Other- (vs. self-) oriented meaning interventions enhance momentary work engagement through changes in work meaningfulness.

We tested whether a short, online meaning intervention boosts momentary work engagement through an increase in perceived work meaningfulness. In Study 1 (N = 227) employees who were asked to write why their work was meaningful subsequently experienced higher work meaningfulness and higher momentary work engagement (MWE) compared to a control group. Work meaningfulness mediated the relationship between the intervention and MWE. Study 2, conducted among employees (N = 254), found that writing about how one’s work serves a greater good (vs. how it advances personal career, vs. control) led to an increase in work meaningfulness, which consequently predicted MWE. The research examines a new tool to enhance work meaningfulness that can be easily and widely applied and that provides insight into how sources of meaningful work are related to work meaningfulness and to important occupational outcomes.