"; "unity with others"; "serving others" and "expressing full potential" and the dynamic tensions between these through items on "being versus doing" and "self versus others." The scale also measures inspiration and it's relationship to the existential need to be real and grounded. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses using multicultural samples from a broad range of occupations provide construct validity for the measure. Future research opportunities on the basis of our measure are outlined.

‘I am lonely’, ‘I feel lonely’, ‘I am all alone’, ‘I feel lonely at work’. Each statement conjures up different sentiments about loneliness and speaks to the myriad ways one can arrive at the conclusion that they are lonely. This everyday language gives us insight into the mechanics of what loneliness is, what it is not, how it can manifest, and how being lonely is variously perceived in our social environments. Loneliness indicates that our relational life is unsatisfying in some way and implies a yearning for connection. The perception of loneliness is magnified in social contexts such as the workplace, yet because loneliness is often perceived as a shameful topic that is stigmatised, trivialised, or ignored, it is not something we often hear revealed within organisations. How does loneliness develop in the workplace? This article introduces a process model to help us understand how loneliness at work can manifest. Because the literature on workplace loneliness is far from mature, we use multidisciplinary research on various aspects of loneliness, relationships, and organisations to help develop a conceptual model of loneliness in the context of the workplace. Lastly, the article outlines future research directions for the study of workplace loneliness.

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