Reconceiving merit and devotion at work, with evidence-based illustrations from academic STEM

This paper draws on research to argue that the cultural schema of work devotion – the cognitive, emotional and moral understanding of work as a calling and an ostensible marker of merit – promises a workplace community and a sense of purpose. These rewards are consistent with the biological propensity for social connections, which can help protect our physical and mental health. However, the benefits of work devotion are not equally available to all socio-demographic groups. Further, the work devotion mandate can feel coercive, justify overwork, deplete engagement with family and community, and lead to moral distress. The paper then considers evidence from the exemplar case of academic STEM to illustrate how small, employee-led changes in the workplace, framed as consistent with professional values of merit and devotion, could allow workers to benefit more equally from the work devotion schema while also mitigating some of its detriments.