In search of meaning: An ethnographic study of waste workers. (Doctoral progress review)[À quel(s) sens se vouer ? Une immersion ethnographique auprès de travailleurs des déchets. (avancement de thèse)]

In a context of socio-environmental transitions, waste workers are exposed to significant emotional, physical, symbolic, and organizational tensions. This research in human resource management examines the subjective sustainability of their work through the perception of meaning at work, known for its positive effects on stress reduction, well-being, satisfaction, and engagement. Drawing on Morin and Forest's (2007) model of meaningful work, complemented by Laaser and Bolton's (2022) insights on dignity and recognition in low-skilled contexts, the study mobilizes the Job Demands–Resources model (Bakker & Demerouti, 2017) and the framework of organizational paradoxes (Smith & Lewis, 2011) to analyze the balance and imbalance between demands and resources. It investigates how waste collectors and recycling center workers perceive the meaning of their work in a constrained and paradoxical environment, and how interactions with users, colleagues, and managers contribute to constructing that meaning. The ethnographic study, conducted between October 2023 and June 2024 within a public waste management organization, includes 43 days of field immersion (around 300 hours), 41 interviews, and a thematic analysis of narratives and observed interactions. Findings show that waste collectors express strong team cohesion, a sense of social usefulness, and value their operational autonomy, while public incivility and lack of recognition weaken this sense of meaning. Recycling center workers face pronounced organizational paradoxes, balancing relational proximity with users and strict rule enforcement, autonomy and limited participation in decision-making. Despite the presence of several characteristics of meaningful work, dignity, recognition, and managerial legitimacy remain fragile. Workers develop coping strategies based on social support, humor, and self-efficacy. These results call for a rethinking of HR practices to integrate experiential knowledge, recognize real work practices, and revalorize these essential occupations as contributors to ecological and social justice within sustainable transitions.