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Job Crafting and Work-Life Balance in a Mature Organization

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17 May 2023

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18 May 2023

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Abstract
The study is focused on identifying areas of individualization in those mature organizations in which employees are free to make changes. In addition, factors affecting work-life balance and overlap between the jobs employees do and would like to do are determined. A critical review of the literature and a diagnostic survey, including interviews, questionnaires and observations, were used in the research process, together with the analysis of data concerning working conditions. Employees' opinions (n=300) on individualization areas, job crafting and overlap between performed and preferred jobs were analyzed. Calculations were done using IBM SPSS. According to the results, the maintenance of work-life balance (WLB) and the implementation of job crafting positively affect employee efficiency, counteracting professional burnout and a decrease in motivation. It turns out that employees of mature organizations are familiar with the areas of individualization and in some cases have freedom to implement job crafting. They like the work they do, which translates into well-maintained work-life balance. However, a big challenge for mature organizations is the constantly changing economic environment, the long-term nature of work-life balance programmes and their deferred effects. The results of the research can be an important starting point for extended studies.
Keywords: 
Subject: Business, Economics and Management  -   Human Resources and Organizations
JEL Classifications: J24, J28, M54

Introduction

Mature organizations are more likely than others to learn about the latest solutions to organizational and managerial challenges, and they are increasingly more effective in putting them into practice. They are open and flexible, with a high level of human resource management and a large share of highly qualified employees[1,2]. More often than others, they make changes in human resource policies. Such organizations pay attention to the retention of the best employees, using the latter’s potentials through a proper work environment. Mature organizations care about work-life balance (WLB), trying to ensure an equilibrium between employee professional and non-professional life. To promote individualization at work, they systematically perform a thorough analysis of employee needs, setting individual paths in assuring work-life balance. In their strategies they try to counteract occupational burnout through sustainable actions, like shaping employee awareness and attitudes[2]. Such actions affect work-life balance, but also job satisfaction, and assure the protection and development of human capital.
The concept of work-life balance can be considered at both organizational and individual levels. From the point of view of an organization, the balance between professional and non-professional life can be evaluated on the basis of costs, profits and commitment to efficiency. On the other hand, in individual terms, the balance can be conceived on the basis of a subjective image of the professional and private space, managed by the employee according to subjective proportions. It is obvious that there must be a great deal of subjectivism in reception and assessment of this equilibrium, and the extent of work-life balance programmes should be determined considering the above viewpoints.
Additionally, the work-life balance strategy is constantly affected by the changes in society and in a given organization. Firstly, there are generational changes in society. It seems that different generations (Baby Boomers, X, Y and Z) in a different way perceive and deal with their professional life, having a different approach to work processes, job crafting, remuneration and sustainable development. Secondly, changes in society are often affected by economic phenomena, like market turbulence, inflation or investment volatility. Thirdly, dramatic changes have occurred as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic, which resulted in social distancing, remote work, remote management and communication and increasing work virtualization. Fourthly, there are also changes in individual adjustment of employees, with their increased qualifications and autonomy in the workplace, all of which in turn affect their development. The consequences of these changes are noticeable in individualization and in job crafting[3].
