Too much of a good thing? Excessive meaningfulness in voluntary work in a German refugee shelter

Abstract

This article explores how public discourse attaches an overly positive imagery of meaningfulness to voluntary work and how this influences the experience of it in a non-profit organization. Drawing on an ethnographic study in a refugee emergency shelter in Berlin, we analyse how volunteers hold on to this imagery, how workplace realities contradict it and how this discrepancy leads to tensions. We conceptualize this phenomenon as excessive meaningfulness – an imagery of meaningfulness that overdetermines how individuals make sense of their work. Our analysis shows that, while excessive meaningfulness can be a strong mobilizing force in times of crisis, it can become problematic once the situation settles, leading to conflict, loss of cooperation and a high number of drop-outs. By problematizing the assumption that high meaningfulness in work inevitably has positive effects on individuals and organizations, we contribute to the literature in three ways: First, we show how the struggles for meaningfulness involve conflict, loss and friction. Second, by looking at meaningfulness in a settling context, we develop a dynamic understanding of these struggles. Third, we show how the shifting societal discourse about voluntary work features into its experience.