From workaholism to burnout: psychological capital as a mediator

Linking psychological capital to the well-being of university teachers: The roles of work thriving, job burnout, and perceptions of politics

BackgroundWith the increasing emphasis on research performance in universities and the associated stress levels among college teachers, understanding the factors that influence their well-being is crucial.ObjectiveThis study, grounded in the conservation of resources theory, examines how psychological capital affects the well-being of university teachers, focusing on the mediating roles of work thriving and job burnout, and the moderating effect of perceptions of organizational politics.MethodA two-phase survey involving 160 university teachers was conducted.ResultsPsychological capital was found to enhance well-being by promoting work thriving and reducing job burnout. However, perceptions of organizational politics weakened the protective effect of psychological capital on job burnout, thereby diminishing its indirect influence on overall well-being.ConclusionThe study underscores the importance of fostering psychological capital within educational institutions and addressing the negative impacts of organizational politics to improve the well-being of university teachers.

Responding to old problems in the Dutch work addiction scale: a psychometric approach in a Peruvian sample

BACKGROUND

Harmful work patterns have become a public health problem. These conditions are worrying since they can have an impact on mental health, social conflicts, and physical difficulties due to their normalization of pathological behaviors related to work addiction.

AIMS

(1) determine the psychometric properties and reliability of the DUWAS and (2) evaluate valid comparisons at the construct level.

METHODS

The Spanish version of DUWAS was used. For the evaluation of the psychometric model, 446 Peruvian workers responded to the Spanish version (60.5% women aged 18 to 65, M = 35.1 SD = 12.45).

RESULTS

The unidimensional version was confirmed (x2 = 67.495(14); CFI = 0.96; TLI = 0.95; SRMR = 0.050 and RMSEA = 0.069). The reliability was acceptable (α = 0.735; 95% CI: 0.706 - 0.762; ω = 0.741; 95% CI: 0.712 - 0.767) and measurement invariance was confirmed for sex and age groups. Concurrent validity was mostly identified with mental health indicators.

CONCLUSION

This study provides new information on dimensionality and the realization of valid comparisons that allow its use in Spanish-speaking workers.

Relating Workaholism to Job Stress: Serial Mediating Role of Job Satisfaction and Psychological Capital of Nurses in Angola

Background/Objectives: Previous studies conducted in sub-Saharan African countries have concentrated on examining the challenges of nursing training and the organizational commitment of healthcare professionals, with little attention paid to exploring the mechanisms that contribute to reducing nurses' job stress. Consequently, the present study addresses a significant gap in the literature by offering an overview of the factors contributing to understanding job stress among nurses in Angola. This study aimed to analyze the direct and indirect relationship between workaholism and job stress with job satisfaction and psychological capital mediating this relationship. Methods: Using the quantitative methodology with a cross-sectional design, a questionnaire was administered to 340 nurses (172 men and 168 women). Results: The results confirmed that workaholism is positively related to job stress and that job satisfaction and psychological capital serially mediate the relationship between workaholism and job stress. Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of fostering job satisfaction and psychological capital by establishing favorable work environments and promoting nurses' physical and emotional well-being. In addition, these results may encourage healthcare leaders to create well-designed break areas for nurses to take restorative breaks.

Navigating Toxicity: Investigating the Interplay Between Workplace Gaslighting, Workaholism, and Agility Among Nurses

Toxic workplace environments, especially those involving gaslighting, are known to contribute to stress and excessive work habits, such as workaholism, which may hinder a nurse's agility-an essential skill in adapting to fast-paced healthcare environments. However, the interplay between workplace gaslighting, workaholism, and agility in nursing remains underexplored. This study aims to investigate the relationship between workplace gaslighting, workaholism, and agility among nurses, focusing on how gaslighting moderates this relationship. This study is a multicenter cross-sectional that was conducted among 594 full-time nurses from three major hospitals in Egypt. Data were collected using the Gaslighting at Work Questionnaire, Workforce Agility Scale, and Bergen Work Addiction Scale. Correlation and regression analyses were performed to test the study hypotheses. Results revealed that nurses reported moderate levels of workaholism, workplace gaslighting, and agility. Significant negative correlations were found between agility and both workplace gaslighting and workaholism. Gaslighting negatively moderated the relationship between workaholism and agility, exacerbating the impact of workaholism on nurses' ability to remain agile. The findings indicate that toxic workplace behaviors, such as gaslighting and workaholism, undermine nurses' agility. Regulatory safeguards are necessary to protect nurses from such environments, ensuring both their well-being and the quality of healthcare services. These findings call for the development of national standards and policies to address workplace mental health and ensure accountability in healthcare settings.

