This study examined the role of the latent and financial benefits of work as defined by Marie Jahoda (1982) in explaining a person's work involvement. Drawing upon theoretical frameworks on work commitment and work motivation, the latent benefits were expected to have a positive, whereas the financial benefits were expected to have a negative impact on work involvement. The results of longitudinal cross-lagged structural equation modeling using 4 waves of data from a sample of 260 employees provided strong support for the positive impact of the latent benefits on a person's work involvement. The negative effect of the financial benefits was not significant. The findings suggest that social institutions can contribute to a person's work involvement by the amount of access to the latent benefits they provide. (Contains 2 tables.)