Burnout

Factors that Produce Burnout

Although several different theories have been proposed to explain why employees experience burnout, one common theme is the belief that burnout is caused by a lack of fit between the job situation and the person. For example, a variety of work stressors, such as an ambiguous work environment, a heavy workload, extensive work pressure, and stressful events at work, are associated with emotional exhaustion and, to a lesser extent, depersonalization. Presumably, these stressors produce burnout because they represent obstacles to achieving a fit between the employee and the job. Factors such as a lack of resources at work, the absence of social support, and a diminished feeling of group cohesion and community can also produce emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, although they don't seem to have quite as strong an effect on burnout as do the work stressors related to lack of fit.

Maslach and her colleagues have recently identified six areas of work life that can produce job burnout: excessive workload, lack of control, insufficient rewards, lack of community, feelings of unfairness, and conflict in values between the individual and the organization. Problems in each of these six areas make it difficult for an employee to achieve congruence or fit between his or her goals or values and the work environment.

Although the job situation has a powerful effect on employee burnout, the individual's personality may also play a role in job burnout. It is possible that some personality characteristics (such as neuroticism and an external locus of control) make employees more susceptible to stress and burnout, whereas others (such as high self-esteem, hardiness, openness to new experiences, and agreeableness) protect employees from [Page 52]burnout. Nevertheless, Maslach and other scholars believe that the job situation has a stronger and more consistent effect on job burnout than do personality characteristics.

Consequences of Burnout

Job burnout has been linked to such work-related outcomes as diminished performance on the job, a lack of commitment to the organization, a low level of job satisfaction, and a desire to quit the job. Beyond these consequences, burned-out employees can experience negative emotions, apathy, and physical health problems. Job burnout can also affect an employee's family life. For example, research has shown that burned-out police officers tend to be moody and withdrawn at home and dissatisfied with their marriages. Moreover, an employee's job burnout can “cross over” to his or her spouse, producing a high level of burnout in the spouse. Clearly, burnout has a wide range of negative consequences to the employee and, ultimately, the organization.

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