Examining job crafting from an interpersonal perspective : is employee job crafting related to the well-being of colleagues?

Document Type

Journal article

Source Publication

Applied Psychology

Publication Date

10-1-2015

Volume

64

Issue

4

First Page

727

Last Page

753

Publisher

Blackwell Publishing Ltd

Abstract

Individuals engage in job crafting to create a better fit between their job and their preferences, skills, and abilities. However, the individual focus may overlook the impact of job crafting on the job context or well-being of colleagues. Therefore, an important question that is addressed in this study is whether the crafting of one person is related to the job characteristics and well-being of a colleague. This study explores the potential negative effects of a seemingly positive strategy for the individual on a colleague. Namely, we predict that when employees decrease their hindering job demands, their colleagues will be more likely to report a higher workload and more conflict. In turn, we hypothesise that colleague reports of workload and conflict are related to colleague burnout. Data were collected among 103 dyads and analyzed with the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model. The results largely supported the hypothesised relationships: Decreasing hindering job demands was positively related to colleague workload and conflict, which, in turn, related positively to colleague burnout. These findings suggest that proactively decreasing hindering job demands not only relates to personal job experiences, but also to colleague job characteristics and well-being.

DOI

10.1111/apps.12043

Print ISSN

0269994X

E-ISSN

14640597

Publisher Statement

Copyright © 2015 International Association of Applied Psychology. Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.

Full-text Version

Publisher’s Version

Language

English

Recommended Citation

Tims, M., Bakker, A. B., & Derks, D. (2015). Examining job crafting from an interpersonal perspective: Is employee job crafting related to the well-being of colleagues? Applied Psychology, 64(4), 727-753. doi: 10.1111/apps.12043

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