Beyond the 9-to-5 grind: workaholism and its potential influence on human health and disease

Workaholism is often considered a conventional word in the general population to portray those individuals who continuously work and find it challenging not to work. It is usually described as a work addiction and operationalized as a compulsive need to work excessively hard. However, the concept of workaholism remains poorly understood. The first objective of this review is to define workaholism, followed by its related concepts, and how it is assessed. Notably, we distinguish workaholism from work addiction and work engagement. Next, we review the current research literature, largely from the last two decades, to suggest that workaholism contributes toward a wide range of health outcomes, ranging from sleep to stress. In particular, we focus on evidence suggesting that workaholism may be associated with differing risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and potentially other related metabolic abnormalities. Finally, we discuss potential limitations of the existing literature on workaholism, and we provide future directions for this emerging field. Specifically, we underscore the need to link workaholism with more biomarkers of metabolic diseases, such as those related to inflammation, the gut microbiome, and glucose homeostasis. In addition, we highlight the importance of establishing causality between workaholism and poor health outcomes, such as cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes.

Workaholism, work engagement, and burnout among academics in Montenegro: A psychometric network approach

BACKGROUND

The academic environment is known for its high demands in research, teaching, and administration, that along with increasing publish or perish culture can lead to reduced psychological well-being and mental health issues.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the associations between workaholism, work engagement, and burnout among academics in Montenegro.

METHODS

A cross-sectional design was used to develop anonymous online survey. Data was collected from 131 participants employed as teaching and research staff at public and private universities. To measure the variables of interest we used: ultra-short Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-3), the work-related burnout subscale from the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI-7) and the Dutch Work Addiction Scale (DUWAS-10). Psychometric network analysis was employed to examine the relationships among variables.

RESULTS

The findings revealed two distinct clusters: the first containing the dimensions of work engagement and the second containing burnout and the dimensions of workaholism. The two clusters were connected with the dimensions of dedication - burnout having the strongest edge (-0.25 and -0.40). In the cross-sample network the strongest connection was burnout -working excessively (.35). No significant differences in network density (0.80 (12/15 edges)) and global strength (p = 0.159) in the networks of public and private universities were found.

CONCLUSION

Results of the network centrality and the edge strength analyses suggest that the interventions focused at increasing dedication while not fostering a work environment that encourages working excessively might be the key to preventing and reducing burnout in academia across contexts of public and private universities.

Family incivility and burnout: a moderated mediation model of life satisfaction and psychological capital

Purpose

This study investigates the relationship between family incivility (FI) and burnout in line with the conservation of resources theory and work–home resources model. The authors also examine the conditional indirect effects of psychological capital (PsyCap) and life satisfaction (LS) in the aforementioned relationship. The purpose of this paper is to address these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected using a time-lagged methodological design by administering a structured questionnaire among 296 rural doctors. The collected data were analyzed using PROCESS macro in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 23.

Findings

The study indicates that FI is an emotional home demand and influences burnout at the workplace through the depletion of LS. At the same time, PsyCap proves to be a vital resource that mitigates the adverse effects of FI and burnout.

Research limitations/implications

This study adds to the work–family and well-being literature by exploring the underlying mechanism through which FI connects to different outcomes. The implications of these findings for applications and extension of the work–home resources model to the family domain is elaborated in detail.

Originality/value

This study is among the first to empirically substantiate the long-term adverse consequences of FI and its potential for negatively affecting the work domain by inducing long-term psychological disorder “burnout.”

