What every Human resource manager needs to know? A psychosocial perspective of demands at work

Drawing on the job demands and resources theory (JD-R), the most important question is how important it is for human resource managers to balance the Psychosocial Work Environment with the inclusion of JD-R’s demands path. This study evaluates whether the Copenhagen psychosocial work environment domain “Demands at Work” can be operationalised as a reflective–formative higher-order construct. With a 96% valid response rate from employees working in logistics and supply chain functions across SMEs, the findings provide preliminary support for the hierarchical operationalisation of the Demands at Work domain and indicate a significant negative association between Demands at Work and Quality of Work. A basic yet important takeaway for HR managers is to manage demands and resources by creating an inclusive workplace with the support of a 3R balancing strategy for a psychosocial work environment in Small and Medium Enterprises. By grounding its framework with the support of JD-R theory, this study offers a hierarchical operationalization of psychosocial demands within the JD-R framework and preliminary evidence from SMEs in an emerging economy context.