9. Under Pressure?

How has the BRI has affected the psychosocial work environment at Danish universities? Has it increased strain on employees? Do Danish university scholars report higher levels of stress? And have they become less satisfied with their work environment? Based on two of the most influential theoretical models in occupational stress research, the Demand-Control model and the Effort-Reward-Imbalance model, it is argued that the BRI can be expected to have both positive and negative effects on the psychosocial work environment and researchers’ level of stress. The latter position is supported by the evidence. The more strongly the BRI is implemented at a department, the less satisfied the researchers are with the psychosocial work environment and the higher the levels of stress they report.