Doing a few chosen work tasks made workdays feel more worthwhile, not more absorbing

The study

1. 01

   Who took part

   289 full-time employees in Poland, about 41 years old on average, roughly half women. 569 signed up, but many didn't take part on the first day or did none of the tasks.

2. 02

   What they did

   One group was asked to do 3 to 5 work tasks that felt meaningful to them. They did this on one day, and again a week later. The other group was asked to work faster than usual on the same days. Both groups rated their workday every afternoon for 10 working days.

3. 03

   What happened

   The task group rated their workdays as a bit more meaningful over the two weeks. They didn't clearly feel more absorbed in their work. A small rise showed up only after the authors loosened a rule they had set before the study. Both groups chose a work gift or a home gift at the end equally often. The paper's summary claims more than its results show.

What the study found

1. No differenceMotivation

   Doing a few chosen tasks that felt worthwhile didn't clearly make workers more absorbed in their work than working faster.

   • Action: Do activities that feel meaningfultested

   Randomised trial of 289 full-time employees in Poland · vs workers asked to work faster than usual · they rated themselves · ⚠ not yet checked by other scientists; only counted people who finished; summary claims more than the results show

2. HelpedOther outcomes

   Workers who did chosen tasks that felt worthwhile rated their days a bit more meaningful than the hurry group.

   • Action: Do activities that feel meaningfultested

   Randomised trial of 289 full-time employees in Poland · vs workers asked to work faster than usual · they rated themselves · ⚠ not yet checked by other scientists; only counted people who finished; summary claims more than the results show

Source