Bullshit job experiences at work and subjective well-being: The moderating role of protestant work ethic

The aim of this paper is to (a) explore the relation between perceptions of negative experiences at work (bullshit job perception) and subjective well-being, and (b) examine protestant work ethic (the conviction that only hard, painful work is good work) as a moderating factor concerning the relation between bullshit job perception and subjective well-being. Three cross-sectional studies (total N = 1400) were conducted with samples of US employees. Moderation analyses revealed that the relationship between perceiving one's job as bullshit and subjective well-being was qualified by protestant work ethic. Bullshit job perception was negatively related to subjective well-being but only for individuals low in protestant work ethic. Interestingly, bullshit job perception and subjective well-being were not or even positively associated for individuals scoring high in protestant work ethic. Thus, perceiving negative aspects at work can be associated with high levels of subjective well-being among persons strongly endorsing the protestant work ethic, which emphasizes the importance of hard work. In contrast, individuals low in protestant work ethic tend to report lower subjective well-being when faced with adverse work experiences. Our findings underscore the significance of examining the interplay between work-related attitudes and workplace experiences with respect to employees' subjective well-being. • Work ethic moderates the link between negative work experiences and well-being. • Perceiving one's job as bullshit reflects an experience of meaninglessness at work. • Low work ethic: Bullshit job perception and well-being are negatively associated. • High work ethic: Bullshit job perception and well-being are not/positively related. • Perceiving negative work aspects is not necessarily associated with poor well-being.