OPINION
Emotionally demanding jobs – AND THE DANGERS OF SOCIAL CONTAGION
How can organisations ensure that the positive impact of social networks for some outweighs the negative impact on their ‘confidante colleagues’? Andrew Parker finds out
I t’s pretty much accepted that, in a work environment, networks are critical. Not only can a strong network provide people with job opportunities, and the potential for new projects, it can also enable them to seek out advice, insights, and support from others to perform better in their current role. Receiving emotional support and practical advice from a colleague can really help those with emotionally demanding jobs to relieve pressure and feel more at ease; after all, they do say a problem shared is a problem halved. But is sharing that problem always a positive? While those sharing their burdens may gain a measure of relief, those with whom they share their feelings may experience an increase in
between emotional job demands, work-based social networks, and employee performance over time. Many employees face significant and numerous demands in their jobs – for example, emotional and cognitive demands – and organisations should have a number of resources in place to support those workers feeling the strain. When there are more resources to counteract the job’s demands, it can benefit employees’ performance, engagement, and wellbeing. But it is clear in some instances that employees have more demands than resources. This means that employees often rely on their work-based social networks for additional support. In order to understand the relationship between performance, emotional demands, and network support, we analysed more than
Andrew Parker is a Professor in Leadership at Durham University Business School. His research uses the lens of social network theory to better understand the problem-solving process, relational leadership, knowledge sharing, turnover, performance, and wellbeing within organisations.
their own increased job-related stress. This research, which I conducted with colleagues from Aarhus University, and Microsoft, sought to investigate the link
‘Organisations should think longer and harder about the team and group dynamics that they are creating’
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