Challenging the Universality of Job Resources: Why, When, and For Whom Are They Beneficial?

Abstract

In this paper we introduce the topic of job resources and elaborate on their relevance for research and practice in work psychology. We start out with a brief overview of the historic and current understanding of job resources. Next, we discuss the need for a more nuanced perspective on the effects of job resources and present some ideas on how to move this forward. After these conceptual preliminaries, we introduce the papers in the special issue and conclude with a brief summary of the special issue's key messages.

100 Years of Scientific Evolution of Work and Organizational Psychology: A Bibliometric Network Analysis From 1919 to 2019

“…• Industrial psychology refers to the "study of human behavior in aspects of life related to the production, distribution and use of goods and services of our civilization" (Tiffin and Mccormick, 1975). • Organizational psychology is defined as "applying knowledge from psychological science to issues related to human work, to promote workers' health and job satisfaction" (Goulart, 1998).…”

“…With the increase of psychologists in the industry, new questions were raised, such as psychological aspects ( Bennett, 1948 ) and other themes represented in Figure 4 . Psychological aspects (which range from psychic processes of thought, perception, memory, emotion, and mood states), along with physical, social and organizational aspects, are considered the resources of work, and contribute to the understanding of how work impacts the well-being and performance of workers ( Van Veldhoven et al, 2020 ). Shartle (1950) pointed to the growing number of didactic books on industrial and personal psychology, human relations, social issues and psychological aspects of labor relations.…”

Managing Virtual Workers—Strategies for Success

“…As employees' work becomes more virtual, they may encounter numerous challenges that increase stress and ultimately impact their well-being and performance. The job demandsresources (JD-R) model, a prominent model in research on job stress, is helpful in understanding how virtual work increases employee stress and identifying possible solutions ( [Bakker and Demerouti, 2007]; [Van Veldhoven et al, 2020]). The model focuses on the job demands and resources in the work environment.…”

“…Excessive job demands create stress-employees' nervous systems rev up (e.g., cortisol production increases), and they expend more effort in an attempt to attain goals. In contrast, job resources not only help employees achieve goals, but also protect them from the harmful effects of excessive work demands ( [Bakker and Demerouti, 2007]; [Van Veldhoven et al, 2020]). For instance, support from managers may help employees complete their tasks, and allow them view their workloads as less daunting.…”

“…Relationships Virtual workers may have subpar relationships with their managers, depriving them of a resource that is critical to their success ( [Bakker and Demerouti, 2007]; [Van Veldhoven et al, 2020]). The lack of face-to-face interactions between managers and virtual workers interferes with trust, warmth, and liking [Golden, 2006].…”