We all know that work can be exhausting, especially when you do not really love what you do and are only doing it as a means to an end. But it need not be that way because you have the ability to control your narrative at work in a manner that will satisfy you as an employee, bring positive results as well as increase job satisfaction. All of this can be done through a process of Job Crafting.
The work environment greatly influences employee wellness and engagement and the overall organizational structure drives how employees are going to behave, has an impact on attitude and affects morale. This is where job crafting comes in, it is a method that allows the employees to customize their jobs to better suit their motives, strengths, and passions. As an employer, you want your employees to be engaged and satisfied at work because this enhances productivity and efficiency and as an employee, you want a sense of fulfilment and purpose in what you are doing in order to feel happier, experience improved well-being, and build stronger connections.
There are various ways to implement job crafting within the organization that will benefit both you the employee and employer. These methods include:
Cognitive Crafting
Cognitive crafting refers to how people adjust or change their mindset in relations to tasks assigned to them. This is where the employee changes their perspective in relations to what they are doing to add more meaning to their daily duties. In essence, with regards to cognitive crafting, employees need to feel empowered to expand their perceptions in relations to what they do within the organization. For example, a person that writes CVs should not view their role as merely writing a CV for a particular person, but should see themselves as an individual that is helping a professional or executive elevate their career to successfully compete within the market and in turn attain their career goals.
Task Crafting
Task Crafting involves rethinking how certain tasks are performed to alter the tasks or take on more or fewer responsibilities. This is where the employee gets to shape and mold their role in a manner that is aligned with their strengths and goals. With task crafting, the opportunity to change the nature of certain responsibilities presents itself in a manner that does not affect the quality of the work performed. For example, a CV Writer might also offer advice to clients on what other methods they can take to professionally brand themselves in these competitive market environments to improve client experience.
Relational Crafting
With relational crafting, the employee can form social connections within the workplace or change how they interact with other people within the company. For example, someone in customer support might want to engage with people within the company’s design studio to be equipped with the relevant knowledge they need to be able to explain design technicalities to clients and not have to constantly ask design employees how to answer certain questions.
Developmental Crafting
Developmental crafting involves the implementation or utilization of personal development plans to improve employee skills and competencies. Employees do not want to feel as if they are not adding any value to the growth and development of the company and they want to grow with the firm hence they need to expose themselves to growth opportunities that will not only benefit them but the enterprise as well. For instance, employees might want to complete a couple of courses presented to them by the organization that are aimed at improving their skills and in turn will enable them to participate in other areas within the company.
Environmental Crafting
Organizations are operating in a changing environment which has implications on how tasks and roles are structured, and this also affects individual, group, and organizational outcomes. Due to this, employees can continually change their jobs and tasks to respond to the changing demands and opportunities in the working environment. For example, some employees do not have to physically be at the office every single day, they can craft their jobs in a manner that allows them to work from home as virtual teams and still not compromise the quality of the company’s service offering.
Ultimately, for job crafting to work it needs to be integrated with both the employee and company goals and when managed effectively, the employers will be able to empower and motivate their employees and successfully contribute towards ensuring that their professional lives are meaningful and pleasant. Job crafting is essentially a great tool for business leaders who want to implement a working environment that encourages a healthy and collaborative workforce.