Job crafting aims to adapt work to employee needs and abilities, in other words, it is pushing the boundaries of the work closer to employees so that it is exciting, consistent with their potential and with the company’s strategy[4]. There is an increasing number of scientific publications on job crafting, but no attempt has been made to assess the relationship between job crafting and work-life balance in a mature organization. The above motivated the author to undertake research in this area.
The problem this paper deals with is important for business owners (the author is one of them), managers and employees. For business owners, it is a way to increase work efficiency [5,6,7,8], to balance human resources [9,10,11,12,13,14] and to reduce the risk of staff turnover costs [15,16,17]. For managers, it provides opportunities to improve the organization by involving employees and improving teamwork [5,9,14,18,19,20]. For employees, on the other hand, it is a way to increase autonomy and self-fulfilment [21] and foster cooperation and innovation [22,23].
Between 2012 and 2023, a steady increase in researchers’ interest in the problem of work-life balance (WLB) was observed, but research gaps remained, especially in relation to job crafting practices in mature organizations. The literature does not refer much to those topics or to individualization areas in which employees are free to make changes. By entering the phrase "work-life balance" and narrowing down the search to article titles in the databases of SCOPUS, ProQuest and EBSCO Essentiales, an increasing interest in that topic can be noticed (according to the data available on March 26, 2023). Between 2012 and 2017, 570 such publications were registered in the SCOPUS database, with 934 between 2018 and 2023. In the ProQuest database (section: scientific journals) 7768 publications were registered between 2012 and 2017 (from 01.01.2012 to 31.12.2017), while between 2018 and 2023 (from 01.01.2018 to 01.01.2023) there was a significant increase, amounting to as many as 17 247 publications. In another database, EBSCO Essentiales, an almost twofold upward trend in the number of scientific studies on work-life balance can be observed. Between 2012 and 2017 (from 01.01.2012 to 31.12.2017) 967 publications were registered in EBSCO Essentiales, with 1672 between 2018 and 2023 (01.01.2018-01.01.2023). However, following the phrase "work-life balance and mature organizations" it is difficult to find any papers extensively dealing with this area.
In addition, the Google Trends tool was used to find out whether the interest in work-life balance, job crafting and mature organizations is growing or decreasing. The data recorded from 01.01.2012 to 01.01.2023 indicate a slightly growing trend, but remaining in a low range of 0-100 views within a few days. The maximum number for job crafting is 100 views from 27.03 to 02.04.2022 (the data were accessed on 26.03.2023). It can be concluded that its popularity is not large, and the upward trend is small. During the same period, the “work-life balance” phrase was searched more often, e.g. until March 2021 the maximum number of views was 60, and from April 2021 an increase to 63-100 was observed, The “mature organization” phrase was the most popular, and in the same period, the number of views increased from 0 to 100. The biggest increase was on October 2012 with 92 views, on February 2016 with 99, July 2016 with 97, February 2022 with 100 and November 2022 with 99 views (the data were accessed on 26.03.2023).
The gaps in theoretical studies and empirical research in management and quality sciences provide areas for investigating WLB. That is why this paper aims at identifying the areas of individualization in those mature organizations in which employees have freedom to make changes and to determine the degree of overlap between the job they do and would like to do. The results of the research can be used by theoreticians to create or improve work-life balance models, using job crafting. On the other hand, such models can be also used by management practitioners, advisors and trainers to create solutions increasing efficiency of organizations friendly to employees and contributing to their well-being.
In the research, the areas of individualization in which employees have freedom to make changes (job crafting) were indicated, and the extent of self-organization was investigated. It was also assumed that a good way to determine the possibility of job crafting implementation in a mature organization is by researching the balance between the job the employees do and would like to do. Consequently, the right balance gives employees a strong motivation to increase work efficiency and professional development[21].

