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Make meaning visible, measurable, and developable. A structured 25-step journey to deeper purpose, stronger collaboration, and measurable business impact.
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Make meaning visible, measurable, and developable. A structured 25-step journey to deeper purpose, stronger collaboration, and measurable business impact.
Many companies invest in engagement, health and staff retention.
Yet the root cause of many challenges often remains hidden: The missing meaning of work.
Drawing on the research into meaning by Prof. Dr Tatjana Schnell, Sinnmacher has developed the first programme that does not merely tackle the symptoms, but addresses the underlying cause.
Sinnmacher for Business supports companies and organisations in making meaning at work visible and systematically strengthening it. In this way, meaning at work not only becomes understandable, but also serves as a starting point for sustainable development, greater connection and active engagement.
Companies and organisations are facing new challenges
The world of work is changing. Many companies and organisations are observing trends that are difficult to explain using traditional approaches:
Quiet Quitting
Employees carry out their tasks but make little effort beyond that. Commitment, initiative and a sense of responsibility are on the decline.
Job Hugging
Employees do remain with the company, often for reasons of security or uncertainty about alternatives. However, their emotional attachment to the work itself often remains low.
Increasing exhaustion
Workload intensification, change and uncertainty are increasing the strain on many employees.
Declining sense of identification
Partly as a result of digital transformation and the rapid changes brought about by artificial intelligence, more people are questioning the role work plays in their lives and the contribution their job makes.
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Challenges relating to retention and engagement
Many organisations find it difficult to retain staff in the long term and to motivate them.
Most respond to these developments by introducing additional measures.
They invest in:
employee benefits,
wellbeing schemes,
leadership development,
coaching programmes or
staff retention initiatives
These measures can make an important contribution, but they usually address the issue only once the effects are already becoming apparent.
This leaves open the question of why people lose their engagement in the first place, become emotionally detached from their work or fail to develop a strong connection to their role.
The root cause usually lies deeper: in the meaning they derive from their work.
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What makes work meaningful?
Meaning in work means more than just satisfaction, motivation or enjoyment of one’s work.
People experience their work as meaningful when they understand why their role is important, how it suits them, and what contribution it makes to others.
Research by Prof. Dr Tatjana Schnell shows that a sense of meaning in work is based on four key prerequisites:
Meaning arises where these four conditions come together.
The more people experience coherence, meaning, purpose and belonging, the more likely it is that work will be experienced as meaningful.
Sinnmacher for Business highlights precisely these areas and supports companies and organisations in developing them in a targeted manner.
These four dimensions also form the scientific basis of the ME-Work Inventory and the Sinnmacher for Business programme.
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Sinnmacher for Business guides companies and organisations on a structured journey of development
Sinnmacher for Business combines scientific insights with practical application in everyday working life. Through five sequential steps, the programme supports employees, managers and the entire organisation in making meaning in work visible and developing it in a targeted manner.
Step 1: The individual Meaning Profile
The process begins with the scientifically validated ME-Work questionnaire, based on the research of Prof. Dr Tatjana Schnell. Through 23 questions, employees and managers receive a personalised sense of purpose profile that reveals how they currently experience their work and how pronounced key factors of meaningful work – such as coherence, significance, purpose and belonging – are.
In doing so, they reflect on questions such as:
“My work aligns with my interests.”
“Through my professional work, I make a valuable contribution to society.”
“I am well integrated into the team.”
“My work gives my life meaning.”
At the end, each participant receives a personal meaning profile.
HR or management also receive an anonymised overall evaluation showing how meaning is currently experienced within the organisation.
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Step 2: The 12-week journey of meaning
Based on the meaning profiles, a 12-week journey of inspiration then begins. Participants receive brief insights, reflective questions and practical challenges that can be easily integrated into their everyday working lives. The aim is to become more aware of the meaning in their work and to play an active role in shaping their own work.
The journey of meaning is divided into three phases:
Phase 1: Understanding and experiencing meaning in the workplace
Phase 2: Contributing to the team, the organisation and the wider environment
Phase 3: Creative agency and further development
Each week comprises two short impulses that offer new perspectives, encourage reflection and support the application of these insights to everyday working life.
Step 3: Meaning Checks
The journey of meaning is supported by structured Meaning Checks. These are brief discussions between staff and managers or within the team, which ideally take place every four weeks.
