Examining the Impact of Job Crafting on Work Engagement: A Multigenerational Workforce Perspective
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12725/ujbm.71.5Keywords:
job crafting, work engagement, multigenerational workforce, workplace dynamics, cross sectional studyAbstract
The research investigated the relationship between job crafting behaviors, generational cohorts, and work engagement in the modern workplace. Guided by William A. Kahn's Employee Engagement theory and the Job Demands-Resource (JD-R) model, this study explored how employees from different generational cohorts engage in job crafting activities and how these activities influence their levels of work engagement. The study will employed cross-sectional quantitative research design, collecting data from a sample of 205 individuals representing Generation X (Gen X), Millennials, and Generation Z (Gen Z) across various industries. Standardized questionnaires were used to collect data - the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) (Crohnbach’s alpha - 0.8) and the Job Crafting Questionnaire (JCQ) (Crohnbach’s alpha - 0.94) to measure work engagement and job crafting behaviors, respectively. Findings revealed significant differences in job crafting and work engagement across generations. Gen Y reported higher levels of both job crafting and work engagement compared to Gen X and Gen Z. A positive correlation was found between job crafting and work engagement. Moderation analysis indicated that job crafting significantly predicted work engagement, while age had a negative effect. However, the interaction between job crafting and age was non-significant. Further analyses revealed that the positive impact of job crafting on work engagement was stronger for younger individuals.
References
Aiyer , S. (2016, October 26). Twenty‐Five Years of Indian Economic Reform. Cato.org. https://www.cato.org/policy-analysis/twe- nty-five-years-indian-economic-reform#the-main-successes-ov- -er-the-past-25-years
Bakker , A., & Demerouti , E. (2006). The Job Demands-Resources model: State of the art. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 22(3). https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940710733115
Bashir, M., Hameed, A., Bari, M. W., & Ullah, R. (2021). The Impact of Age-Diverse Workforce on Organization Performance: Mediating Role of Job Crafting. Sage Open, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244021999058
Beresford Research (n.d.). Generations defined by name, birth year, and ages in 2024. Beresfordresearch.com. https://www.beresf- ordresearch.com/age-range-by-generation/
Brown-Crowder, R. (2017). Work Motivation Theory: Identifying Multi-Generational Values in the Workplace. Walden University.
Dutton , J., & Wrzesniewski, A. (2020). What Job Crafting Looks Like. Harvard Business Review.
Erickson , T. (2009, March 1). Generational Differences Between India and the U.S. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/ 2009/02/global-generations-focus-on-in
Frederick, D., & VanderWeele, T., | Gabriela Topa (Reviewing editor) (2020) Longitudinal meta-analysis of job crafting shows positive association with work engagement, Cogent Psychology, 7:1, DOI: 10.1080/23311908.2020.1746733
Ghadi , M. (2023). Linking job crafting to work engagement: The mediating role of organizational happiness. Management Research Review. https://doi.org/10.1108/MRR-01-2023-0042
Harju, L. K., Kaltiainen, J., & Hakanen, J. J. (2021). The double-edged sword of job crafting: The effects of job crafting on changes in job demands and employee well-being. Human Resource Management, 60(6), 953–968. https://doi.org/10.1002 /HRM.22054
Jaleel , A., & Sarmad , M. (2023). Inclusive leader and job crafting: The role of work engagement and job autonomy in service sector organisations. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOEPP-12-2022-0361
Jindal, D., Boxall, P., Cheung, G.W. and Hutchison, A. (2023), "How do work engagement and work autonomy affect job crafting and performance? An analysis in an Indian manufacturer", Personnel Review, 52 (8), pp. 2008-2024. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-11-2019-0646
Kahn , W. (1990). Psychological Conditions of Personal Engagement and Disengagement at Work. Academy of Management Journal, 33(4), 692-724
