Job crafting in hospitality: a systematic literature review

Purpose This study aims to synthesise the empirical evidence on job crafting in hospitality, focusing on its antecedents, mediators, moderators and outcomes. Design/methodology/approach Through the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, 27 empirical studies were examined, which were published in peer-reviewed journals between 2001 and 2024, in English and addressing job crafting among hospitality workers. Searches were conducted in Scopus and Web of Science, using thematic analysis to identify key themes and sub-analyses by employee roles. Findings Job crafting was positively related to job satisfaction and performance. It mediated the association between leadership styles, job characteristics, employee and customer behaviours and job satisfaction and performance. Sub-analyses revealed that frontline employees benefit from task and cognitive crafting, while managers excel in relational crafting. Emotional exhaustion persists in low-support contexts. Research limitations/implications The geographical concentration and predominance of cross-sectional designs limit the generalisability of findings. Future research should use mixed-methods approaches and robust designs, focusing on under-represented regions. A proposed research agenda addresses emerging dynamics, e.g. artificial intelligence integration and workforce precarity. Practical implications Hotel establishments should create interventions that allow leaders to develop workers’ job crafting skills, which would foster job satisfaction and performance. Originality/value This review presents the nomological network of job crafting in hospitality, presenting its antecedents, mediators, moderators and outcomes. These constructs were aggregated into different categories depending on their nature. Also, it proposes a research agenda contextualised to hospitality’s dynamic environment.