Job Crafting and Work–Life Balance in a Mature Organization

Abstract

The aim of this research was to identify individualization areas in which employees (generations Y and Z) have the freedom to make changes. The study required an analysis of factors that might affect the balance between professional and personal life, i.e., working time and work organization, autonomy at work, or linking the nature of work with employee interests. As a result, the following topics were examined: areas of individualization, the work that respondents carried out and would like to carry out, and their participation in job crafting and professional development. The study focused on two areas of job crafting: modifying job activities by employees (task crafting) and their mental perception of the work they carried out (cognitive crafting). A substantial literature review was included in the paper; additionally, the research consisted of a survey, questionnaires, discussions, and an analysis of working conditions. Employees’ opinions (n = 300) were analyzed. The three most frequently mentioned individualization areas in which the respondents were allowed to make changes were work organization, working time, and task timeline. A strong link between job crafting and work–life balance was indicated. A positive relationship between the ability to develop job crafting in the work organization and satisfaction areas was also found. Calculations were performed using IBM SPSS. It was found that, in mature organizations, employees were able to identify individualization areas and in some cases were allowed to implement job crafting. Most of them were satisfied with their jobs, which means that they were able to maintain a good work–life balance. This research could be used as a basis for further studies.