The Role of Experienced Employees’ Calling Orientation in Shaping Responses to Newcomers’ Approach- and Avoidance-Oriented Job Crafting: A Vignette-Based Study

Drawing on conservation of resources theory, this study examines how existing employees’ calling orientation shapes their responses to newcomers’ job crafting. Using a scenario-based experimental vignette design with 149 full-time employees who work in teams, this study tested how two distinct forms of newcomers’ job crafting—approach- and avoidance-oriented—affect veterans’ helping intention toward newcomers. The results show that approach-oriented job crafting increases, whereas avoidance-oriented job crafting decreases, helping intentions. More importantly, both effects were mitigated by observers’ calling orientation: experienced employees with a strong calling orientation consistently displayed higher helping intentions and were less reactive to the degree of newcomers’ crafting behaviors. This study extends interpersonal job crafting research to newcomer–veteran relationships rather than the peer or leader–subordinate contexts that dominate prior work. The findings deepen the understanding of how proactive newcomers are received in organizations and suggest that integrating employees’ work orientation profiles into mentoring and onboarding systems can enhance welcoming practices in the workplace.