The aim is to reflect together on the insights gained over the past few weeks, to incorporate different perspectives and to gain new insights into one’s own work.
Meaning Checks are not feedback sessions or appraisals, but rather create a relaxed setting for discussion, reflection and shared learning.
The format of these discussions can be tailored to suit the specific team structure, for example as part of a shared breakfast, lunch or a brief chat during the working day.
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Step 4: Identifying changes
At the end of the programme, the personal meaning of purpose profile is assessed once again using the ME-Work questionnaire.
Employees receive a direct comparison with their original meaning of purpose profile and can see which dimensions have changed and where there is still potential for development.
HR and management also receive an updated, aggregated overall evaluation that highlights changes at team and organisational level.
Step 5: Embedding the changes in the long term
Once the programme has concluded, companies and organisations can sustainably strengthen a sense of meaning at work through regular ‘Meaning Weeks’, Meaning Checks, guidance for managers or recurring short surveys. Employees are also given the opportunity to continue using the Sinnmacher platform individually and to pursue their personal development. In this way, a 12-week programme gives rise to the long-term development of employees and teams.
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Meaning is not just a personal matter, but a key factor in the success of businesses and organisations.
Research shows that meaningfulness acts as a buffer against stress, strengthens resilience, reduces emotional exhaustion and promotes mental health. People who experience a strong sense of meaningfulness are better able to cope with stress and remain capable of taking action even in challenging situations.
The impact of meaning on business metrics
According to studies by Gallup, employees who recognise a strong sense of meaning and purpose in their work are 5.6 times more likely to be engaged than employees with a lower sense of meaning.
This higher level of engagement also has an impact at an organisational level. According to Gallup, teams with high levels of engagement:
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0%
Lower Absenteeism
0%
Lower Turnover
0%
Higher Profitability
Furthermore, a study by Adam Grant shows that simply experiencing the direct benefits of one’s own work can lead to a 243% increase in performance.
The key point:
People do not perform better because they are subject to greater supervision. They perform better when they understand why their work is important.
Scientifically grounded. Developed for practical application.
Sinnmacher for business is based on the research of Prof. Dr Tatjana Schnell, Europe’s leading academic in the field of meaning in life and meaning in work.
The programme is based on the scientifically validated ME-Work Inventory, which was specifically developed to measure meaning in work in a nuanced way and to highlight the factors that influence meaningful or meaningless work.
Unlike traditional employee surveys, ME-Work does not merely look at outcomes such as engagement or satisfaction. The inventory helps to understand the underlying causes and to develop them in a targeted manner.
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The practical benefits of Sinnmacher for Business
The programme supports staff whilst also providing valuable insights for leaders, HR and management.
Sinnmacher for Business is offered as a monthly licence per employee and includes all components of the programme: from the initial analysis to the long-term use of the Sinnmacher platform.
Included in the price:
✔️ Set-up and onboarding for HR, management and employees
✔️ Scientifically grounded meaning profile based on the ME-Work Inventory
✔️ Full 12-week ‘Meaning Journey’
✔️ Guides and prompts for Meaning Checks
✔️ Final meaning profile to visualise changes
✔️ Dashboard for HR and management with aggregated reports
✔️ Individual results for employees
✔️ Ongoing use of the entire Sinnmacher platform in day-to-day work and in private life
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Invest in your company’s most important asset: the meaning and commitment of your employees. Our pricing tiers are designed to support your company at every stage of its cultural development, whether you are embarking on a targeted transformation or pursuing a long-term strategic direction.
An exclusive opportunity for visionary leaders
Pioneer Special: We are looking for forward-thinking companies to join us as pioneers in making meaning measurable. As a pilot client, you will benefit from significant added value and exclusive Pioneer pricing (FP) to kick-start your transformation.
Included in the price:
Onboarding workshop for HR and management
Technical setup of the program
Information materials for employees
Scientifically validated assessments at the beginning and end of the program
12-week guided development journey
Guide for Meaning Checks
Aggregated dashboard for HR and management
Sinnmacher App Pro subscription for employees' individual use
Cancel anytime on a monthly basis from the 4th month onward.
Pricing packages
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The latest insights into meaning at work
The world of work is constantly changing. New developments relating to artificial intelligence, skills shortages, staff retention, health and leadership continually raise new questions.
That is why we regularly publish articles featuring scientific findings, the latest developments and practical insights for businesses and organisations.
The latest articles:
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