Job crafting: develop your strengths

In job crafting, with an eye on employee strengths, small changes are made to job tasks and the work environment, essentially building a job around employees. The starting point for the work that employees (will) perform and/or the roles they (will) fulfill is the employee themselves, not the job description.

When Michelangelo was asked how he made the statue 'David', he answered that he had chiseled away everything that didn't look like David. Employees can do the same with their job: remove what doesn't come easily to them and keep what they enjoy doing. Job crafting avant la lettre.

This 'job sculpting' or 'kneading of work' rather than of employees, gives employees the opportunity to organize their own work. They can contribute ideas within their task portfolio. And by adjusting working hours and location accordingly, it can contribute to their job satisfaction and personal and professional development.

The result of job crafting is a job that best suits the employee with all its advantages. More job satisfaction, greater autonomy, more use of strengths (strengthen what works!), tapping into energy sources and closing energy drains. And all of this leads to better employee performance and less absenteeism and turnover.

• Make a top 10 of your tasks/roles;
• Number 1 is the task/role you spend the most time on;
• Indicate the tasks/roles where your strengths are used;
• Indicate the tasks/roles you would rather be rid of because they rely on your weaknesses;
• Sketch your ideal workday/work week? What do you do with whom and for whom?

Source: 'Het GROTE gesprekkenboek' – Jacco van den Berg

With the answers to the questions from the box, it is examined whether, and with which (small) adjustments, the work can be made more valuable because your strengths are called upon. This can be done by tinkering with tasks (the what). Employees will do more of what they enjoy and are already good at. By performing work with other colleagues (the how), employees also develop. For example, in a 'master-apprentice construction' where they learn from and with an experienced professional.

Here is a step-by-step plan for managers to further strengthen team members' talents.

The manager:

• determines what needs to be done (objectives, KPIs, projects, tasks);
• asks each employee what their desired contribution is to these objectives and invites them to 'sign up' for pleasant tasks that call upon their strengths;
• then invites all employees to share their outcomes with each other and make mutual agreements about who is deployed for what (capacity = capability);
• finally ensures that everything is done, set in motion to achieve team objectives. After all, the tasks experienced as less pleasant by employees also need to be done.

The personal responsibility of employees to identify and further develop their own strengths is significant. Prior to the team meeting, sketch the ideal tasks/roles and work environment, using the questions from the box. The manager and colleagues must recognize the benefits and say 'Yes' to this sketch. You already have a 'no', you might get a 'yes'. Good luck!

Want to know more about employee turnover? And how to tackle it? Also read our e-guide 'Preventing employee turnover: 10 tips'.