When workaholism is negatively associated with burnout: A moderated mediation

Aim

Previous theory and research postulate that workaholism is one of the important factors that contribute to burnout. The present study aimed to analyze the role of psychological capital as a mediator between the two. Moreover, the study examined the moderating role in the stated mediated relationship.

Methods

The researchers approached a sample of university teachers (N = 1,008) including both male (n = 531) and female (n = 477) university teachers by using a multi-stage random sampling technique. For this purpose, DUWAS-10 Oldenburg Burnout Inventory, Challenging Job Demands Scale, and Anila PsyCap Scale were applied to measure workaholism, burnout, challenging job demands, and PsyCap, respectively. The data obtained from the sample was subjected to analysis by using Model 14 of Process Macro by Hayes.

Results

The results confirmed the mediating role of PsyCap and moderating role of time pressure and cognitive demands in the relationship of the two variables. The results concluded that workaholism is not directly related to burnout rather the negative relationship existed through psychological capital, and the mediated relationship was stronger for the university employees who were to face a higher level of challenging job demands including cognitive demands and time pressure.

Conclusion

Burnout is an occupational health problem that causes devastating effects on both the employees as well as to the organizational economy. Improving personal resources might help the negative relationship between workaholism and burnout in higher education institutions in the country.

How to Increase Job Satisfaction and Performance? Start with Thriving: The Serial Mediation Effect of Psychological Capital and Burnout

Based on the Job Demands-Resources and Broaden and Build theories, this study examines the role of thriving at work and psychological capital on burnout and, ultimately, job satisfaction and performance one year later. We used structural equation modeling to test the model on a sample of 317 Romanian correctional officers in a two-wave study at T1 and one year later (T2). The results indicate that thriving at work at Time 1 is positively linked to psychological capital at Time 1, and negatively related to burnout at Time 2. Meanwhile, burnout at Time 2 is negatively related to job satisfaction and performance at Time 2. The mediating chain effect of psychological capital at Time 1 and burnout at Time 2 is significant. Thriving at work and psychological capital are essential factors contributing to a decrease in subsequent burnout and increased job satisfaction and performance. In a thriving environment, correctional officers are more resilient, confident, optimistic, and hopeful at work, generating lower burnout over time and increasing job satisfaction and performance. Supervisors need to be encouraged to create a thriving work environment to increase psychological capital, reduce burnout, and improve correctional officers’ satisfaction and performance.

The Relationship between Flow Experience and Burnout Symptoms: A Systematic Review

Background: In today’s performance-oriented society, burnout symptoms, defined as consequences of chronic work stress, are an increasing problem. To counteract this development, the important aims are (1) to find protective and modifiable factors that reduce the risk of developing and harboring burnout symptoms and (2) to understand the underlying mechanisms. A phenomenon potentially furthering both aims is flow experience. Based on the earlier literature, we developed a psycho-physiological “Flow-Burnout-Model”, which postulates positive or negative associations between flow and burnout symptoms, depending on the prevailing situational and personal conditions. Methods: To test our Flow-Burnout-Model, we conducted a systematic literature search encompassing flow and burnout symptoms. Eighteen empirical studies met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. Results: The findings of the systematic review as a whole suggest a negative association between flow and burnout symptoms, both cross-sectional and longitudinal. According to the findings from longitudinal studies, flow can be interpreted as a protective factor against burnout symptoms, and burnout symptoms can be interpreted as a factor inhibiting flow. In our conclusion, we maintain the assumption of a bidirectional association between flow and burnout symptoms in the Flow-Burnout-Model but modify the initially suggested positive and negative associations between flow and burnout symptoms towards a predominantly negative relationship. Discussion: Mindful of the heterogeneous findings of earlier studies, the resulting comprehensive Flow-Burnout-Model will lay the foundations for future hypothesis-based research. This includes physiological mechanisms explaining the relationship between flow and burnout symptoms, and likewise, the conditions of their longitudinal association.

