Demistifying the role of job crafting on the morale of healthcare workers in Nigerian public hospitals

The mass exodus of healthcare workers from the Nigerian healthcare system highlights the urgent need to reevaluate the operational framework. This reevaluation aims to grant healthcare workers greater autonomy to improve their morale and address organizational issues like job dissatisfaction and high turnover. The inability to create new positions or redesign existing roles has contributed to these challenges, necessitating a comprehensive solution. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the impact of job crafting on the moral of healthcare workers in the Nigerian Public Hospitals. It buttressed its argument with Hackman & Oldham’s Job Characteristics Model. All the Doctors and Nurses in the public Secondary Hospitals also known as General Hospitals in Lagos State were used for this study, making a total population of 11,084. The sample size of 725 was determined using Morgan sample size determination table. Quantitative and qualitative methods of analysis were employed. The results of the study show that job crafting has a substantial impact on the morale of healthcare workers in public hospitals. Higher levels of morale and happiness are experienced by healthcare workers who participate in job crafting activities. The crucial elements of job crafting—relational, task, and cognitive—allow healthcare professionals to customise and remodel their work experiences in accordance with their preferences and values. The study recommends that structures be put in place that supports job crafting in the Nigerian healthcare system so as to give a high level of autonomy and flexibility to the healthcare workers thereby boosting their morale for effective and efficient performance.