Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/335641 
Year of Publication: 
2026
Citation: 
[Journal:] Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology [ISSN:] 2044-8325 [Volume:] 99 [Issue:] 1 [Article No.:] e70081 [Publisher:] Wiley [Place:] Hoboken, NJ [Year:] 2026
Publisher: 
Wiley, Hoboken, NJ
Abstract: 
Research on meaningful work (MW) has largely presumed that its effects are determined by absolute levels: when MW is high, outcomes are favourable, and when it is low, outcomes are less so. Yet, this assumption overlooks the fact that employees interpret current experiences against the backdrop of the past. In this study, we apply a temporal lens to MW by examining how directional changes (gains vs. losses) and inconsistency (deviations from prior experiences) shape organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB). Across two experience‐sampling studies (daily: 252 participants, 2200 observations; weekly: 387 participants, 2600 observations), we find that relative evaluations of MW explain OCB beyond absolute levels. Increases in MW generally enhance OCB more than decreases, but at the weekly level, inconsistency and even increases can undermine OCB. These findings underscore that MW is inherently dynamic and relative, advancing theory on how temporal comparisons shape work experiences and highlighting practical risks for sustaining employees' discretionary effort.
Subjects: 
meaningful work
organizational citizenship behaviour
polynomial regression
relative meaningful work
temporal comparison
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Creative Commons License: 
cc-by Logo
Document Type: 
Article
Document Version: 
Published Version

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