The development and validation of a job crafting measure for use with blue-collar workers

an article by Karina Nielsen (National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark) and Johan Simonsen Abildgaard (University of Copenhagen, Denmark) published in Work & Stress: An International Journal of Work, Health & Organisations Volume 26 Issue 4 (November 2012)

Abstract

Job crafting describes a set of proactive behaviours in which employees may engage to shape their work in order to minimise hindering job demands and maximise resources and challenging demands.

Such behaviours may be particularly important among blue-collar workers whose jobs are characterised by poor working conditions and low well-being.

We present the development and adaptation of a job crafting measure that may be used among blue-collar workers, based on an existing scale by Tims, Bakker, and Derks (2012) that was not specifically developed for blue-collar workers.

We test the validity and reliability of the measure in a longitudinal study based on multiple source information from mail delivery workers in Denmark (N=362 at Time 1; N=408 at Time 2).

Results indicate the presence of five job crafting dimensions:

• increasing challenging demands,
• decreasing social job demands,
• increasing social job resources,
• increasing quantitative demands and
• decreasing hindering job demands.

These can be reliably measured with 15 items. The measure shows acceptable discriminant and criterion validity, and test-retest reliability. The findings extend the application of the original questionnaire. They also add to knowledge of the job crafting behaviours in which blue-collar workers engage and link them to well-being outcomes.

Full text available through Taylor & Francis Open Access programme (HTML)

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