Literature Review

The right work-life balance (WLB) provides employees with a sense of awareness and integrity in their professional and private life. If they understand the meaning of WLB and have a chance to improve it, they will achieve job satisfaction faster. Yet WLB cannot be associated solely with limiting the time at work, or with treating working time and private life separately even if work and private life are to some extent antagonistic [24].
Reviewing the literature, it is difficult to find a strictly defined definition of work-life balance. Some authors stress differences between professional and private life, others an equilibrium between them and some treat WLB as a skilful adjustment of domestic and professional responsibilities [25,26,27]. Despite the different perception of the WLB concept, the term most frequently used in this context is “employee well-being”, with management efforts aimed at taking care of a worker’s good mental and physical condition resulting in satisfaction with work. According to many authors, the conflict between professional and private life occurs when the demands made by family life and work are incompatible [28]. J.H. Greenhaus and N.J. Beutell [29] found that the conflict between work and life occurs when the demands associated with one of them hinder or even exclude the performance of the other. A person who tries to meet the requirements of both professional and private life may notice how difficult it is to reconcile them [28]. Work-family conflict represents the extent to which an individual’s participation in one role interferes with his or her ability to meet the responsibilities of the other role [24]. Greenhaus and Beutell [29] argue that work-family conflict occurs when the pressure of work is in some respects mutually irreconcilable with family life, that is to say, professional responsibilities interfere with family duties and vice versa [30]. Apart from remuneration, a good atmosphere allowing reconciliation of professional and family responsibilities together with individualization based on matching work to the employee’s competence constitutes an important factor determining the decision what job to choose and whether to stay in it or not [3].
In Poland work-life balance (WLB) is a relatively well-known concept. Companies increasingly consider it to be supportive for effective human resource policy. In addition, WLB strongly correlates with corporate social responsibilities (CSR). It might be said that it is an instrument of CSR [31,32,33,34,35,36]. The data in the 2014 Workers Preferences and Workplace Agility report show the growing importance of the WLB concept. For 56% of employees worldwide, WLB is more important than wages or promotion, and in Poland 42% of them share this view [36]. It is believed that this percentage will increase in the future, which in turn will affect employees’ behaviour and their choice whether to stay in job or change it. Currently, the willingness of employers to change their working conditions is increasing if only because of labour shortage in some sectors. This makes the employer care for employees more, allowing them to balance professional and private life and to implement job crafting. In the literature work-life balance is often associated with job crafting [2,37].
According to Wrzesniewski and Dutton, job crafting concerns the following areas: task crafting, relational crafting and cognitive crafting [38]. Job crafting is a bottom-up process, aiming at optimizing and modifying work by tailoring it to employee’s preferences [7,38,39,40,41]. It must be admitted that inflation together with the slow pace of economic recovery and the COVID-19 pandemic have affected work-life balance, making it difficult for employers and employees to implement it. However, such problems usually trigger changes in self-organization and management methods, resulting in job restructuring and the introduction of new work models [42,43]. More and more researchers point to the important role of job crafting in increasing employee autonomy [21], motivation at work [44], individualization of work arrangements [3] and in creating a climate for innovation [45,46]. The literature offers proposals for changes that could encourage employees to adapt to their work in order to achieve satisfaction and to increase commitment [11]. Researchers indicate that modern organizations need active and engaged employees capable of creating and maintaining their motivation [47,48].
In the context of the present author’s research, the model of Kooij, van Woerkom et al. deserves attention [49]. The adoption of the job crafting model of Kooij, van Woerkom and others results in a better match between the worker and the job. Its construction is based on two types of job remodelling: the first - towards better use of employee strengths (crafting towards strengths), the second - towards employees tailoring their jobs to their interests (crafting towards interests), with both improving the fit between work and personal strengths and interests [49]. This in turn translates into better work-life balance. In the next model of Kooij and Kuijpers [50], apart from the above two types of job crafting, there is a third one, i.e. crafting towards development, which is close to the present author’s interest.
As mentioned earlier, an increasing number of publications on work-life balance and the role of job crafting can be noticed; new views appear, along with differences and scientific disputes. This encouraged the author to undertake research in this area. Revealing research gaps to be scientifically filled, the literature review significantly influenced the direction of the present study.

