Organizations are entitled to work and perform on the basis of their own objectives, whether it is meaningful or not. Contrarily, what they are obligated to do is to provide compensation and work for its employees, making them energetic and willing to go after meaning not only at work but also outside work. The content of this paper differentiates the two obligations and discusses the possibility of an organization’s ability to provide meaningful work.
Differences in the Obligations
Meaningful work entails prioritizing the people’s needs, with employees working passionately from their hearts. Most organizations seem to ignore this obligation and act on their own preferences with profits as their core motif. Such firms end up over managing their employees in an effort to create ‘meaningful work’ through various programs. Joanne Ciulla argues that organizations are not obligated to provide meaningful work to employees since it is not really possible to do so.
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However, author Ciulla continues to write that companies are obligated to focus their attention on employees, who should be motivated both during the work and outside the workplace. Organizations should provide compensation and work to the employees, paying them appropriately, failure to which the organization could experience costly liabilities or even lose its licenses and permits. The organization should also provide a safe and conducive work environment. They may also incorporating worker’s compensation insurance, wage replacement and medical care in the case of injuries while at duty. This should be in an effort to make employees autonomous, energetic, and willing to pursue meaning while both at work and outside of work.
According to Joanne Ciulla, the main difference between these two statements is that organizations are not obligated to provide meaningful work to its employees. However, organizations are obligated to prioritize its employees in terms of work, compensation and motivation. Joanne Ciulla adds that this will energize the employees and make them find meaning not only at work but also outside work (Ciulla, 2001).
Organization’s Obligations to provide Meaningful work
According to Ciulla’s understanding of meaningful work, it is not possible for organizations to provide meaningful work to all employees, and that organizations are not morally obligated to do so (Ciulla, 2001). There are other issues associated with meaningful work, such as work that offers meaning and fulfillment to the lives of the employees, this report, however, evaluates the author’s approach to the aspect of meaningful work. Many employees do not seek jobs in order to fulfill their happiness and desires, but in order to fulfill their economic needs. Therefore, not all employees working in a given company may be doing meaningful work. As a matter of, some may work in accordance with the company’s objectives even if when they do not agree. Ciulla argues that are obligated to offer work arrangements allowing them to find meaning either during work or outside work (Ciulla, 2001).
Ciulla states that many organizations in the corporate world are continuously trying to make employees happy through entertainment activities such as networking parties and business dinners (Ciulla, 2001). This is an effort to persuade employees to dedicate themselves more in their work than how it is required hence ‘finding meaning’ (Diddams & Nord, 2003). The author further points out that this effort has resulted in employees trading their labor and at the same time a slice of their private lives, resulting in emotional exhaustion. Consequently, people are willingly giving their happiness away to the hands of employers and the market at large, whose moral vision is not clear for financial benefits.
The Kantian theory on the other hand states that meaningful work is solely based on the employee’s definition of the term and managers cannot provide meaningful work to employees (White, 2011). The theory believes it is impossible for organizations to provide meaningful work even if it could be justified practically. Immanuel Kantian argues that true meaning of meaningful work is well elaborated and grounded in an ethical and standard theory (White, 2011). It should not be oppressive in the sense that it obstructs the worker’s perception of how they wish to obtain happiness.
Business ethics scholars as well as normative philosophers emphasizes that meaningful work is work that tends to support an employee’s rational, creative as well as moral capacities, at the same time preserving one’s autonomy to join, exit and even change the among other aspects (White, 2011). In this regard, meaningful work has become a key business ethics especially when dealing with human rights, organizational integrity, as well as corporate social responsibility. This seems to differ from Ciulla’s arguments. Kantian theory perhaps is the most compelling when it comes to defining the true meaning of meaningful work. Organizations are thus obligated to offer compensations as way of motivating employees. Ciulla adds that most people prefer to put their happiness in the pockets of their employers and the economy at large in order to benefit financially. Managers should thus develop ways of motivating their employees such as implementing organizational friendly policies and programs. .
References
Ciulla, J. B. (2001). The Working Life (Book Review). Training & Development , 55 (4), 66–67. Retrieved from http://165.193.178.96/login?url=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ebscohost.com%2flogin.aspx%3fdirect%3dtrue%26db%3daph%26AN%3d4311573%26site%3deds-live
Diddams, M & Nord, W.R. 2003. “Book Review Essay: Revisiting the Meaning of Meaningful Work.” Academy of Management Review 28 (3): 508–12. doi:10.5465/AMR.2003.10196829.
White, M. D. (2011). Kantian Ethics and Economics : Autonomy, Dignity, and Character . Stanford, Calif: Stanford University Press. Retrieved from http://165.193.178.96/login?url=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ebscohost.com%2flogin.aspx%3fdirect%3dtrue%26db%3dnlebk%26AN%3d367471%26site%3deds-live