Social and psychological resources moderate the relation between anxiety, fatigue, compliance and turnover intention during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose

The workplace health management lessons to be learned from the pandemic are important. However, few studies have examined the relationship between workplace anxiety, resources and behaviors during the pandemic. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the relationship between anxiety, fatigue, compliance, turnover intention and social and psychological resources during the COVID-19 pandemic by applying the conservation of resources (COR) theory.

Design/methodology/approach

Path analysis was carried out using data obtained from a questionnaire survey conducted on 2,973 Chinese employees of Japanese companies in China.

Findings

The analysis showed that anxiety had a positive correlation with compliance, but simultaneously had a positive correlation with fatigue and turnover intention; psychological resources moderated to weaken the relationships between anxiety and compliance/fatigue; social resources moderated to strengthen the negative correlation between compliance and willingness to leave.

Research limitations/implications

This study targeted employees of Japanese companies in China. Therefore, in the future, it is necessary to verify generalizability as to whether it applies to employees of companies of other nationalities in other countries. Also, the authors used newly developed scales instead of the general psychological scales. Therefore, it is necessary to verify the reproducibility using a more general scale.

Practical implications

Anxiety encourages compliance practices but also increases fatigue and willingness to leave. Therefore, a method of inciting anxiety and making employees follow rules reduces the strength of an organization. To overcome this dilemma, managers need to provide psychological and social resources.

Originality/value

This study is the first to show how effective social and psychological resources are in the management of anxiety and fatigue in achieving high performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study was conducted in the very early days of the COVID-19 pandemic with the cooperation of employees working for Japanese companies in China. However, the importance of utilizing resources in a crisis revealed by this study can be applied to all kinds of disasters.

Highlights:

-The current study is the result of a survey conducted on employees of Japanese companies in China in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

-Anxiety had a positive effect of promoting compliance and a negative effect of increasing fatigue and willingness to leave the job.

-Psychological resources mitigated these effects of anxiety and, as a result, reduced fatigue and willingness to leave.

-Social resources enhanced the effect of compliance on reducing willingness to leave.

-Workplace health problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic should be addressed by increasing employee resources on a regular basis, rather than aggravating anxiety.

Workaholism across European and Asian cultures during the COVID-19 pandemic

The current cross-cultural study examined the construct of workaholism across European and Asian cultures during the pandemic caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). A total of 2,617 recipients, aged 18-80 years from three Asian countries (China, India, and Indonesia) with higher levels of collectivistic values, and three European countries (Bulgaria, Germany, and Hungary) supposing to have higher individualistic values. The participants completed the online version of the two-dimensional measure, dubbed the Dutch Workaholism Scale (DUWAS). The goal of the study was to demonstrate that during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is the cultural context that mediates and influences the way of change in workaholics' attitudes. The results led to the conclusion that the way in which the COVID-19 crisis affects workaholism and workaholics' behavior depends on cultural and sex differences, and stages of the human life cycle. The data analysis revealed that cultural differences and sex affect the configuration of workaholism (excessive/compulsive): in the Asian sample, unlike the European, there was a significant increase in the level of workaholism compulsive; European female participants reported higher levels of workaholism compulsive and workaholism excessive, but the sex difference was not found in Asian sample. Along with cultural context, and sex differences, age also influences the configuration of workaholism. In this case, the separate stages of the human life cycle contribute in different ways to changes in levels of workaholism excessive and workaholism compulsive.

Mental health during COVID-19 lockdown in India: Role of psychological capital and internal locus of control

The Government of India implemented a nationwide lockdown from March 24, 2020 in response to the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. This study examines the effects of two positive psychological resources on the mental health of Indian citizens during the early days of the lockdown. The effects of psychological capital (PsyCap) and internal locus of control on psychological distress of people via affect balance were tested. Data were collected through an online survey from 667 participants. Psychological distress was assessed using the GHQ-12, and affect balance was assessed as the preponderance of positive over negative affect. Results reveal that psychological capital and internal locus of control were negatively associated with psychological distress. In addition, affect balance mediated the relationship between psychological capital and psychological distress and the relationship between internal locus of control and psychological distress. Thus, both the psychological resources through affect balance acted as buffers protecting people from mental health deterioration during COVID-19 lockdown. However, the direct and indirect effects of psychological capital on psychological distress is stronger than that of internal locus of control. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Workaholism in Korea: Prevalence and Socio-Demographic Differences

