Pros and cons of job crafting

It might come as a surprise to learn that you can switch things up at work without leaving your current role or abandoning your accountabilities. By taking actions to change the way we complete tasks and interact with others in the workplace, we’re doing something called ‘job crafting’.

You might want to start job crafting if you’re feeling unsatisfied in your daily role at work, or if you don’t think you’re reaching your full potential. Even if you’re happy in your current position, simply being on the lookout for new opportunities within your role is a form of job crafting.

I’ve done a little job crafting of my own in the past, so I wanted to share my experience, as well as talk about the Positive Psychology research behind the concept.

The purpose of Job Crafting

When I first discovered job crafting, I was really excited at the potential to add more fulfilment to my daily role. I was able to do that by adding certain responsibilities that made my work feel more purposeful or dropping tasks that took up too much time and made me feel drab. After learning more about the job crafting concept, I figured that it was through working to my strengths and purpose in this way that I was able to enhance my performance and encourage others to do the same.

When we job craft, we’re empowered to take control of our role, utilising more resources and developing better relationships in order to help with our task crafting. Feeling this type of work autonomy can help increase engagement, helping us take on more responsibilities or offer more time to our peers. Of course, all of these benefits lead to an increase in overall wellbeing and happiness.

How you can apply the Job Crafting approach

Are you ready to try job crafting? Start by applying these simple changes.

Prioritise more of the things you like to do in your role.

When you’re scheduling your workday, try to bring forward the things that you actually like to do, and try to delegate what you don’t.

Assess how you can complete duties in a strengths-oriented way.

In the same way that we can prioritise what we like to do, we’re also able to change how we do the tasks that don’t exactly spark joy. Try assessing your strengths and seeing which of them can be incorporated into certain daily activities.

Begin with your why and be conscious of how your daily to-dos contribute to the bigger picture.

Some things are just a part of our job, and there’s not a lot we can do to change that. Take a moment before beginning a task to assess the impact it has on your overall role. This can help motivate us and realign with our purpose before we lose sight of the day on a boring task.

Have a discussion with your line manager to ask how you can job craft your role together.

Finding out which of your accountabilities can be changed around, how much delegation power you have, and what your line manager needs the most while still aligning with organisational goals is a great start to job crafting. Find out which of your attributes shine from the eyes of your line manager, and work together to incorporate more of those into your role.

Feeling excited? Why not hit the ground running with this incredible Job Crafting Exercise from Berg, Dutton, and Wrzesniewski. Or reach out to me to discuss on a complimentary discovery call. Book here www.kineticeffect.co/booking

This article was originally published on www.kineticeffect.co/change-your-job-with-job-crafting/

Does feeling purposeful at work matter?

Most certainly!

Of the total hours a person is awake, the majority are spent at the workplace. Given the amount of effort and energy devoted to the workplace, it is more than reasonable to seek purpose in the job.

Take a look at some numbers from a study by Access Perks, among the largest employee discount programs in America. In 2017, the proportion of the US workforce not engaged in its jobs was estimated at a huge 51%. That is not where the story ended, as this disengagement and the resultant productivity slide cost their employers about USD 450-550 billion every year.

 The workplace environment has a massive role to play in this. If it is healthy, the workforce too is healthy and performs well, with positive attitude and high morale. Every employee seeks work in line with his/her core values and maybe makes the world a better place to be. If the role calls for no input from an employee, however, engagement and satisfaction at work are a tough ask.

That is why we have job descriptions.

 True, but what does a traditional job description look like? One word for it would be ‘mandate’: it is a top-down instruction of what tasks one is to handle, authority levels provided and to comply with, and resources on offer to facilitate this. This is old, this is how it has worked for a while, but this is not optimal – the values of the workforce have shifted, and its need for authority, purpose, and work-life balance have meant this way of looking at work is quite limited in its perspective.

The way a job is designed is important.

The design of a job is what bridges the gap between meaningful and meaningless work. Employees are akin to consumers for organizations, and they want work that does not forego their own health and well-being.

The solution could well be job crafting. This refers to taking steps to redesign the work one is expected to do, by changing work relationships, tasks handled, and perceptions of work done. The aim is to make the employee identify with the job, rather than feel like it is something mandated. This has a direct bearing on employee engagement and on-the-job performance.

Job crafting is said to have come in at the turn of the century, and since then, it has aimed to involve workers in aligning their job roles and responsibilities with their passions and preferences. And given the intense war to attract and retain top talent, this is a solution companies often turn to.

What are the techniques of job crafting?

The following are the different techniques to craft a job:

• Task crafting: Letting the employee alter the responsibilities assigned in a job description by adjusting tasks and charting own activities
• Relational crafting: Adjusting employee interaction such that there is a change in perspective on the purpose of and way to do a job
• Cognitive crafting: Changing employee perception of tasks and relationships by reframing cognitive boundaries lending them meaning and purpose

In which ways does job crafting help employees?

The key gain from job crafting is uncovering the strengths, purpose, and potential of employees. The chance to personalize the job gives a better sense of empowerment at work, along with clarity on the direction of a career. This brings an elevated sense of engagement and fulfillment at work, along with improved performance. There is lower stress and burnout, and thus improved wellness. Employees are also better able to connect with each other, especially across departments, and the social connections and teamwork make the work environment happy and healthy.

Employers stand to gain a lot.

The weakest link in the chain could see a boost in performance when tasks line up with passions and strengths. And when a worker is more engaged, it becomes easier for the company to achieve its goals. Done properly, this aligns employee preferences with the bigger picture, the vision of the company and creates synergies that might not come about otherwise.

Job crafting is also a great tool to retain talent, offering the chance to stay with an improved job assignment offering a better learning curve, rather than move to a new employer. The open dialogue brings together employer and employee needs, and the resultant boost to employee productivity proves invaluable in driving business outcomes. Even research suggests that a happy employee is up to 12% more productive!

What are the top considerations for good job crafting?

The most important aspect is employees comprehending their own skills and personalities well enough to craft their roles. Data and well-designed assessments allow for crafting that is scientifically validated rather than driven by the gut.

The job must challenge the employee, but there is no one definition of a challenge. Future potential must be assessed and employees must be empowered to keep pace with the market through upskilling, mentorship, and new responsibilities.

Work-life balance means a blanket approach no longer holds sway. Alternative work models such as remote work, flexi-hours, contract work, and more allow the employee to balance work and home and the company to achieve its goals. Performance metrics must be clear, shifting the focus away from mere face time.

The employee too has a key role to play. Every job has some monotonous tasks, and not all responsibilities can be changed. It is important to work together with management and to proactively redesign elements of work. The employee could also offer to mentor others or to be trained for a higher role or a different one – a client-facing role, for example, for someone who only works at the desk.

In summary…

Over time, the learning curve on a job flattens, and the absence of new dimensions or meaning leads to lower engagement and thereby lower retention, which could ultimately impede growth. When managers and employees work together to craft meaningful jobs, the employee is driven to perform better and feel satisfied, while the company is assured of achieving its goals.

What are the advantages of job crafting?

Are there any drawbacks to job crafting?

What is the issue of job crafting?

What is job crafting and why does it matter?