Nelesh Dhanpat, Nameera Munnisunker
Abstract
This study examines the relationship between job crafting dimensions and work engagement within a South African financial services organisation, addressing a critical gap in understanding how employees actively reshape their work experiences in highly regulated environments. Drawing upon Wrzesniewski and Dutton’s job crafting theory and employing Slemp and Vella-Brodrick’s tri-dimensional framework, the research investigates how task crafting, cognitive crafting, and relational crafting influence work engagement amongst financial services support professionals. A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was employed, utilising convenience sampling to collect data from 332 employees across entry-level to executive positions within a large financial services company operating in South Africa and Namibia. Data were gathered using the Job Crafting Questionnaire and Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, with reliability coefficients above the .70 threshold. Statistical analyses included exploratory factor analysis, correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis. Results revealed significant positive correlations between all three job crafting dimensions and work engagement, with relational crafting demonstrating the strongest bivariate relationship. Multiple regression analysis indicated that cognitive crafting emerged as the strongest predictor of work engagement, followed by relational crafting and task crafting. These findings suggest that even within constrained regulatory environments, employees can enhance their engagement through cognitive reframing of work meaning, strategic relationship building, and selective task modification. The study contributes to job crafting theory by demonstrating its applicability in regulated industries and provides practical insights for enhancing employee engagement in similar organisational contexts through targeted interventions supporting employee-initiated job redesign activities.