Materials and Methods

The aim of this research was to indicate those areas of individualization in which employees are free to make changes and to determine the degree of overlap between the job they do and would like to do. The research goal required an analysis of job crafting factors affecting work-life balance. The following were identified and analyzed: individualization areas, the job the respondents do and would like to do and their participation in work scope creation and in their own development.
There is a saying that goes “do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life". According to many studies, people who have combined their passions with their professional work and have freedom in job crafting are happier, less stressed and they achieve work-life balance easier. With this in mind, the following research questions were posed:
P1: What are the individualization areas in which employees are free to make changes?
P2: What is overlap between the job that employees do and would like to do?
P3: Does overlap between the job they do and would like to do affect work-life balance in mature organizations?
Consequently, research hypotheses were put forward:
H1: Employees of mature organizations are free to make changes in the individualization areas of work organization and working time, while in other areas they have limited freedom.
H2: There is overlap between the job that employees do and would like to do in jobs related to trade, office work and in those related to work organization and management.
H3: Overlap between the job that employees do and would like to do affects work-life balance in a mature organization.
In the research process, a literature review was conducted, together with analysis of data on working conditions and a diagnostic survey, including interviews, questionnaires and observations. In 13 groups, guided discussions, limited in time, were held as a supplementary means, according to a previously developed scenario. Selected issues were considered using questions and answers, with an exchange of thoughts, ideas and critical opinions. Although discussion is not a method of scientific work, it was decided to use it in order to clarify problems related to job crafting and work-life balance. Thanks to the discussion, qualitative research was employed and existing discrepancies were clarified. It provided the basis for further exchange of opinions, reconciling different, even contradictory views. Such a discussion can be successfully used in organization management and for educational purposes.
As mentioned above, the author used such data collection methods as the literature (books, journals, articles, reports), surveys (a paper questionnaire – a printed form provided to respondents to fill in), interviews (a paper interview sheet – a printed form to be filled in by the interviewer) and discussions (a form filled in by the moderator – participants did not agree to being recorded). The selection of the sample was deliberate. The research was conducted in Poland, in the Mazowieckie Voivodeship in 2019 and 2020, among 300 respondents working for mature organizations with different business profiles. Studying at university, the respondents were improving their qualifications. The confidence level index of the survey was: α = 0.95, with the fraction size of 0.5 and the maximum error of 6%. The respondents’ attitude towards the survey was positive, but the main limitation was a lack of literature reports on the assessment of the relationship between job crafting and work-life balance in a mature organization, which made it difficult to conduct a comparative analysis.
To analyse the research results, calculations were performed using IBM SPSS. In order to assess the relationship between variables and the significance of differences between response groups, contingency tables were used and chi-squared tests were performed. The limit of statistical significance was assumed to be p<0.05.

