Boost Your Team's Engagement
Using the Jobs Demands-Resources Model

According to Gallup, organizations with engaged employees outperform others by 147 percent. [1]

Do your people see the positives in their work?

When your team members are happy, they'll feel less stressed and more motivated. They'll be engaged!

You can use the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) Model to give your team members the support they need to be happy at work. [2]

The JD-R Model divides working conditions into two categories:
1. Job demands.
2. Job resources/positives.

Job demands are the stressors that your team members experience, and job resources are the positives that help them achieve their goals and reduce stress.

If someone has high job demands and poor job resources, they can often experience stress and burnout. 

But good job resources can offset the effects of high job demands, and can encourage people to be motivated and engaged.

Let's look at how you can use the JD-R Model with your team:

1. Identify Job Demands

What stressors are affecting your team members? These could include short deadlines, poor working relationships, or limited opportunities for career advancement.

2. Address Job Demands

Take action to reduce the job demands you identified in step one. For example, make sure that you assign people to the right tasks, remove bottlenecks, and listen to and act on what your team members say.

3. Identify Possible Job Resources/Positives


Identify the positive things that help your team members achieve their goals. These might include regular mentoring or coaching, support, praise, autonomy, or clear goals.

4. Promote Job Resources/Positives

How can you promote the positives you identified in step three? You could improve working relationships, provide constructive feedback and cross-training, or change people's roles so they play to their strengths.

By using the JD-R Model to identify the job demands and resources that affect your team members, you can reduce stress, increase engagement and motivation, and create a happy, supportive working environment.


References
[1] Gallup (2016) 'The Culture of an Engaged Workplace: Q12 Employee Engagement.' [online] Accessed January 15, 2016. (Available at: https://www.gallup.com/services/169328/q12-employee-engagement.aspx.)

[2] Bakker, A.B. and Demerouti, E. (2006) 'The Job Demands-Resources Model: State of the Art,'Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 22, No. 3. [online] Accessed January 15, 2016. (Available at: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/02683940710733115/full/html.)


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