Do challenge and hindrance job demands prepare employees to demonstrate resilience?

Abstract

Job demands may affect employee resilience in future stress events. However, not all job demands are equal. Drawing on the challenge-hindrance framework, we argue that challenge and hindrance demands differentially relate to psychological and physiological resilience. Further, based on the concept of habituation, we propose that it is essential to factor in temporal issues, that is job demands' variance. By including job demands' type, level, and variance we add to a more holistic understanding of the job demands-resilience relationship. To test our assumptions, we combined field and experimental data. Specifically, over the course of 1 month 63 employees repeatedly provided information on their experience of job challenge and hindrance demands. Following, using the paradigm of the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) we exposed participants to an acute stress situation within a laboratory setting. Piecewise growth curve modeling revealed that moderate levels of challenge demands may enhance employees' ability to demonstrate psychological resilience. Further, moderate levels of challenge demands related to a stronger cortisol reactivity and marginally enhanced cortisol recovery. Hindrance demands as well as demands' variance did not affect employee resilience. Overall, our results suggest that moderate levels of challenge demands may train employees' resilience, particularly psychological resilience, in future stress events. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).