Results

Job crafting implementation is closely related to building sustainable development of a mature organization. It also affects work-life balance, being a tool to improve quality of professional and personal life. Due to job crafting, the impact of employees on the organization is expanding. They become the creators of some part of the organization, being promoters of changes in which they participate. By adjusting the place and type of work or working time to individual competences and preferences, effectiveness of the employee increases. This effectiveness is strengthened even more due to high correlation between the level of employee engagement and the degree of customer satisfaction[51]. Indeed, the discussion showed that the loyalty of employees to the organization increased, which, at the same time, resulted in greater loyalty of customers. Additionally, with job crafting, the employee’s focus on work improves and satisfaction and creativity increase. On the other hand, absenteeism is decreasing, which translates into stabilization of employment and into lower costs. To answer Research Question 1 (P1), the respondents were asked to indicate the areas of individualization in which they, as employees, are free to make changes (Table 1).
According to the results, three areas of individualization were indicated most frequently: work organization (54.4%), working time (48%) and task timeline (34.6%). Most mature organizations, which are by definition more innovative, give employees more opportunities to introduce changes in those areas, which are the basis of job crafting. References to job crafting in terms of work organization and working time can be often found in work-life balance programmes. Those individualisation areas are used by employers, especially to improve work organization and time management and, most often, to increase labour productivity [5,6,7,8]. In addition, freedom in those areas is treated by employees as an indicator of managerial competences [52]. Individualization areas concerning social benefits (7.7%), the form of remuneration (11.7%) and the scope of work (15.4%) were rated low. In the vast majority, the employers leave these areas for themselves to decide about.
Mature organizations more often than others are flexible and open to new ideas. With a high level of human resource management, they cater for work-life balance programmes and use employee competences to implement job crafting. However, according to the present research, as many as 18.8% of the respondents do not have the freedom to make changes. Furthermore, the discussion showed that some organizations, although mature, do not create sufficient conditions for job crafting. The results of the survey suggest that the managerial staff, apart from the three areas mentioned above (work organization, working time and task timeline), do not create favourable conditions for introducing changes. The discussion shows that a lack of regulations on the implementation of changes and the reluctance to introduced them are the main obstacles. If organizations do not pay more attention to those problems, they may face demotivation of employees, inhibition of innovation and loss of resources. Nevertheless, the results confirmed Hypothesis 1 (H1) that employees of mature organizations are allowed to make changes in some individualization areas.
An important aspect of assessing the relationship between job crafting and work-life balance in a mature organization is overlap between the job the employees do and would like to do. It turns out that among the surveyed people there is such overlap in jobs related to trade, to organization and management and to office work, which confirms Hypothesis 2 (H2). In the contingency tables (Table 2, Table 3 and Table 4) overlap between the jobs that the respondents do and would like to do is presented.
According to the survey and the directed discussion, overlap between the job that employees do and would like to do affects work-life balance (WLB) in a mature organization (Research Question 3 – P3). The data in Table 2, Table 3 and Table 4 indicate that some respondents had or had had a job they did not like. The discussion showed that this was due to several reasons. First of all, there were no available offers consistent with their desired job. Secondly, they were unable to find an organization offering satisfactory wages. Thirdly, there was a considerable distance to the workplace, which meant increased costs and longer separation from the family, both affecting work-life balance. It turned out that an important reason for choosing another job was better working conditions and higher organizational culture, high business prestige of the employing organization and better professional communication. Furthermore, overlap between performed and desired work would increase if the interests and expectations of candidates, with the possibility of job crafting, were included in the selection process.
Job satisfaction is an individual psychological reaction and it leads to greater commitment and readiness to accept professional challenges. The majority of respondents (65.2%) were satisfied with the job they did and believed that their superiors took their opinion into account (71.2%). Such a great level of job satisfaction is due to process maturity [53], an efficient management system and a proper organizational culture. It usually translates into more frequent consent of superiors to job crafting than in other organizations. The surveyed employees stated that mature organizations operate in accordance with accepted principles, efficiently resolving conflicts and caring for the quality of work processes. The discussion indicated that satisfaction is generated mainly by employee professional achievements, self-fulfilment and by recognition of their efforts. For most respondents, satisfaction is reflected in a planned career path, which was confirmed by other studies [54,55]. In turn, a lack of job crafting opportunities and imbalance between professional and private life could trigger dissatisfaction.
The discussion confirmed that the balance between work and life is not the same for everyone, which means that job crafting and WLB programmes should be introduced considering employee individual preferences. A very important advantage of job crafting, apart from increasing balance between professional and non-professional life, is the participation of employees in the creation and organization of work scope (Table 5). A vast majority of respondents (90.9%) stated that their participation in the creation and organization of work scope would affect their involvement in the work process of a mature organization. Such a high score revealed a significant positive relationship between their participation in work organization on the one hand and work efficiency on the other. There is a lot of evidence that the meaning of work and employee participation in its organization result in increased satisfaction and is a source of strong motivation for individuals and teams [56,57]. It also translates into a desire to improve work-life balance.
Some respondents (5.4%) did not consider the impact of employee participation on work efficiency to be important. Although this was a small percentage, it indicated that they were not familiar with the concept of employee participation or had never encountered it. This ignorance might affect their willingness to undertake activities towards job crafting and work-life balance even if employers encourage them to do that. It is obvious that mature organizations should pay attention to the role of employee participation, stressing its importance, among others, during internal training for managers, specialists and contractors.
The implementation of the work-life balance (WLB) concept is an opportunity to counteract burnout and decreased motivation. This opinion was expressed by over 90% of respondents. In mature organizations an awareness of burnout is high, and a vast majority of respondents see work-life balance as a buffer against a decline in motivation. Among other elements of maturity, the elimination of workloads or competence gaps is important. It can be concluded that the perception of burnout at work is greatly affected by the high competences of superiors, with their ability to recognize the problem and deal with it. It is believed that in this type of organization there is a high level of response to emerging problems, one of which is a lack of work-life balance.
The active participation of employees in designing their own development is a very important part of WLB (Table 6). Active participation was declared by as many as 92.3% of respondents, with 4% preferring passive participation and with 4% having no opinion (n = 298). Employee participation in their development is a competence but also a strong motivator. However, from the managerial staff it requires self-discipline, adjusting work schedules and estimating costs. Active participation in professional development strengthens other forms of participation, triggering innovative and implementation behaviour.
The above results confirmed Hypothesis 3 (H3) that overlap between the job the participants do and like to do affects work-life balance. The presented data give a clear signal, not only to mature organizations, to actively implement job crafting and work-life balance in order to break down barriers, overcome difficulties and take advantage of opportunities that the organization creates.

