The future of work: Investigating job crafting behavior among blue-collar workers in times of technological developments in the workplace

Abstract

Rapid technological developments are changing the nature of blue-collar work, presenting both opportunities and challenges for blue-collar work. This qualitative study investigates the impact of technological developments on the jobs of 11 blue-collar workers in three Dutch blue-collar organizations, and their responses through job crafting behaviors as a way to adapt to these changes. Data has been collected using semi-structured interviews, which provides insights into how these blue-collar workers adjust their task-, relationship-, and cognitive boundaries to adapt to technological developments in their work, and the organizational support perceived as necessary to facilitate this. Findings reveal that contextual factors – including workers’ perceptions of technology (i.e., either as constraining or supportive), along with personal characteristics and organizational support – influence their type of job crafting strategies. Those perceiving technology as constraining tend toward technology-avoidance actions, while those perceiving it as supportive engage in technology-adaptation actions. Effective organizational support is linked to aspects of organizational engagement and organizational responsiveness. Future research could broaden the investigation of (other) adaptation strategies among blue-collar workers, conduct similar studies on a larger scale, and explore the impacts of diverse technological advances on how blue-collar workers shape their work.