Why is my job so stressful? characteristics, processes and models of stress work

This chapter deals with the issue of job stress in relation to employee health, well‐being and performance. The chapter starts with an outline of job stress as a societal problem, illustrating current trends in society, the nature of work, and job stress. It continues with a discussion of the main perspectives on job stress, including bad and good stress, and of the potential role of individual differences in the job stress process. Next, an integrative process model of job stress is presented that will pave the way for a profound discussion of four prominent theoretical models on job stress: (1) the Demand‐Control‐Support Model, (2) the Effort‐Reward Imbalance Model, (3) the Job‐Demands Resources Model, and (4) the Demand‐Induced Strain Compensation Recovery Model. Using the insights gained through these models, the chapter ends by explaining how a stressful working situation can be transferred into ‘healthy work’.