Call centre support staff job crafting and employee engagement: Controlling the effects of sociodemographic characteristics

Abstract

The study explored job crafting (task, cognitive, and relational crafting) and work engagement (vigour, absorption, and dedication) among support staff within a financial services call centre in the Gauteng province, South Africa. The participants (n = 213; female = 54.9%; black individuals = 48.4%) varied by job role (52.6% technology; 23.9% human resources; 21.6% finance; and 1.9% legal department). The participants completed the Job Crafting Scale and the Utrecht Work Engagement 9-item scale. Multiple regression results indicated that employees engaging in job crafting experienced higher levels of engagement, whereby task crafting best predicted vigour and absorption, and cognitive crafting best predicted dedication. Older employees remained absorbed in their work, whilst employees with greater experience engaged in relational crafting and had increased levels of work engagement. The findings suggest that call centre support staff alter their work boundaries, ensuring increased vigour, absorption, and dedication.