How can we improve employee well-being?
In this bite-sized insightful video, Prof. Evangelia Demerouti, one of the most influential researchers in Occupational Health Psychology, talks about the field, the current challenges of the work-life interface, and one of the most theoretical frameworks which describe how we can improve employee well-being.
How important is the work-life interface?
This topic gained more and more interest since nowadays technology allows us to work from home. Because the work conditions are changing, through flextime and even the nature of the job itself, it became important that organizations start thinking about how much the job domain and home interfere. This is particularly important due to the pandemic context. The main idea is that jobholders should allow themselves to work only during their program and stop treating the home as the place where they recover for the next day.
The importance of work-life balance
Designing a job in a healthy way, that allows people to live a life outside the workplace, should be one of the organizations’ top priorities. Some strategies may be more effective for different people in various situations. For example, you can work harder if you have a deadline this week and work even after your regular schedule. However, this should not be the norm.
What about the Job Demands-Resources Model?
The Job Demands-Resources Model, a simplification of the complexity of the work environment, started with the study of burnout and the causes of this phenomenon at the workplace. By analyzing the most common causes of burnout in all types of jobs (for example exhaustion, lack of motivation, or cynicism), the data showed that these form a cluster known as job demands. However, we also have job resources that are job characteristics that can reduce burnout provided they already exist or are designed properly.
You can get to know more about Professor Demerouti on this faculty webpage.
