The right strategy for the right risk: why generic solutions fail in workplace wellbeing

Work in the present day is filled with different demands, be they behavioural, cognitive or emotional. Specifically, the demands experienced by workers in their day-to-day are very particular to the type of professional role they assume and the type of work sector they perform in. Such is the case of grocery store workers having to deal with aggressive customers while office workers might require after hours work to finish tasks.

While there are demands not unique to a specific sector, sectors still must deal with environment-specific stressors and risks. To effectively mitigate their impact on health and performance, organisations must move beyond generic solutions and adopt targeted and context sensitive strategies. In accordance with the DISC Model, the way to reduce job demands and job strains is to implement strategies based on job resources that match the processes of those demands and strains, different types of demands call for corresponding types of resources.

Work roles may experience cognitive, behavioural or emotional demands, and each of these requires matching cognitive, behavioural or emotional resources to compensate. When appropriately aligned, these job resources can reduce job demands and related costs, help achieve personal and work goals and foster personal growth and development.

Accordingly:

• Cognitive resources are most effective in addressing cognitive strain and negative aspects of cognitive demands.

• Emotional resources are most effective in addressing emotional strain and the negative aspects of emotional demands.

• Behavioural resources are most effective in addressing behavioural strain and the negative aspects of behavioural demands.

Conversely, when there is a mismatch between demands and resources, interventions may not only fail but can even exacerbate strain. For example, when a worker is under significant physical demands and the organisation implements an intervention to promote job control, the effects of the demands are not buffered with respect to musculoskeletal complaints, even being enhanced by its presence.  

So, aligning demands and resources are fundamental to achieve individual health and wellbeing, but also, organisational performance. Different risks require distinct strategic organisational responses:  

Emotional Demands (Emotional exhaustion, Depersonalization, Hiding Emotions): In sectors that promote constant interactions with clients and organisations that demand a specific attitude “greet every client with a smile”, there is a necessity to either enhance or inhibit emotion, potentially causing emotional dissonance and higher risk of developing burnout. To mitigate these effects, organisations should strengthen emotional resources, such as:

• Workplace social support from colleagues and supervisors;

• Emotional control to better regulate things such as fear that would harm their performance without causing dissonance;

• Mindfulness – Allows for the development of personal resources while promoting interaction with peers.

Cognitive Demands (Quick Problem Solving, Role ambiguity, Time pressure): In sectors that promote processing of large amounts of information, role ambiguity, quick problem solving without errors, there is an environment of unclear expectations and objectives, potentially reaching high levels of stress for the worker.  The strategy organisations must utilize is to develop cognitive resources such as:

• Timing control - Attributing interaction control, where workers can dictate the timing of interactions with customers;

• Job autonomy - Control on deciding how and when they perform their tasks, and to be able to make decisions;

• Job security – Providing job security to workers can alleviate some strain they might be under, allowing for re-interpretation of job demands.

Behavioural Demands (Adaptability, Structure, Collaboration): Different sectors will have different views on how workers must behave, such as those who need to be highly flexible and ready to deal with a multitude of situations, or those who need to follow a specific structure laid out by their superiors. When workers feel restricted, engagement and retention plummet, while when they feel the need to be constantly at attention and ready for anything, the chances of burnout are higher. To support workers, organisations should develop behavioural resources such as:

• Instrumental support – Workers feel supported knowing that their peers are competent and capable of helping in case they get overwhelmed with tasks;

• Flexibility and Grit – Developing personal resources thru coaching and training might better prepare workers for the demands of the workplace;

• Assertive Communication – Being able to communicate to peers allows for more effective collaboration with less conflicts.

When a specific job or role requires additional regulatory processes, there is a need to acquire a greater variety and latitude of job resources to cope with the significantly higher demands than compared to other jobs. These positions place a greater pressure on individuals, making it essential the access to diverse and adaptable resources.

In conclusion, an organisation must consider the specific risks and demands in the work environment before deciding on a specific course of action to deal with them. This way, organisations can implement the most appropriate and effective strategies/interventions to promote their workers’ well-being and thriving.

References 

Duarte, J., Berthelsen, H., & Owen, M. (2020). Not All Emotional Demands Are the Same: Emotional Demands from Clients' or Co-Workers' Relations Have Different Associations with Well-Being in Service Workers. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(21), 7738. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17217738

Jonge, J. & Dormann, C. (2003). The DISC Model: Demand-Induced Strain Compensation mechanisms in job stress. Occupational Stress in the Service Professions.

Randall, O. (2024, 3 de dezembro). The 5 Behavioral Risks. Tribe365. https://tribe365.co/5-behavioural-risks/