Stuck in a rut? How 'job crafting' can help you achieve work satisfaction
A LOT of people have a job that gives them little or no satisfaction. It just doesn't feel right anymore – if it ever did – isn't enjoyable, is boring, frustrating or arouses only indifference.

Some stick it out nonetheless, and practise "quiet quitting" by unenthusiastically doing the bare minimum to keep from being fired. Others consider actually quitting. If they do, they might end up hopping from job to job and still come away discontented.

There's a third possible path: job crafting. "It's a process derived from industrial-organisational psychology in which employees actively shape their job," explains German career advisor Ragnhild Struss, author of a book whose title translates as "How to Learn to Love Your Work Again With Job Crafting."

She says she's convinced that for everyone there is a job "at which you can really be yourself, happily realise your potential and be appreciated doing so."

As career coach Volker Klärchen puts it, job crafters are "interior designers of their own job." Instead of moving on from a job you don't enjoy, you redesign it to make it better suit you.

Is job crafting merely a passing trend? Struss says no – nor is it a privilege of just a few – calling it a key competency of the future workplace that everyone could utilise.

"Satisfied employees are more motivated and productive, which results in less absenteeism and a lower personnel turnover rate, both of which are economic factors that shouldn't be underestimated," she says.

Make small changes

How does job crafting work? "You sit down in a quiet place and reflect on your job," Klärchen says. What's important to you? What are you missing? Which tasks would you like to do more of, and which would you like to pass on to someone else?

Even small changes can have large effects. Struss gives an example: Employees who have trouble concentrating in an open-plan office, and are therefore more stressed, can get relief by moving to a more secluded workplace or working from home.

Sometimes the problem lies deeper, in which case it could help to look closely at your life situation. Let's say your values and priorities have shifted since you recently became a father, and you find that your job tasks and responsibilities don't meet your increased expectations of meaningful work and sustainability.

You might be able, for instance, to swap tasks in one area of activity for new projects promoting your company's sustainability initiatives, Struss suggests.

Once you're clear on exactly what your wishes are, the first thing you should do is speak with your superior about them. "If the two sides come to an agreement, then it's a matter of getting the other team members on board," says Klärchen.

But you've got to bear in mind, he adds, that while job crafting gives you new liberties, they come with new responsibilities. And "it's hard to reverse the changes if you discover that your old tasks were better than your new ones after all."

May not be the best solution

Another caveat: Job crafting isn't always the best solution to a job you don't like. "In some cases the situation is so intractable that even a well-planned and -implemented job crafting process won't increase job satisfaction," Struss says. Then your only recourse is to hand in your notice.

On balance though, job crafting is definitely worthwhile "because you learn what you need to work contentedly and healthily," she asserts.

Struss concedes, however, that there are circumstances under which you may lack the strength and focus for job crafting. You could be in the middle of a divorce, grieving the loss of a loved one or having serious health problems. Then you should deal with this first, and your job situation later, she says.

Your job may not be the reason for your discontent. "When evaluating workplace changes to make, some would-be job crafters realise they need to reorganise their everyday personal life, or that their relationship situation is constantly sapping their energy," says Struss, advising changes in these areas instead.

"It could be a different kind of childminding, couples therapy or a new hobby" – something that brings more joy back into your life and provides a welcome change of pace. – dpa

Pullout quote: "Satisfied employees are more motivated and productive, which results in less absenteeism and a lower personnel turnover rate." - Ragnhild Struss
Employees who have trouble concentrating in an open-plan office, and are therefore more stressed, can get relief by moving to a more secluded workplace or working from home.