Discussion

The aim of the research was to identify the areas of individualization in which employees have freedom to introduce changes and the degree of overlap between performed and desired jobs. It turned out that they both affect work-life balance. The study shows that personnel policy in a mature organization includes, among others, reduction or complete elimination of the conflict between professional and non-professional life. One of the objectives of this policy is the implementation of the work-life balance (WLB) programme using job crafting. As confirmed by the present research, job crafting is a tool improving work performance. With job crafting, the areas of influence of employees on the organization are expanding. By applying the WLB concept, negative effects of work-life imbalance, such as physical fatigue, stress, discouragement, or professional burnout, decrease. If employees are offered additional time, they rationally use it in the workplace and elsewhere. The sense of security of the individual and his/her family is also growing[51]. It was noted that the interest in WLB results mainly from an effort to fulfil employees’ needs concerning their non-professional life.
Creating conditions for work-life balance is a challenge for many organizations. Additionally, such programmes are expensive and thus mainly possible for large entities. On the other hand, gaining a competitive advantage on the market is one of WLB benefits. When the programme is implemented into a socially responsible organization, the effectiveness of human capital management improves[36]. More than 90% of respondents expressed the opinion that by introducing it to mature organizations (and not only) it is possible to counteract professional burnout and a decrease of motivation.
Without individualization and job crafting, it is difficult to implement a WLB programme, with negative effects on employees and organizations. According to some authors[28], repeated absenteeism at work and an employee’s lower engagement and weakened concentration are just some of the consequences of disharmony in work-life relationship. Other negative effects include a lack of efficient performance of professional duties, poor creativity and lower productivity[28]. For a company, a WLB disturbance means deteriorating connections with customers, while the employee has to struggle with his/her unstable relationships with colleagues or the family. This negatively affects the profits of the organization and its competitiveness in the market.
Reduced employee efficiency is associated with low investments in human capital[28] and structural changes[58,59]. According to the data obtained by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Working and Living Conditions[60]40% of employees have no control over their work process and task timeline. Every third employee has no influence either on the methods of performing the work or on its pace. As many as 42% of European workers cannot take a break when they feel they need it, and 47% cannot decide on the date of their leave. The possibility of working in a flexible time was declared by 28.5%. The conclusion is that a large group of employees lack autonomy at work, especially when it comes to working time, and these proportions are even higher in relation to young workers and women[60].
However, according to the present research, in mature organizations the majority of respondents (65.2%) are satisfied with the work they do and believe that superiors take their opinion into account (71.2%). In addition, they have freedom to design changes in the workplace. In particular, they have the highest freedom to make changes in work organization (54.4%), working time (48%) and task timeline (34.6%). The maturity level of processes in such organizations is high [53], which positively affects employee involvement in job crafting. It can be considered that in every organization, not only in mature ones, the following are required: proper organization of work, meeting deadlines and cooperation with others, all of them being part of teamwork. Other researchers have confirmed that [57,61]. It can be concluded that the perception of work by employees is strongly influenced by the competences of superiors and the span of their management. Other researchers[62], also by conducting meta-analyses[21], argue that job crafting brings many beneficial effects to employees and organizations. Those beneficial effects include an increase in commitment to work[5], strengthening of human resources[21]and improving employee wellbeing[6].
Borkowska[51] and Chirkowska-Smolak[60] confirm the conclusion that if employees like their jobs and if it is important to them (P2 and P3 of the present research), they are more willing to go to work (71.3%) and they are satisfied with it (65.2%). According to Chirkowska-Smolak, the factor that may affect work-life balance is the bond of the employee – either with the family, or with work and family, or only with work. Surprisingly, if work is more important, the conflict between work and life does not occur. Conflict arises if the family is more important. Almost half of the respondents (47%) feel more connected to the family, but for every third of them (35%) their work and family are equally important, and only every eighth respondent (13%) says that work is more important. Respondents for whom work is more important do not perceive any conflict between professional and personal life. They manage to maintain a balance between professional and non-professional life[60], with job crafting significantly affecting this.

