Job Crafting is the process by which employees take active steps in defining and designing their own job experience in a personally meaningful way. Conventional approaches for improving work related outcomes for individuals with disabilities such as modifications to job tasks or provisions of workplace accommodations have modest success. Job Crafting is a bottom-up approach where employees are coached to actively managing their careers, advocating for themselves, and adapting to work roles for successful integration in the workplace. Job...
Job Crafting as an intervention strategy has been well researched and tested among individuals without work limitations. To our knowledge, there are no published, empirical studies on job crafting interventions among people who experience work limitations and only two published studies exploring how older adults nearing retirement age craft their jobs. We hope to develop the evidence base supporting the use of Job Crafting through this research study.
This study is lead by Dr. Vidya Sundar, PhD, OTR/L, Assistant Professor, Occupational Therapy department and Dr. Debra Brucker, PhD, MPA, Research Assistant Professor, Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire.
Individuals who experience a work limitation due to a physical disability, or chronic health condition, ages 18-64, are eligible to participate. Potential participants should be currently working, full-time or part-time. Self-employed individuals and employees currently enrolled in a Workman’s Compensation program are not eligible to participate.
Individuals who experience work limitations learn how to navigate day-to-day challenges at work by increasing the social and structural resources at work. Through this intervention, participants will engage in proactive, problem solving behaviors, and reflective behaviors to manage day-to-day challenges at work. We anticipate that long-term use of Job Crafting will improve work-related self-efficacy and engagement in the workplace.
You will complete (1) an initial online survey (2) the Job Crafting tool facilitated by our staff and (3) weekly online surveys that last five minutes each.
A preview of the Job Crafting tool is available here.
Participants who complete the 6-week intervention study will receive a $100 Amazon e-gift card as compensation for their participation. Compensation may be pro-rated depending on participation.
Yes, health care professionals may refer their clients to this study. Clinicians and health care professionals who refer clients are eligible to receive incentives for each client who agrees to participate in the study. Please email our team at job.crafting@unh.edu to see if you qualify for referral incentives. Read more about I am a health care professional, can I refer my clients to this study?
Completion of the study presents no to minimal potential physical or psychological risks to the participants. Our staff will go through the informed consent process with potential participants prior to enrollment in the study.
