BY MELISSA BENNETT
Editor’s note: At MeaningSphere, we believe that meaning at work matters and that it’s deeply personal. This series highlights diverse perspectives across the 10 core fulfillment areas from our Worklife Fulfillment Indicator. Each piece reflects the author’s own experience, with the goal of sparking reflection and dialogue.
As a career counselor, I spend a lot of time talking with students and alumni about interests, goals, and what meaningful work might look like. Ideally, those conversations end with an accepted offer and a new chapter underway—and I never hear from them again. That’s usually a good sign.
But sometimes, they come back.
And when they do, the conversation shifts. It’s no longer just about finding a job; it’s about figuring out why something that looked right on paper doesn’t quite feel right in practice. Quite often, what’s missing is a sense of connection.
Quality relationships matter more than we realize
At first, the concerns can be hard to name. People talk about not fitting in, feeling out of sorts with their team, struggling with motivation, or just a general sense that something is…off. As we start to unpack the issue, the concerns people raise often point to something deeper. In many cases, what people are really describing when expressing dissatisfaction with their role is a lack of connection—to the people around them, and to the work itself.
Work is, at its core, a social experience. The relationships we build—with colleagues, managers, mentors—shape how we experience our day-to-day lives more than we sometimes expect. When those relationships are strong, work can feel energizing, even when it’s challenging. When they’re missing, even good jobs can feel isolating.
We’re starting to see more research reflect what many people already know. Studies, including Gallup’s latest State of the Global Workplace, show that employees with strong workplace relationships are more engaged, more productive, and more likely to stay. On the other hand, workplace loneliness is becoming more common, especially in roles that are highly independent or remote. And it’s not just the feeling of loneliness—a lack of connection can chip away at motivation, cloud clarity, and lead to fatigue and burnout.
That’s because meaning rarely develops in isolation.
Even if someone is performing well, hitting deadlines, and checking every box, work can feel flat without a sense of connection to others. It’s often through shared goals, collaboration, and even small, everyday interactions that work starts to feel enjoyable—and stays that way.
But connection isn’t just about people. It’s also about the work itself—and this is where things get a little more complicated.
To connect to others, it helps to have a shared purpose
You can have a great team and still feel disconnected if you don’t understand, or believe in what you’re working toward. People want to know that their work is going somewhere—that it serves a purpose beyond completing tasks or moving items from one column to the next.
This is the second kind of connection: a connection to purpose. When people can see how their work contributes to something larger—whether that’s a team goal, an organizational mission, or the needs of a broader community—their work tends to feel more focused and even inspiring. Without that connection, even work that looks “meaningful” on paper can start to feel routine.
Being busy isn’t the same as being connected. It’s entirely possible to be productive, responsive, and successful by most external measures—and still feel disengaged. The difference often comes down to whether someone can answer a simple question: Why does this work matter?
Research backs this up. Employees who understand how their work contributes to a broader mission are significantly more engaged. When people can see the impact of what they do, they’re more likely to stay motivated, push through challenges, and take ownership of their work.
But this kind of connection doesn’t happen automatically.
The marriage of “good on paper” and “meaningful”
Let’s face it: Organizations have a role to play in clearly communicating goals, priorities, and desired outcomes. Clarity from leadership about what’s expected of you and why it matters makes a significant difference in the degree of connection you experience at work. But individuals have a part to play as well. By taking a step back from day-to-day tasks to ask what your work enables—who it helps, what it supports, and what would be different if it didn’t exist—you can shift how that work feels.
When both pieces are in place—connection to people and connection to purpose—something changes. Work becomes more than a list of responsibilities. Wins feel shared. Challenges feel more manageable. And over time, a sense of belonging starts to take hold.
And that’s usually the difference between a job that works on paper and one that feels meaningful—and the reason some of the most important career conversations happen after the job starts, not before.
Melissa Bennett is a career services professional with extensive experience in both non-profits and higher education. In addition, she enjoys teaching humanities-based disciplines, including media and feminist theory.
