Workplace Wellness/Health Promotion Glossary

Demand/control model

The Demand/control model was posited by Karasek and Theorell in 1990. It states that a combination of high psychological demands and low control over ones job ('high strain' jobs) leads to mental and physical illnesses, while a combination of high psychological demands and high job control ('active jobs') leads to well-being, learning and personal growth.

Examples of high psychological demands include constant pressure from deadlines, job insecurity, or prolonged interactions with angry coworkers or clients.   (more info below)

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Potential ailments resulting from job strain:

increased risk of physical injuries at work

high blood pressure (hypertension)

insomnia

cardiovascular disease

psychosomatic symptoms

adverse birth outcomes

mental health conditions including epression

periodontal disease

cancer

Other precursors to serious illness are found hand in hand with (though not necessarily caused by) high strian jobs:

increases in smoking and drinking

susceptibility to infection

elevated cholesterol

Other factors that cause high strain jobs to adversely affect employees' health:

Employees who have no sense of control over their job situation are less motivated to take part in activities that improve their health.

Employees who are working excess hours do not have the time to devote to exercise and positive health behaviour.

Related Material:

Robert Karasek & Tores Theorell: "Healthy Work: Stress, Productivity, and the Reconstruction of Working Life," 1990

Jones, Bright, Searle, & Cooper: "Modelling occupational stress and health: The impact of the demand-control model on academic
research and on workplace practice", 1998;

Kristensen: "Working and Learning in the Information Age: A Profile of Canadians", 1995

Jackson: "The Unhealthy Canadian Workplace", 2002

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