In our modern world of work, employees are confronted with increasing job demands in addition to classical stressors. Work has to be completed faster in shorter periods of time. At the same time, work is becoming more flexible with regard to time and space. For a better understanding of the impact that these new demands have on our health, the EU-OSHA (2015) called for further research on the new forms of work and their impact on our health and work-life balance. In the framework of her doctoral thesis and based on the allostatic load model of human stress response, Katja Kerman therefore investigates the influence of increased job demands on health indicators. Her research project is divided into three parts: (1) Based on increased job demands and health indicators, a longitudinal study aims at exploring different (longitudinal) employee profiles as well as the mediating role of interferences between work and leisure time. (2) By means of diary studies, the researcher aims at investigating daily changes in increased job demands, health indicators and the integration of work and leisure. (3) An experimental study strives to investigate primary stress response processes caused by increased job demands, and to enable us to draw valid conclusions about the hypothesised causal relationships. The planned studies aim at investigating the link between increased job demands and health and, at the same time, exploring the underlying mechanisms of this connection.

Facts and figures

• Contact person: Katja Kerman