Job crafting and motivation to continue working beyond retirement age

an article by Philipp Wolfgang Lichtenthaler and Andrea Fischbach (Deutsche Hochschule der Polizei, Munster, Germany) published i Career Development International Volume 21 Issue 5 (2016)

Abstract

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine how promotion- and prevention-focused job crafting impacts the motivation of older employees to continue working beyond retirement age. The authors hypothesised that promotion-focused job crafting (i.e. increasing social and structural job resources, and challenging job demands) relates positively and prevention-focussed job crafting (i.e. decreasing hindering job demands) relates negatively with motivation to continue working after reaching the official retirement age, and that these relationships are sequential mediated by work sense of coherence and burnout.

Design/methodology/approach
Data from 229 older employees (mean age=55.77) were analysed using structural equation modelling.

Findings
Promotion-focused job crafting was positively and prevention-focused job crafting was negatively related with employees’ work sense of coherence, which was predictive of employees’ burnout, which in turn was predictive of motivation to continue working beyond retirement age.

Research limitations/implications
Despite the cross-sectional study design, the results unfold how promotion- and prevention-focused job crafting are related with motivation to continue working beyond retirement age through work sense of coherence and burnout.

Practical implications
Given today’s ageing and shrinking workforce, older employees working beyond their official retirement age are a necessity for organisations’ functional capability. The results suggest that organisations should encourage employees’ promotion-focused job crafting and limit prevention-focused job crafting. Promotion-focused job crafting facilitates employees’ work sense of coherence, which keeps them healthy and motivates older employees to continue working beyond retirement age.

Originality/value
This study adds to the literatures on job crafting and motivation to continue working beyond retirement age and explicates intervening processes in this relationship.

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