Meaningful work over time: The impact of relative meaningful work on organizational citizenship behaviour

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.