Abstract

By means of questionnaires, a team collected data from the personnel of four organizations: a hospital, a health and social services centre, a research center and an engineering consulting firm. The objective was to demonstrate that characteristics such as the usefulness and moral rectitude of the work, the learning and development opportunities, autonomy, recognition and the quality of human relations were linked to the meaning that people give to their work. The author observed that a job perceived as being useful for society and that allows knowledge to be acquired is one of the factors that affect people’s perception of it. Other hypotheses relating to the positive or negative impact of the meaning given to the work on psychological well-being or distress also emerged. The author developed a theoretical model that presents work organization as a determinant of employees’ health, attitudes and performance. The report contains recommendations regarding the prevention of symptoms of psychological distress and the reduction of stress.