Melanie Cheung shares her experiences of job crafting whilst working in HR for the NHS.
It was later in my career when I stumbled upon the concept of job crafting. Around the same time, I realised the importance of purpose and finding more meaning in my work.
I soon learnt that job crafting was something that I had often carried out in my work previously and not realised this.
I suppose I was never really the ambitious type on a big scale. Maybe I was a little ambitious. What I did know for certain was that I have always embraced new learning opportunities and looked for variety in my work.
As I reflect on my somewhat ‘portfolio’ career to date, I recall those moments of feeling ‘stuck’. Or simply wanting a change of scenery from the office environment. That was when job crafting came into play.
What is job crafting?
In simple terms, job crafting is about us as individuals taking responsibility in the way we approach our work in a more personalised way. It involves us using our own initiative. In doing so, this allows us to try out new things and find ways which can help us be more engaged, happier and more productive in the workplace.
The notion of job crafting has received a lot of attention from evidence-based research, most notably by Wrzesniewski and Dutton since 2001. Researchers have particularly implored people to craft their jobs to create more fulfilment and enlightenment in the work they do. This can particularly be helpful for example, in situations where people are generally feeling frustrated in the workplace and there is low employee morale.
Research also suggests that cultivating a culture, which encourages job crafting, is beneficial from a wellbeing perspective. Moreover, job crafting doesn’t have to involve making big changes and the time spent on job crafting can be as little as 12 mins or less a day (see recommended sources at the end of this article).
Job crafting in the NHS …
For me, job crafting at the NHS mainly involved finding numerous opportunities to experience what it was like to work in the hospital environment, away from the office
I am very passionate about the NHS because of the huge difference it makes to people’s lives. So, it was an absolute privilege to have had the opportunity to work with clinical staff and those on the front-line at two NHS Trusts based in the North East; City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust (CHS) and Newcastle upon Tyne NHS Foundation Trust (NuTH).
I could relate a lot of my experiences involving job crafting during my time working at both Trusts as an HR Advisor (project work involving health and wellbeing across the Trust) at CHS and as an HR Officer within Medical Staffing at NuTH.
For me, job crafting at the NHS mainly involved finding numerous opportunities to experience what it was like to work in the hospital environment, away from the office. This was, I now realise, a blend of purpose / cognitive crafting and task crafting.
At CHS, I jumped at the opportunity to volunteer as a Ward Liaison Officer, as part of the ‘Perfect Week’ initiative at CHS back in 2015. The purpose of the exercise was to invite non-clinical staff onto the wards/theatres and welcome their contribution of ideas or suggestions for improvement and increased efficiency.
What stood out for me from this experience was feeling touched by the dedication, commitment and compassion shown towards the patients by clinical staff who often went the extra mile for patients. I heard moving stories involving the difficulties encountered on the wards, whilst witnessing some of this too. I also got a real sense of how emotional and tense the environment can be for clinical staff, patients and their families.
I later volunteered as a Theatre Liaison Officer. There I was dressed in surgical green scrubs looking the part. I stood next to the surgeon and observed two hand operations being performed in front of me. I later had another opportunity to watch a total shoulder replacement inside the operating theatre.
It all felt like one of those surreal moments, especially for someone who has stepped out from the office environment.
I suppose I can understand how this type of job crafting may not necessarily appeal to your average office worker. However, it was one of the ways how I personalised my approach to work during my time at CHS – to feel part of the ‘bigger picture’.
The whole experience assisted me with an enhanced understanding of the challenges faced on the front-line and highlighted the escalation issues on wards. This in turn allowed me to support the development of appropriate health and wellbeing strategies with the team, as part of the overall purpose and long-term vision of the NHS (The NHS Long Term Plan).
Finding fulfilment in job crafting …
In essence, the invaluable experience of the various types of job crafting undertaken had allowed me to support the front-line with greater compassion and understanding than ever before
When I joined NuTH, I looked for further opportunities to experience what it was like working closely with front-line staff. Sometimes it was as simple as arranging meetings off-site, within hospital wards.
Even reading the book ‘Your Life In My Hands: A Junior Doctor’s Story’ by Rachel Clarke helped to motivate me at one point when I felt ‘stuck’ and slightly overwhelmed during my time working within the extremely busy Medical Staffing department.
In my spare time I also volunteered as a Patient Care Assistant at The Royal Victoria Infirmary’s (RVI) Medi Cinema. It generally involved transporting patients in beds or wheelchairs to and from various wards around the hospital to the big screen. I eventually found this to be another way that helped me become ‘unstuck’.
For me, working closely with the front-line staff was a stark reminder of what the NHS was all about – ‘putting patients at the heart of everything that we do’ as a proud member of staff working for NuTH. It was about helping to improve and ultimately save lives of patients. It was also about ensuring the health, safety and wellbeing of all staff. And it quickly occurred to me that my own non-clinical role was in fact crucial in supporting those on the front-line.
The value of job crafting
To me, it really is about the small acts of kindness, understanding, compassion and working in collaboration, that can ultimately lead to the bigger impacts of making a huge and positive difference at our beloved NHS.
Overall, the opportunities to work alongside clinical staff had allowed me to better understand the physical, mental and emotional challenges in a hospital setting. It was something I often heard on the news headlines, in relation to the ever-increasing demand for NHS services and pressures on staff to work more efficiently with few resources. Suddenly it all became a reality to me before my very eyes.
I recall those moments when I was surrounded by very sick patients - seeing the sorrow in their eyes, hearing the extremes of loud cries in the wards to the quiet whimpers of suffering from a distance … then seeing distressed looking family members. These were some of the scenes that struck me.
And then I am reminded of the compassion and solidarity amongst the many health care professionals at different levels who were all making a positive difference. And I felt part of it all too. There was that moment of fulfilment and that moment of feeling proud to work for the NHS.
In essence, the invaluable experience of the various types of job crafting undertaken had allowed me to support the front-line with greater compassion and understanding than ever before. This later involved supporting leadership development at NuTH for both clinical and non-clinical roles, as I progressed in my career.
To me, it really is about the small acts of kindness, understanding, compassion and working in collaboration, that can ultimately lead to the bigger impacts of making a huge and positive difference at our beloved NHS.
About Melanie and how to find out more
Melanie is a people professional who is passionate helping to make a difference in organisations, as well as in the community. She has a background working in the NHS, manufacturing, financial services, retail management and the travel and tourism industry.
Melanie believes that business excellence is linked to HR's influence in supporting a culture that promotes continuous learning and development, purposeful & compassionate leadership.
Key Recommended Sources
‘Turning the job you have into the job you want’ (Harvard Business Review, issue June 2010) by Amy Wrzesniewski, Justin M. Berg and Jane E. Dutton
‘Job Crafting – Creating meaning in your work’ (You Tube video, 2014) by Amy Wrzesniewski
‘An Introduction to micro job crafting: how job crafting for 12 minutes or less a day contributes to sustainable positive behaviour change’ (CIPD Applied Research Conference Paper 2018) by Rob Baker and Dr Gavin Slemp