This study has two objectives – to provide a Korean form of the workaholism analysis questionnaire, and to analyze workaholic tendencies in South Korea by using a nationally representative data. Using 4,242 samples (2,497 men and 1,745 women), exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to develop a Korean form (K-WAQ). The four-factor structure of K-WAQ in this study seemed to adequately represent the underlying dimensions of work addiction in Korea. The study also analyzed the prevalence of workaholism among Koreans and its differences according to socio-demographic variables. Both mean difference analyses and logistic regressions were conducted. The overall result indicated that the prevalence of workaholism in Korea can be estimated to be 39.7% of the employees. The workaholic tendencies in Korea differ significantly according to gender, age, work hours, and voluntariness of choosing employment type. Practical as well as theoretical implications and future research directions are discussed.

A Critical Analysis of the WAQ: The Development of a Korean Form

The current study aimed to develop a simplified version of the Korean Workaholism Scale (KOWS) by determining the reliability and validity of the Workaholism Analysis Questionnaire (WAQ) initially created by Aziz et al. The original scale of the WAQ was translated into Korean and then administered to 4,242 working people from a broad range of economic sectors. The nation-wide sample was a representative one from the 17th wave Korean Labor and Income Panel Study in 2014. The main body comprises two steps. First, through an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) as well as a reliability analysis, along with content validity examination among experts, thirteen items from the original WAQ were eliminated. The EFA yielded a four-factor solution with four items established in compulsive dependency (CD), four in illusion of control (IC), four in endurance of conflicts (EC), and four in withdrawal symptoms (WS). This process provided a succinct and convenient measure of workaholism, the KOWS with 16 items. The reliability coefficient (α) of the new scale was .90, and the split-half reliability coefficient was .72. Secondly, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed by way of structural equation modeling to validate the new construct. This KOWS showed adequate convergent validity (AVE > .5), construct reliability (CR > .7), as well as discriminant validity (AVE > ρ²). Between four subscales of the KOWS and affective commitment (AC) to organizations there proved meager correlation. In conclusion, the KOWS with 16-item psychometric properties is a valid and reliable tool to measure workaholism in South Korea.

Workaholism among stricto sensu graduate nursing professors in Brazil

Objective:

to identify the prevalence and factors associated with workaholism among stricto sensu graduate nursing professors.

Method:

a cross-sectional study with 333 professors of master’s/doctorate degrees from 47 Brazilian public universities. Participants answered a characterization questionnaire and the Dutch Work Addiction Scale, which were analyzed descriptively and by multiple logistic regression.

Results:

the prevalence of workaholism was 10.5%. The factors associated with the dimensions of workaholism were: having a marital relationship, being dissatisfied with work and sleep, indicating low ability to concentrate and few leisure opportunities, belonging to Graduate Programs with grades 3, 4 and 5, receiving a research productivity grant, considering the influence of work on life as negative, showing difficulty in combining work with personal life, to present work-related anxiety, feel pressure for scientific publishing, elaborate more than 11 articles simultaneously, give more than 21 opinions in the last year, work an extra 11 hours a week in addition to the work schedule and dedicate less than 10 hours a week to graduate school.

Conclusion:

there is an indication of workaholism in the investigated professors, and the associated factors were related to working conditions and requirements. Universities must adhere to management models that include occupational health promotion.

