Abstract
Meaningful work may seem like a blessing, but it can also be a curse. While research has alerted to this so-called double-edged sword, we still lack understanding of the mechanisms and processes that underlie it, especially on a social and organizational level. This study sheds light on the dark sides of meaningfulness by examining the role of social context in burnout. Drawing on a two-phase, multi-month ethnography of NGOs in the ‘Jungle of Calais’, this study finds that, when the meaningfulness of work exceeds that of other activities, workers cut ties to unrelated social contexts and hence get trapped in the meaningful context. This process of total institutionalization in turn inhibits self-regulation practices that prove crucial for dealing with strain. Based on these findings, we develop a process model of the role of social context in burnout and discuss implications for the wider literatures on meaningfulness and total institutions.
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