In many workplaces, every employee is treated pretty much the same, whatever their background. But because we’re all different and unique, it’s companies who let their employees craft their own jobs who tend to get the most out of their staff.

Job crafting is when an employee adjusts and personalizes their role in a company to fit their passions, values and skills.

For example, an executive who’s passionate about helping others reach their full potential might decide to craft her job so it revolves around coaching employees in their professional and personal lives.

Or a marketing manager who’s particularly interested in social media advertising might decide to add a social media campaign to a product launch she’s working on.

Job crafting benefits not only the employees, but also the company: studies show employees who craft their jobs are absent less, perform significantly better and are more proactive than others.

So how does job crafting happen? It’s a flexible concept that can operate at different levels, both openly and personally.

First, you can craft your job according to your strengths, values and interests. If you’re a salesperson interested in blogging, why not start a company blog that aims to acquire new customers?

Second, you can adjust your job so that you spend time mostly with people you like, minimizing interaction with those you don’t. If you don’t get along with your boss, you can try to find ways to deliver high-quality job performance without having to interact with him by, say, shifting your communication toward emails.