Conclusions

The results of the research indicate several important dependencies. In mature organizations employees have freedom to make changes in some individualization areas and to implement job crafting. Due to job crafting, employees’ focus on work improves, satisfaction and creativity increase and their motivation is strengthened. The loyalty to the organization increases, which at the same time results in greater loyalty of customers. On the other hand, absenteeism decreases, which translates into stabilization of employment and lower costs. The person-environment fit theory argues that employees leave the organization because of work-life imbalance or when their needs do not match the requirements of the organization [63,64,65]. The present research indicates that if employees want to achieve work-life balance, they should engage in job crafting. With the above in mind, the contribution of the present research manifests itself in filling a research gap by identifying the areas of individualization at work and determining overlap between performed and desired jobs and their impact on WLB. At the same time, the contribution to science is the critical review of the literature on work-life balance and on classic job crafting. Additionally, the contribution of the research to practice consists in presenting employee-oriented solutions that inhibit professional burnout and increase motivation to work. Active job modification is inherently innovative and creative, which is also confirmed by other authors [23,45,66].
An important component of management is the control of employee attitudes by providing them with an opportunity for individualization and allowing them to remodel their work. In mature organizations it is natural for employees to strive to become independent, to individualize their work and to make changes in the work process, even in the scope of work. Employees expect managers to trust their professional competences and to grant them more freedom, mainly in self-organization and working time and in decision-making (job crafting).
It should also be noted that the most important factor conducive to increased employee engagement and satisfaction seems to be work itself. Building trust and a sense of belonging and giving meaning to work can provide benefits for both the employer and employee. A strong employee-work relationship facilitates work-life balance (WLB). If they like the work they do, they achieve work-life balance easier. Organizations implementing work-life balance programmes use job crafting tools according to the needs and capabilities of the organization and employees.
This research is part of Society 5.0, where the basic values of Citizen 5.0 are openness and innovation. Newly created Society 5.0 is specifically aimed at freeing people from resource and environmental constraints. It is centred on individuals, ensuring their well-being, which, as a rule, results in the right work-life balance.
However, the conclusions and proposals resulting from the present research are not without limitations. First of all, in the literature there are many approaches to work-life balance and job crafting, which makes it difficult to compare and interpret data. In addition, critical remarks about the timing and manner of WLB implementation are common. This has resulted in new approaches, like projects that extend the entire process of adopting changes. Employers typically expect an already tested model and its quick and flawless implementation in the organization. Secondly, there have been a lot of qualitative studies, while there is a lack of sufficient quantitative research. Thirdly, work-life balance and job crafting are complex processes, strongly dependent on mutual support, education and proper control. Fourthly, a low level of management maturity in the organization is a limitation because the effect of job crafting on work-life balance depend on the conditions in which this process takes place. Additionally, it should be remembered that the constantly changing market is a big challenge for mature organizations. In addition, work-life balance and job crafting programmes are usually long-term and their effects are postponed in time. Furthermore, the impact of WLB programmes on the financial results of the organisation is difficult to quantify. With the above difficulties taken into account, the results of the present studies should be treated as an important starting point for further research. Future research may attempt to assess the degree of work-life balance impact on work efficiency and determine the contribution of job crafting in this process.

Funding

Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Poland. UPH-No.89/20/B; No.175/23/B.

Institutional Review Board Statement

The study was conducted according to the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki, and approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Siedlce University of Natural Sciences and Humanities (resolution No. 29/2022, 21 December 2022).

Informed Consent Statement

Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.

Data Availability Statement

The author confirms that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article.

Conflicts of Interest

The author declare no conflict of interest.

