Task 8 Burnout - How to recover?

Question 1

What is burnout?

Answer 1

3 core aspects:

1. exhaustion: feeling overwhelmed (affective, physical, cognitive)
2. lack of personal accomplishment: feeling that you did not do something properly
3. Disengagement: detaching from work, lack of interest in job

Question 2

Models explaining the development of burnout: a) Job-demands-resources model

Answer 2

high job demands + low job resources

• long-term exposure to job demands (e.g., work overload, emtoional, etc.) exhaust cognitive and physical resources –> leads to depletion of energy (exhaustion) and health problems

Question 3

Models explaining the development of burnout: b) Effect-recovery theory

Answer 3

• consequences of workload and importance of recovery:
  people put effort into work to achieve goals –> exhaustion of resources (domain-specific)
• short-term load reaction reversible with sufficient recovery: if not recovery: long-term accumulation –> serious effects on health and well-being

Question 4

Types of recovery

Answer 4

1. Low-effort recovery:

• relaxation
• restoration of resources

2. Social activities

• social support
• detachment from work
• relaxation

3. Physical activities

• recovery through physiological mechanisms (endorphins, serotonin and dopamine secretion)
• detachment from work
• increased feelings of competence and bodily attractiveness

Question 5

Study Burnout and daily recovery:
RQ

Answer 5

What can employees who are at risk of burnout do in their off-job time to recover adequately from work

Question 6

Study Burnout and daily recovery:
Methods and Measures

Answer 6

• n = 278

Measures
- time spent on off-job activities
- recovery measures (physical, cognitive, state recovery)
- Burnout levels (OLB questionnaire)

main outcome:
- moderating effect of general burnout level on time spent on off-jon activities and daily recovery

Question 7

Study Burnout and daily recovery:
Results

Answer 7

Main effect of variables on daily recovery

• burnout neg. relates to physical, cognitive, and state recovery
• recovery in evening pos. relates to recovery the next morning
• off-job time spent on other activities pos. relates to all 3 recovery outcomes
• off-job time spent on work activities no signficant effect on recovery

Including interaction

• time spent on work-related activities during off-job time had stronger neg. relationship for people high in burnout
  –> continuation of work after work hours results in lower daily recovery for employees at risk for burnout
• time spent on non-work related activities after work hours is more positively related with recovery measures for people high in burnout and physical activity was always beneficial regardless the burnout level

Question 8

Study Burnout and daily recovery: Conclusion

Answer 8

• different activities might aid recovery depending on more general well-being characteristics
• people at risk for burnout should not work after hours and adequately recover

Question 9

Study moderating role of job stressors: Study aims

Answer 9

1. examine affective and energetic consequences of work engagement
2. investigate reciprocal relations between recovery and work engagement
3. investigating moderating effects of job stressors and examining when reciprocal processes break down

Question 10

Study moderating role of job stressors: Concepts

Answer 10

work engagement: positive, fulfilling, work-related state of mind
- differs within persons and between persons
- related to increase in job resources and good mental health

job stressors
- job demands/features of the job that require sustained physical/mental effort
can be a) situational constraints (difficult to be effective) b) hindrance stressors (interfere with successful performance) or c) challenge stressors (stimulate work engagement)

Question 11

Study moderating role of job stressors: Methods and measures

Answer 11

Measurements
- morning recovery level
- job stressors
- work engagement
- evening recovery level

Question 12

Study moderating role of job stressors: Findings

Answer 12

1. morning recovery level predicts work engagement
2. Day-specific job demands moderate the relation between morning recovery level and work-engagement (not supported)
3. situational constraints moderate the relation between morning recovery and work engagement: relation weaker when situational constraints are high –> constraints use energy and reduce work engagement
4. work engagement is positively related to evening recovery
5. Situational constraints moderate the relation between work engagement and evening recovery: relation is weaker when situational constraints are low

Question 13

Study Benefits of mindfulness at work: concepts

Answer 13

mindfulness = state of consciousness in which individuals attend to ongoing events and experience in receptive, non-judgemental way

• trait mindfulness: varying between people
• state mindfulness: varying within persons

surface acting: altering outward emotional expression without changing internal feelings about a situation

Question 14

Study Benefits of mindfulness at work:
Hypothesis

Answer 14

1. mindfulness is positively related to job satisfaction (supported)
2. mindfulness is negatively related to emotional exhaustion (
3. Surface acting mediates the relation between mindfulness with job satisfaction (not signficant)
4. Surface acting mediates the relation between mindfulness and emotional exhaustion (supported)

Question 15

Study Benefits of mindfulness at work: Conclusion

Answer 15

• mindfulness decreases surface acting, emotional exhaustion and increases job satisfaction
• more strongly related to emotional exhaustion than to job satisfaction