MEANWELL: Meaningful work as a source of well-being : Research and development project description

Abstract

MEANWELL project was implemented by the Department of Psychology at the University of Jyväskylä and funded by the Finnish Work Environment Fund (project number 210129). The project developed an operating model to support meaningful work and well-being for organizations and work life and career counseling professionals with their clients. The operating model was also applied to trade unions and educational programs. The operating model was based on 1) a model of sustainable careers, 2) an integrative multilevel framework of factors fostering meaningful work, 3) a four-dimensional conceptualization of meaningful work, and 4) a vocational meaning and fulfillment fit perspective. The MEANWELL operating model was built on two foundations - the work well-being survey and facilitative working methods. The work well-being survey provided up-to-date and target group-specific information, guiding the development work. The Vocational Meaning and Fulfillment Survey method, a central component of the survey, offered respondents a profile of how well their work expectations were met in their current jobs across seven dimensions. The facilitative working methods, incorporating principles of solution-focused coaching, dialogical counseling, as well as mindfulness, acceptance, and value-based methods, were designed to be practical and functional in real-world settings. The MEANWELL operating model was implemented in three modes. The first mode, organizational development, included two development days for the entire personnel and, in between these, a supervisor coaching series (3 x 2 h), a team coaching series (6 x 1.5 h) for the supervisors and employees, and a development/goal discussion between the supervisor-employee pairs. The second mode, work life and career counseling, included VMFS method training for professionals (4 h), after which the method was used as a part of their client work with individuals or groups. Clients responded to the work well-being survey before counseling with their professional and received their VMF profile. The third mode, trade unions and educational programs, included answering the work well-being survey, getting a personal VMF profile, and participating in a workshop or webinar (1-4 h). Intervention fidelity and adherence were followed in all the modes with predetermined criteria. Research data was collected with cross-sectional and longitudinal surveys, as well as focus group and individual interviews. There were 515 participants in organizational development, 1066 in work life and career counseling, 2463 in trade union collaboration, and 673 in educational workshops.