CDigestEO’s

Increasing Job Positives

Low StressHigh Motivation

Low StressAverage Motivation

Average StressHigh Motivation

High StressLow Motivation

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Job DemandLow High

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The JD-R Model

Researchers Arnold Bakker and Evangelia Demerouti developed the JD-R Model in 2006, publishing their findings in The Journal of Managerial Psychology.

The model puts working conditions into two categories

Job demands and Job resources:

Job demands: Are the physical or emotional stressors in your role. These include time pressures, a heavy workload, a stressful working environment, role ambiguity, emotional labor and poor relationships.

Job resources (Job Positives): Are the physical, social, or organizational factors that help you achieve goals, and reduce stress. They include autonomy, strong work relationships, opportunities for advancement, coaching and mentoring, and learning and development.

The JD-R Model states that When job demands are high and job positives are low, stress and burnout are common. Conversely, good job positives can offset the effects of extreme job demands, and encourage motivation and engagement.

Step 1: Identify Job Demands

Start by noting the stressors that could have a negative effect on your team

1. Few opportunities to work autonomously2. Poor working relationships3. Emotionally draining tasks or roles4. Unclear goals or role ambiguity5. Limited opportunities for career advancement or personal development6. Excessively bureaucratic rules and procedures

Note:Keep in mind that every person on your team has unique needs and stress thresholds. Something that causes extreme stress for one person might just be an inconvenience or even a work enabler for someone else.

This is why it's important to talk to each person on your team individually. Find out which stressors are causing your team members the most trouble. You can then tailor your approach to fit each person's needs.

Step 2: Address Job Demands

Chances are, you now have a long list of factors that could be negatively affecting your team.

It will be within your power to change many of these. So, separate the ones that you can influence from the ones that you can't, and do what you can to reduce job demands.

Right people assigned to the right tasksIf people aren't playing to their strengths, they're likely to experience higher stress levels. So, can any tasks be reassigned, or roles redesigned, to spread demands more evenly across the team?

Examine your team's work flowsAre there processes that could be improved to remove bottlenecksor stress points?

Step 2: Address Job Demands (Continued)

Support your team membersby helping them to feel engaged with the work that they're doing, and make sure that they have the resources they need to do their job effectively.

Be ready to listen to their concerns, and to respond with empathy

Also, make sure that your team members understand the truepurpose of their work, and that every person on your team knows how his or her work makes a difference.

Finally, if your team members are engaged in emotional labor, be sensitive to how draining this can be. Share success stories, and teach your people how to cope with the stress that can come with these roles.

Step 3: Identify Possible Job Resources/Positives

Your next step is to identify and promote the job positives that act as a buffer between your team members and the demands of their roles. These can include the following:

1. Mentoring or coaching opportunities2. Training and development opportunities3. Regular constructive feedback4. Increased autonomy5. Clearer goals

Organizational rules, benefits, or processes that support and strengthen employees. You can provide many of these things inexpensively, or for free.Talk to your team members one-on-one to find out what changes they would like to see.

Step 4: Promote Job Resources/Positives

Look for opportunities to encourage learning and development, but don't overlook “softer” positives, such as good working relationshipsthese are hugely important for reducing job stress. For example, even if everyone is busy, try to set aside time for socializing before meetings and after work.

Provide regular constructive feedback to your people. This will help them feel supported as they grow and develop.

In addition, offer a wide variety of training and development opportunities.Cross-training is great for developing people in an interesting and affordable way. Some people might also be interested in mentoring one another, or in being mentored by more senior people. People can also experience stress when they're confused about what they are meant to do.

So, make sure that job descriptions are up to date, and create ateam charter to define everyone's roles and responsibilities – this is especially important if your team is working on a group project.

Key Points

Take the following steps to apply the JD-R Model

1. Identify job demands2. Address job demands3. Identify possible job resources/positives4. Address job positives

When you lessen job demands and promote job positives, your team will experience less stress, and they will have a greater sense of engagement and motivation. So, if your people are stressed, use our list of actions to create a happy, supportive working environment.

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