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Table 1. Individualization areas in which the respondents are allowed to make changes, n=300.
Table 1. Individualization areas in which the respondents are allowed to make changes, n=300.
Contingency table Responses Percentage of responses
N of respondents Percentage of respondents
Indicate the areas
of individualization
where you
are allowed
to make changes. 		form and duration of the employment contract 72 8.5% 24.2%
working time 143 16.8% 48.0%
workplace 55 6.5% 18.5%
task timeline (start, end) 103 12.1% 34.6%
scope of work 46 5.4% 15.4%
work process 95 11.2% 31.9%
work organisation 162 19.1% 54.4%
selection of co-workers 56 6.6% 18.8%
form of remuneration 35 4.1% 11.7%
social benefits 23 2.7% 7.7%
other 3 0.4% 1.0%
I don’t have the freedom to make changes 56 6.6% 18.8%
Total 849 100.0% 284.9%
Source: own elaboration.
Table 2. Overlap between the job the respondents do and would like to do (an office job), n=300.
Table 2. Overlap between the job the respondents do and would like to do (an office job), n=300.
Contingency table
Do you have an office job? Total
No Yes
Would you like to have an office job? No N of respondents 132 37 169
% in the line 78.1% 21.9% 100.0%
% in the column 77.2% 28.7% 56.3%
Yes N of respondents 39 92 131
% in the line 29.8% 70.2% 100.0%
% in the column 22.8% 71.3% 43.7%
Total N of respondents 171 129 300
% in the line 57.0% 43.0% 100.0%
% in the column 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
Chi-squared tests
Value d. f. P P(two-sided) P(one-sided)
Pearson’s chi-squared test 70.344 1 0.000
Likelihood Ratio 68.386 1 0.000
Linear-by-Linear Association 72.816 1 0.000
Fisher’s exact test 0.000 0.000
N of valid observations 300
Symmetric measures
Value P
Nominal by Nominal Phi 0.484 0.000
Cramer’s V 0.484 0.000
N of valid observations 300
Source: own elaboration.
Table 3. Overlap between the job the respondents do and would like to do (a trade-related job), n=300.
Table 3. Overlap between the job the respondents do and would like to do (a trade-related job), n=300.
Contingency table
Do you have a trade-related job? Total
No Yes
Would you like to have a trade- related job? No N of respondents 147 38 185
% in the line 79.5% 20.5% 100.0%
% in the column 82.1% 31.4% 61.7%
Yes N of respondents 32 83 115
% in the line 27.8% 72.2% 100.0%
% in the column 17.9% 68.6% 38.3%
Total N of respondents 179 121 300
% in the line 59.7% 40.3% 100.0%
% in the column 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
Chi-squared tests
Value d. f. P P(two-sided) P(one-sided)
Pearson’s chi-squared test 78.562 1 0.000
Likelihood Ratio 76.431 1 0.000
Linear-by-Linear Association 80.716 1 0.000
Fisher’s exact test 0.000 0.000
N of valid observations 300
Symmetric measures
Value P
Nominal by Nominal Phi 0.512 0.000
Cramer’s V 0.512 0.000
N of valid observations 300
Source: own elaboration.
Table 4. Overlap between the job the respondents do and would like to do (a job related to work organization and management), n=300.
Table 4. Overlap between the job the respondents do and would like to do (a job related to work organization and management), n=300.
Contingency table
Do you have a job related to work organization and management Total
No Yes
Would you like to have a job related to work organization and management? No N of respondents 177 10 187
% in the line 94.7% 5.3% 100.0%
% in the column 76.6% 14.5% 62.3%
Yes N of respondents 54 59 113
% in the line 47.8% 52.2% 100.0%
% in the column 23.4% 85.5% 37.7%
Total N of respondents 231 69 300
% in the line 77,0% 23.0% 100.0%
% in the column 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
Chi-squared tests
Value d.f. P
Pearson’s chi-squared test 87.352 1 0.000
Likelihood Ratio 84.726 1 0.000
Linear-by-Linear Association 89.110 1 0.000
N of valid cases 300
Symmetric measures
Value P
Nominal by Nominal Phi 0.540 0.000
Cramer’s V 0.540 0.000
N of valid observations 300
Source: own elaboration.
Table 5. Effect of employee participation in work scope creation on work effectiveness, n=298.
Table 5. Effect of employee participation in work scope creation on work effectiveness, n=298.
Does the participation of employees in work scope creation affect work effectiveness?
Number of respondents Percentage of respondents Percentage of responses
Yes 271 90.3 90.9
No 11 3.7 3.7
No opinion 16 5.3 5.4
Total 298 99.3 100.0
No answer 2 0.7
Total 300 100.0
Source: own elaboration.
Table 6. Employee participation in his/her development, n=298.
Table 6. Employee participation in his/her development, n=298.
Should the participation in your development be active or passive?
Number of respondents Percentage of respondents Percentage of responses
Active 275 91.7 92.3
Passive 12 4.0 4.0
No opinion 11 3.7 3.7
Total 298 99.3 100.0
No response 2 0.7
Total 300 100.0
Source: own elaboration.
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