Abstract

Job crafting, the proactive changing of job demands and resources to better suit one’s needs and abilities, is on the rise within the modern workplace as individuals are experiencing greater autonomy and ownership over their careers. Research shows that job crafting is not only associated with increased employee job satisfaction, well-being, and work engagement, but also improves employee adaptability to change. In addition to current labour shortages, organizations need also to adapt to increasingly challenging and unpredictable work environments. Organizations therefore stand to benefit from the outcomes of individual job crafting. While limited research has shown some possible spillover benefits for teammates, recent research has revealed possible negative consequences of this self-targeted activity on the job crafter’s teammates, specifically because job crafting involves modifying tasks and relationships. In a collaborative environment, these changes risk negatively impacting teammates. The purpose of this study was therefore to examine whether coworker job crafting influences teammate job satisfaction and job stress in an interdependent work context. The results from a survey of 199 panel participants in Canada, USA, and the UK unexpectedly supported improved job satisfaction and reduced stress for teammates of coworkers who job craft. The data also supported the role of coworker social support as a mechanism by which coworker job crafting influenced teammate outcomes. These findings suggest that the effects that individual job crafting have on teammates depends on the work context. The theoretical implication indicates the importance of continued study of the effects of job crafting on others.