Karatepe, O. M., & Kim, T. T. (2023). Job crafting and critical work-related performance outcomes among cabin attendants: Sequential mediation impacts of calling orientation and work engagement. Tourism Management Perspectives, 45, 101065. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.TMP.2022.101065
Kim, M., & Beehr, T. A. (2019). Job crafting mediates how empowering leadership and employees’ core self-evaluations predict favourable and unfavourable outcomes. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 29(1), 126–139. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2019.1697237
Kooij, D. T. A. M., Tims, M., & Akkermans, J. (2017). The influence of future time perspective on work engagement and job perfor- mance: the role of job crafting. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 26(1), 4–15. https://doi.org/10.108 0/1359432X.2016.1209489;WGROUP:ST RING:PUBLICATION
Melo, N., Dourado, D., & Andrade, J. (2020). Reclaiming cognitive crafting: an integrative model of behavioral and cognitive practices in job crafting. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 29(5), 1302–1320. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-04-2020-2130/FULL/PDF
Moulik, M., & Giri, V. N. (2024). Job Crafting for Workplace Happiness: A Study of Millennials Across Indian Service Sectors. Business Perspectives and Research, 12(2), 242–260. https://doi.org/10.1177/22785337221148252
Ng, E. S., & Parry , E. (2016). Multigenerational Research In Human Resource Management. Personnel and Human Resources Man- anagement, 34. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0742730120160000034 008
Nyamboga, T. O. (2025). Strategic Leadership in Multigenerational Workforces: Bridging Generational Divides for Enhanced Engagement. Asian Journal of Advanced Research and Reports, 19(1), 270–285. https://doi.org/10.9734/ajarr/2025/v19i1880
Sesen , H., & Donkor , A. (2023). Job Crafting, Job Boredom and Generational Diversity: Are Millennials Different from Gen Xs? Sustainability, 15. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065058
Singh, V. L., & Singh, M. (2018). A burnout model of job crafting: Multiple mediator effects on job performance. IIMB Management Review, 30(4), 305–315. https://doi.org/10.1016/J
.IIMB.2018.05. 001
Shin. Y, Hur. W & Choi. W (2020) Coworker support as a double-edged sword: a moderated mediation model of job crafting, work engagement, and job performance, The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 31(11), 1417-1438, DOI: 10.1080/09585192.2017.1407352
Slemp, G. R., & Vella-Brodrick, D. A., (2013). The job crafting questionnaire: A new scale to measure the extent to which employees engage in job crafting. International Journal of Wellbeing, 3(2), 126-146. doi:10.5502/ijw.v3i2.1
Szőts-Kováts, K., & Kiss, C. (2023). How job crafting is related to the individual readiness to organizational change. Heliyon, 9(4), e15025. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.HELIYON.2023.E15025
Tims, M., Bakker, AB., & Derks, D., (2015) Job crafting and job performance: A longitudinal study, European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 24(6), 914-928, DOI: 10.1080/1359432 X.2014.969245
Tims, M., Bakker, A. B., & Derks, D. (2014). Daily job crafting and the self-efficacy – Performance relationship. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 29(5), 490–507. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMP-05-2012-0148/FULL/PDF
Topa G, Aranda-Carmena M. (2022) It Is Better for Younger Workers: The Gain Cycle between Job Crafting and Work Enga- gement. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022; 19(21):14378. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerp h192114378
Vogt, K, Hakanen, JJ, Brauchli, R, Jenny, G & Bauer, G., (2016) The consequences of job crafting: a three-wave study, European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 25(3), 353-362, DOI: 10.1080/1359432X.2015.1072170
Wrzesniewski, A., & Dutton, J. E. (2001). Crafting a job: Revisioning employees as active crafters of their work. Academy of Management Review, 26(2), 179-201.
Yadav, A & Dhar, R (2024) Effect of Job Crafting on Hotel Frontline Employees’ Work Role Performance: The Role of Work Engagement and Leader-Member Exchange, International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Administration, 25(2), 359-381, DOI: 10.1080/15256480.2022.2114972
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Sujaya Vijayakumar, Arathi Venkatesh

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.