Job-related resources and the pressures of working life

Data from a 2011 representative sample of Canadian workers are used to test the resource versus the stress of higher status hypotheses. Drawing on the Job Demands-Resources model (JD-R), the resource hypothesis predicts that job-related resources reduce job pressure. The stress of higher status hypothesis predicts that job-related resources increase job pressure. Findings tend to favor the resource hypothesis for job autonomy and schedule control, while supporting the stress of higher status for job authority and challenging work. These findings help elaborate on the “resource” concept in the JD-R model and identify unique ways that such resources might contribute to the pressures of working life.

► I test the stress of higher status and its relationship to job pressure. ► I elaborate on the conceptualization of resources in the Job Demand-Resource model. ► Job autonomy and schedule control are associated with lower levels of job pressure. ► Job authority and challenging work are associated with more job pressure. ► Shows the net and independent influences of socioeconomic status for job pressure.