Two Faces of Sensitivity at Work: Differential Pathways via Job Crafting to Work Engagement

Sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) is a context-sensitive personality trait characterized by heightened responsiveness to environmental stimuli. In organizational settings, SPS may function as both a resource and a vulnerability, suggesting that highly sensitive employees may be particularly reliant on proactively shaping their work environment to maintain person-job fit and well-being. Drawing on the Environmental Sensitivity framework and the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, this study examines job crafting as a mechanism linking SPS to work engagement. The study distinguishes between two facets of SPS, vantage sensitivity and vulnerable sensitivity, and two forms of job crafting: promotion-focused and prevention-focused job crafting. Using a two-wave survey design with 370 employees, we examined how these sensitivity facets relate to distinct job crafting strategies and, in turn, to work engagement. Results showed that SPS was associated with different forms of job crafting that displayed contrasting relationships with engagement. Promotion-focused job crafting was positively associated with work engagement and emerged as a key pathway through which sensitivity contributes to positive work-related outcomes. In contrast, prevention-focused job crafting was negatively associated with engagement and appeared to function primarily as a coping strategy. Vulnerable sensitivity was linked to increased prevention-focused and reduced promotion-focused job crafting, indicating a self-regulatory pattern characterized by greater avoidance-oriented and lower growth-oriented behaviour. Overall, the findings demonstrate that highly sensitive employees actively shape their work environment to regulate engagement and manage job demands. The study identifies job crafting as a key mechanism linking individual differences in sensitivity to proactive work behaviour and occupational well-being.