Examining the Impact of Job Crafting on Work Engagement: A Multigenerational Workforce Perspective

The research investigated the relationship between job crafting behaviors, generational cohorts, and work engagement in the modern workplace. Guided by William A. Kahn's Employee Engagement theory and the Job Demands-Resource (JD-R) model, this study explored how employees from different generational cohorts engage in job crafting activities and how these activities influence their levels of work engagement. The study will employed cross-sectional quantitative research design, collecting data from a sample of 205 individuals representing Generation X (Gen X), Millennials, and Generation Z (Gen Z) across various industries. Standardized questionnaires were used to collect data - the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) (Crohnbach’s alpha - 0.8) and the Job Crafting Questionnaire (JCQ) (Crohnbach’s alpha - 0.94) to measure work engagement and job crafting behaviors, respectively. Findings revealed significant differences in job crafting and work engagement across generations. Gen Y reported higher levels of both job crafting and work engagement compared to Gen X and Gen Z. A positive correlation was found between job crafting and work engagement. Moderation analysis indicated that job crafting significantly predicted work engagement, while age had a negative effect. However, the interaction between job crafting and age was non-significant. Further analyses revealed that the positive impact of job crafting on work engagement was stronger for younger individuals.