When work becomes meaningless. The influence of meaningful work on job mobility, voice and sickness absence: a longitudinal analysis with the Working Conditions Survey 2013-2016 [Quand le travail perd son sens. L'influence du sens du travail sur la mobilité professionnelle, la prise de parole et l'absentéisme pour maladie : une analyse longitudinale avec l'enquête Conditions travail 2013-2016]

Exposed to numerical targets, rigid procedures and frequent reorganisation, employees often feel that their work loses its meaning. How do they react to these difficulties? Do they seek to leave to find a better job, or do they act collectivity to influence management practices? What is the link between changes in the meaninfulness of work and the number of days of sick leave? Economists have only recently begum to address the question of meaningful work, and do not have a consensus definition. After reviewing the literature in economics and management, we propose an original definition of meaningful work with reference to the critical theory of "living work" and the psychodynamics of work. The analysis of the 2013-2016 panel of the Working Conditions survey (which includes nearly 17,000 employees), shows that a meaningless work in 2013 is clearly associated with a change of job (exit) between 2013 and 2016. When endogeneity issues are taken care of meaningless work is also associated with collective voice (joining a union) over the same period. Changes in the meaning of work also have a very significant impact on the variation in the number of days of sickness absence.