For most of us, the motivation to work is at least somewhat linked to the meaning and purpose we find in what we do, and to our ability to control at least a little bit of how we do that work. When our work feels really basic, routine, restrictive, or unchanging, our motivation to work can weaken or disappear. A potential tool or strategy to help with this is job crafting, a process through which employees work with their supervisor to adjust aspects or elements of their jobs to better fit their strengths and interests without changing or dropping core responsibilities for that job. This post provides a brief description of job crafting and explains how this process can connect to UTC’s Total Organizational Health (TOH@UTC) initiative.
What is job crafting?
Job crafting can happen when employees work (with their supervisor’s support) to modify aspects, elements, or features of their jobs so there is better alignment or fit between the job’s tasks and responsibilities and the employee’s personal strengths, interests, knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies. The goal of job crafting is not necessarily to reduce the amount or change the type of work that needs to be done. Instead, job crafting is a way for employees and their supervisors to work together to make core job and work responsibilities more meaningful, purposeful, and engaging.
Job crafting is, by necessity, a personal process that requires employee participation and supervisor support. Although job crafting can take a variety of forms, there are several approaches and techniques that can help you be successful with this type of thing, especially in a higher education environment. Here are a few examples (for more, please see the job crafting guide available via this link and noted at the end of this post):
- For all employees, strengthen relationships with other employees from other departments by volunteering to work on cross-departmental projects that require a variety of perspectives and skillsets.
- For faculty, encourage discussion and debate in your teaching activities by infusing class lessons with real-world applications, examples, and hypotheticals stimulating both you and your students. Although not required to teach core concepts, choosing to add in these types of elements can complete change the in-class experience for you and your students.
- For all student-facing employees, reframe for yourself how responding to student apathy or low in-class engagement can be an opportunity to not just educate, but to mentor and engage your students with support and guidance.
- For all employees, take advantage of opportunities to develop new skills, such as exploring different job-related tasks or taking on additional responsibilities that align with your personal skills and interests.
- For all employees, build relationships with colleagues and supervisors by actively participating in team meetings and engaging in friendly and casual conversation.
How job crafting fits into the TOH@UTC initiative
Job crafting is a potentially powerful tool or strategy that can support TOH within any work unit at UTC. Through job crafting, employees have an opportunity to build a sense of ownership and autonomy over their work, and supervisors have a way to demonstrate support and respect for their people. Taken together, this can increase employees’ sense of meaning, purpose, and impact associated with any job. Even within the most routine work roles and seemingly restrictive work environments, there is an opportunity for organizations and employees to collaborate in creating an optimal and best-fitting work experience. When job crafting discussions and planning take place, employees can become active contributors to their own well-being and the organization’s overall health. Because of this, job crafting can be a valuable tool for supervisors who are seeking ways to help experienced employees stay engaged and increase their sense of ownership over the work being done. Job crafting can also be a useful method to help employees gain more control over their personal career development.
Where can I learn more?
As noted earlier in this post, there is not one single way to do job crafting, but there are some basic principles and strategies to keep in mind if you decide to give this a try. Please click here to check out our more detailed TOH@UTC Job Crafting Guide for more information and resources.