Job crafting: Does it have a role to play in improving well-being in policing?

Abstract

Working in policing can be psychologically challenging in an environment which requires officers and staff to be self-disciplined in adhering to procedural and legal frameworks. These role demands can lead to increased mental health problems. The ability to craft one’s job to personal and career needs and aspirations can reduce stress and burnout. This study aims to identify the level of job crafting and any benefit of job crafting in UK policing. Four thousand six hundred seventy-three police officers and staff completed an online survey as part of a regular psychological surveillance programme. The survey measured anxiety, depression, burnout, and traumatic stress together with a job crafting questionnaire. The results did not find any difference in mental health between officers and staff who used job crafting from those who did not. An analysis of comments provided insight into the role job crafting plays in policing. The evidence on the benefits of job crafting in terms of mental health is mixed. The study highlighted the need for job crafting to be seen in a broader context where an individual’s opportunity for flexibility and autonomy is balanced with their legal and professional obligations and organizational requirements.