Registered Industrial & Organisational Psychologist at Paardevlei Therapy Centre
Burnout prevention starts with balance: A practical look at the Job Demands-Resources Model
If you have been feeling more tired than usual lately, you are not alone.
Many people are trying their best to keep up at work while juggling deadlines, expectations, change, and the general pace of modern life. Often, it’s not one dramatic event that causes burnout. It’s the slow build-up of too much pressure and too little recovery over time.
As an Industrial Psychologist, one of the most helpful frameworks I use to make sense of workplace stress and wellbeing is the Job Demands-Resources Model, also known as the JD-R model.
What I appreciate about this model is that it helps people understand stress in a way that is realistic and practical. It does not reduce burnout to weakness or poor coping. Instead, it highlights something far more useful: Balance.
What the JD-R Model helps us understand
The JD-R model suggests that every job includes two broad categories.
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Job demands are the parts of work that require effort and energy. They are not necessarily “bad,” but they do cost us something. Job demands can include high workload, time pressure, emotional labour, role conflict, difficult clients, constant interruptions, or ongoing organisational change.
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Job resources are the parts of work that help us cope, stay motivated, and perform well. Resources can include autonomy, clarity, supportive leadership, training, feedback, flexibility, and positive working relationships.
The key idea is simple. When demands outweigh resources for too long, people start to feel depleted. When resources are strong, people tend to cope better and feel more engaged, even in demanding environments.
This is an important point, because it reminds us that wellbeing is not only about removing stress. It is about strengthening the things that help us carry stress in a healthier way.
A resource we often underestimate: Colleague Support
When people think about workplace resources, they often picture formal things such as wellness programmes, policies, or leadership initiatives.
Those matter, but one of the most powerful resources I see in authentic workplaces is something far more human, and it’s called colleague support.
Supportive colleagues can buffer stress in ways that formal systems sometimes cannot. When people feel backed by their team, challenges become more manageable. Work feels less isolating. And people are more likely to recover after difficult days instead of carrying everything alone.
Colleague support is also not only about being friendly. It can be practical and real:
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A teammate stepping in when you are overloaded.
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Somone checking in after a difficult client interaction.
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A colleague sharing knowledge instead of gatekeeping.
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A team that communicates respectfully under pressure.
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It can also look like having one person you can be honest with when you are stretched thin.
In JD-R terms, colleague support is a job resource that can reduce the impact of high demands and strengthen resilience over time.
What Colleague Support looks like in real life
Colleague support becomes meaningful when it shows up in small, consistent moments:
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The colleague who notices you are not yourself and asks how you are doing.
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The teammate who offers help before you reach breaking point.
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The person who says, “That was a tough meeting. Are you okay?”
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It is a workplace where people can ask for help without feeling embarrassed, judged, or labelled as incompetent.
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It is also a culture where rest is respected and people do not feel guilty for needing time off.
These moments may seem small, but they add up quickly. In many workplaces, they are the difference between people coping and people quietly burning out.
Practical ways to foster colleague support at work
The good news is that colleague support is not something that only happens by chance. It can be built intentionally into the culture of a team.
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One simple first step is normalising regular check-ins. This does not need to be overly personal. Even a quick “How is everyone coping this week?” can shift a team’s awareness and create space for connection.
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Peer support structures can also be helpful. This could include buddy systems for new employees, peer mentoring, or informal support pairings in high-pressure roles.
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It is also important to build a culture where asking for help is safe. Many workplaces unintentionally reward people for coping alone, which creates a culture of silent struggle. When leaders and team members model healthy help-seeking, it becomes easier for others to do the same.
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Workplaces can also benefit from shifting away from unhealthy competition and towards shared responsibility. When possible, teams should be encouraged to view workload as a collective challenge rather than an individual burden.
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Recognition matters too. Many organisations recognise performance but overlook supportive behaviour. Publicly acknowledging employees who help others reinforces the culture you want to build.
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Connection needs space. Colleague support is difficult when people only interact through urgent tasks. Even small opportunities for collaboration and informal conversation can strengthen trust over time.
A note for the individual reader
While organisations have a responsibility to manage job demands and strengthen job resources, individuals can also take meaningful steps to restore balance. Sometimes, that starts with something as simple as identifying what is draining you most, and what resources you currently have available.
It may also involve strengthening personal resources such as boundaries, emotional regulation, confidence, communication skills, and self-leadership. These are not personality traits you either have or don’t have. They are skills that can be built over time.
This is where life coaching and workplace counselling can be genuinely valuable.
Many people assume they need to be completely burnt out before reaching out for support. In reality, the earlier you respond to the warning signs, the easier it is to regain balance.
A final thought
The JD-R model reminds us that sustainable work is not only about productivity. It is also about recovery, connection, and support. Balance is not something you achieve once and then keep forever. It is something you maintain. Sometimes the kindest thing you can do for yourself is to pause, reflect, and get support early, before stress starts taking too much of a toll.
References
Bakker, A. B., Demerouti, E., & Sanz-Vergel, A. I. (2023). Job Demands-Resources theory: Ten years later. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 10, 25 – 53.
Li, Y., Chen, C., & Yuan, Y. (2025). Evolving the job demands-resources framework to JD-R 3.0: The impact of after-hours connectivity and organisational support on employee psychological distress. Acta Psychologica, 253, 104710.
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