2. Burnout + Work Engagement Flashcards
Work-related indicators of well-being
1) Burnout
2) Work Engagement
Context-free indicators of well-being
1) Depressive symptoms
2) Life satisfaction
Burnout (Freudenberger)
A negative, job related psychological state comprising of a set of symptoms such as physical fatigue, emotional exhaustion, and loss of motivation.
Burnout (Maslach)
A multi-dimensional stress syndrome:
1) Emotional exhaustion: Mental fatigue
2) Depersonalization: Negative perceptions and feelings about clients or patients
3) Reduced personal accomplishment: a crisis in professional competence
Negative impacts (costs) of burnout
Higher absenteeism, chronic work disability, hospital admissions due to mental and cardiovascular disorders, turnover, and poorer performance.
Burnout vs. Work Engagement
1) Energy vs. Exhaustion
2) Involvement vs. Cynicism
3) Efficacy vs. Lack of Efficacy
A positive, fulfilling state of mind that is characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption.
Work Engagement
Are burnout and work engagement distinct constructs?
Yes, they are independent according to a recent meta-analysis.
Work engagement could protect from depression
Because engagement is an active and energetic psychological state which fosters the mobilization of resources even in mentally challenging conditions
The opposite of exhaustion
Vigor
Work-related well-being
1) Being work engaged (positive state)
2) Lacking burnout symptoms (negative state)
General well-being
More than the lack of depressive symptoms (negative state), it is also constituted by the presence of a positive state.
Being satisfied with one’s life.
Work engagement consequences
Decreases sickness absences, increases organizational commitment and work-family enrichment
Life satisfaction outcomes
Reduced mortality in healthy population, increased organizational commitment, job performance and turnover intentions.
Conservation of Resources Theory (COR): Burnout
Burnout results from long-term threats (too high job demands) to one’s energetic resources and/or actual loss of these resources after heavily investing in work without appropriate gains in return.
Initial resource loss is likely to lead to loss spirals. Future losses of other resources and to subsequent deteriorated well-being.
Burnout is related to several resource losses (decreased self-efficacy, increased work-family conflicts and poorer coping strategies)
Hence, because burnout is associated with progressive loss of resources which undermines the individual’s coping capabilities, we expect that this negative work-related state will spill-over and generalize into negative, context-free states like depressive symptoms and life dissatisfaction.
Conservation of Resources Theory (COR): Work engagement
Gain spirals: those who possess resources, are likely to gain more resources over time.
Work engagement is often experienced in resourceful jobs (that include autonomy, support, feedback)
Feeling positive and energized (engaged) may be considered a surplus resource resulting from having a resourceful and meaningful job.
Being engaged at work may further increase personal resources such as self-efficacy and optimism, work-family enrichment, and workability, and may thereby also spill-over to context-free well-being by positively influencing life satisfaction and negatively influencing depressive symptoms.
Measures for Work engagement
1) Vigor
2) Dedication
3) Absorption
Measures for Burnout
1) Emotional exhaustion
2) Depersonalization
Measures for Depressive symptoms
1) Negative emotions and attitudes
2) Performance difficulties and somatic complaints
Results
1) Burnout and work engagement predict depressive symptoms and life satisfaction over time, rather than the other way around.
2) The effect of one measure cannot be reduced to that of the other one, and vice versa.
Hypothesis
Work-related well-being (burnout and work engagement) spills over to other life domains and generalizes to depressive symptoms and life satisfaction.
Work-related well-being predicts context-free well-being in the long-term.
Conclusions
It is important to consider simultaneously both negative (burnout) and positive (work engagement) states at work.
Although inter-related, their effects do not completely overlap. They contribute independently and uniquely to predicting depressive symptoms and life satisfaction.
Practically, workplace interventions to reduce burnout and foster work engagement may also extend their influence beyond work and build general well-being among employees.
Spillover
Experiences at work are particularly important for the individual’s overall level of well-being and mental health in the long-term.
In contrast, for work-related well being other issues in life (life events, marital relationships) that influence general well-being may not be so important as those that are work-related.
Conclusion: work affects life, life doesn’t affect work so much.
