Job crafting empowers millennials amid burnout
UTAH, UNITED STATES — A research brief published by Utah Valley University revealed an approach called ‘job crafting’ that enables millennials to align their daily activities with personal strengths and values, enhancing job satisfaction and reducing burnout.
Burnout crisis among millennials
Millennials, born between 1981 and 1996, are the largest segment of today’s workforce but also the most affected by burnout.
A 2023 Deloitte survey revealed that 77% of millennials experience burnout in their current roles, and 42% have left jobs because of it. This generation faces unique pressures, including economic instability, the always-on digital culture, and a disconnect between career expectations and reality.
A path to sustainable work
Key dimensions of job crafting include:
- Task crafting: Adjusting the scope or type of tasks performed to align with personal strengths and interests.
- Relational crafting: Building supportive workplace relationships while minimizing energy-draining interactions.
- Cognitive crafting: Reframing work to connect with a sense of purpose or growth opportunities. For example, at a pediatric hospital, nurses began documenting meaningful patient interactions at the end of shifts—a cognitive crafting strategy that reduced emotional exhaustion by 18% within three months.
Organizational support is crucial
While job crafting is primarily employee-driven, organizations play a vital role in fostering environments where it can thrive.
Leaders can model job crafting behaviors, provide autonomy, and celebrate successful initiatives. Structured programs like job crafting workshops or flexible role definitions further enable employees to reshape their work effectively.
Industries such as healthcare and technology have seen notable success with job crafting initiatives. For instance, a tech company implementing quarterly “craft sprints” reduced burnout among developers under 35 by 28%.
Similarly, healthcare systems using interdisciplinary collaboration programs reported higher job satisfaction and lower burnout rates among clinical staff.
