Loving one's job: Construct development and implications for individual well-being

Abstract

We introduce the construct of loving one's job as an overlooked, but potentially informative, construct for organizational research. Following both empirical findings and theoretical developments in other domains we suggest that love of the job comprises a passion for the work itself, commitment to the employing organization, and high-quality intimate relationships with coworkers. We also suggest that love of the job is a taxonic rather than a dimensional construct – one either loves their job or does not. In addition, we propose that loving your job is on the whole beneficial to individual well-being. Within this broad context, however, we suggest that loving one's job may buffer the effect of some stressors while at the same time increase vulnerability to others. These suggestions provide some initial direction for research focused on the love of one's job.

Citation

Kevin Kelloway, E., Inness, M., Barling, J., Francis, L. and Turner, N. (2010), "Loving one's job: Construct development and implications for individual well-being", Perrewé, P.L. and Ganster, D.C. (Ed.) New Developments in Theoretical and Conceptual Approaches to Job Stress (Research in Occupational Stress and Well Being, Vol. 8), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 109-136. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-3555(2010)0000008006