Burnout or breakthrough? A simple model to understand your team's energy

Ever end a workday feeling completely drained, like you’ve run a marathon while sitting at your desk? And other days, you leave feeling energized, like you could take on the world? It’s not random. There's a powerful psychological model that explains exactly why this happens: the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model.

It sounds academic, but it’s a surprisingly simple way to look at what energizes us and what wears us down at work. Let's break it down.

The energy drainers: Job demands

First, let's talk about Job Demands. These are all the parts of your job that require sustained effort and cost you energy. They aren't necessarily bad—every job has them—but when they're overwhelming, they lead straight to stress and exhaustion.

Demands can be obvious, like:

• High work pressure and tight deadlines

• Long, draining meetings

• Emotionally intense conversations

But they can also be more subtle, like the "invisible friction" we often talk about. Things like unclear roles, poor communication, or a lack of clarity on priorities are huge energy drains. When demands consistently outweigh your ability to recover, you’re on a fast track to burnout.

The fuel: Job resources

Luckily, demands are only half the story. The other side of the coin is Job Resources. These are the elements of your job that give you energy, help you achieve your goals, and buffer the negative impact of high demands.

Resources are the good stuff, the things that make work feel rewarding:

• Autonomy: The freedom to manage your own work.

• Support from colleagues: Knowing your team has your back.

• Clear feedback: Understanding your impact and how you can grow.

• Psychological safety: Feeling safe enough to be vulnerable and take risks.

Resources don’t just help you cope; they actively boost your motivation and engagement. They’re what turn a challenging job into a fulfilling one. This is the stuff that leads to breakthroughs, not burnout.

Finding the Balance

The magic of the JD-R model is in the balance. Think of it like a seesaw. On one side, you have the demands pushing down. On the other, you have the resources pushing up.

When demands are high and resources are low, the seesaw crashes. People become cynical, exhausted, and disengaged. But when resources are plentiful, they can help you handle even the highest demands. That feeling of support and autonomy gives you the fuel to tackle intense projects and come out stronger. A lack of resources, not the presence of challenges, is what truly causes poor collaboration.

From theory to action: Therapy for Teams

So, where do Nelson's workshops fit into this? We use this model as a foundation for what we call Therapy for Teams.

Our sessions are designed to do two things: make the invisible demands visible and build up your team's essential resources. We help you identify the real sources of friction and equip you with the tools to increase psychological safety, build stronger connections, and create genuine clarity. We believe that by focusing on the human side of work—by remembering the person, not just the worker—teams can find the strength to thrive.

Work doesn't have to be an energy drain. By understanding the balance of demands and resources, your team can shift from exhaustion to momentum.

Ready to rebalance your team's seesaw?