New research has unlocked the three elements that must exist for people to genuinely love their jobs.
Using multiple studies involving thousands of employees, the research team found that loving your job was not the same as being satisfied with your work or feeling engaged.
Instead, it was a function of three things happening at once.
- Enthusiasm for the work itself. People who loved their jobs genuinely enjoyed what they did and felt energised by it. This went beyond momentary satisfaction and reflected a “deeper emotional connection” to the work.
- Commitment to the organisation. Loving your job involved feeling attached to the organisation you work for, believing that its problems are your problems and finding meaning in your role within it.
- Connection with others at work. This sense of trust and belonging made work feel personally significant.
In an article on the research, published today, Professor Nick Turner of the University of Calgary, Professor Julian Barling and PhD candidate Kaylee Somerville from Queen’s University, and Assistant Professor Zhanna Lyubykh from Simon Fraser University said loving a job was a rare alignment, where enthusiasm, commitment and connection come together at once.
“When these elements converge, love of the job can function as a powerful psychological resource,” they said.
“In our research, love of the job was associated with outcomes above and beyond job satisfaction and work engagement. Employees who loved their jobs reported higher psychological well-being and remained more involved in their work.”
The researchers said that, while they did not find evidence that love of the job directly caused burnout, overwork or exploitation, past research suggested that having a deep attachment to work could create vulnerability when organisational conditions were poor.
“Employees who love their jobs often feel a strong sense of responsibility for their work and their organisation,” they said.
“In supportive environments, this can be a strength; in unsupportive ones, it may make it harder to step back, set limits or recognize when demands have become unreasonable.”
The findings were based on a series of studies led by Michelle Inness at the University of Alberta and co-authored with Kevin Kelloway at Saint Mary’s University.
The research is available here.