The effectiveness of supervisor support in lessening perceived uncertainties and emotional exhaustion of university employees during the COVID-19 crisis: the constraining role of organizational intransigence

Despite the severity of the COVID-19 crisis, which has affected organizations worldwide, there is a lack of research on the organizational factors that affect the psychological wellbeing of the employees of an organization affected by the crisis. This research uses the case of employees at two international universities in Thailand that have been directly affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Grounded in social support theory and the job-demand resource model of job stress, this research examines the role of supervisor support in explaining the degree of perceived uncertainties and emotional exhaustion that employees experience due to the COVID-19 crisis. Moreover, this research examines whether the effect of supervisor support on the perceived uncertainties of employees can be moderated by organizational intransigence, that is, a prevailing climate of resistance to change at the workplace. The questionnaire survey data were obtained from a sample of 300 employees at two private international universities, and the partial least squares structural equation model was used for data analysis. The results significantly confirm that supervisor support has a negative effect on the perceived uncertainties of employees. Perceived uncertainties also significantly mediate the negative effect of supervisor support on the employees' emotional exhaustion. More importantly, the moderating effect analysis shows that the negative effect of supervisor support on the perceived uncertainties of employees presents only for employees who work in a workplace climate where there is low intransigence; in a workplace climate where there is high intransigence, supervisor support does not lower the perceived uncertainties of employees.

Does psychological capital mediate the impact of dysfunctional sleep beliefs on well-being?

Dysfunctional sleep beliefs are strongly involved in sleep difficulties, which in turn negatively predict psychological health and well-being. In contrast, psychological capital (PsyCap) is a positive cognitive resource, comprising four dimensions (hope, self-efficacy, resilience, and optimism), that positively predicts psychological well-being. Significant associations between sleep beliefs and well-being, and PsyCap and well-being are detailed; however, research on their interrelations (among sleep beliefs, well-being, and PsyCap) remains scarce. This cross-sectional study aimed to elucidate the relationships among the variables. The convenience sample consisted of 123 Australian working adults. Participants completed an online survey comprising four empirically established measures (Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep Scale, Psychological Well-being Scale, Psychological Capital Questionnaire, and a social desirability scale). Hypotheses were derived from Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, which underlines the importance of cognitive mechanisms that guide adaptive psychological responses. Results were consistent with hypotheses: dysfunctional sleep beliefs significantly and negatively predicted PsyCap, and PsyCap mediated the relationship between sleep beliefs and well-being. Findings suggested that PsyCap, which can be developed, may help buffer the adverse effects of sleep beliefs to benefit well-being. Replication of model coefficients in larger samples and future testing of PsyCap training within sleep-hygiene practices are recommended.

Psychological Capital Protects Social Workers from Burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress

Summary: To counteract the negative consequences inherent to the emotionally demanding professions like social work, we need to advance the understanding of the resources that preserve the employees’ well-being. This study investigated the role of Psychological Capital (PsyCap) in protecting social workers from developing burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS). The design of the study builds on the job demands-resources model and the conservation of resources theory. A national sample of 193 Romanian social workers participated in the study. We used the structural equation modeling framework for data analysis. We tested two structural models that had burnout as a mediator for the relationship between PsyCap and STS: A partial mediation model and a total mediation model. Findings: The total mediation model was supported by our data suggesting that PsyCap has a protective role against burnout, and subsequently, STS. Moreover, the results indicate that burnout is the critical link between personal resources and STS. Applications: The results of the study contribute to enhancing the protection of the social workers’ well-being in their professional settings, by advancing the knowledge about the resources that need to be developed in order to prevent or reduce the negative job consequences associated with helping professions. As such, increasing PsyCap levels of employees enhance the sustainability of their working conditions.

Work demand, stress and work-related musculoskeletal disorders among emergency workers

Purpose

The demanding nature of firefighting exposes firefighters to unprecedented work stress and work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). Even though relationships among work demand, work stress and WMSDs have been examined, the mediating role of work stress in the relationship between work demand and WMSDs requires more attention, particularly among emergency workers. The purpose of this paper is to therefore assess the mediation role of firefighters’ work stress in the pathway of work demand and WMSDs.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative research design was used. Convenient sampling was employed to select 320 firefighters from the Greater Accra region of Ghana. Data were analyzed using descriptive, correlation and regression.

Findings

The findings revealed that work demand and stress significantly affect WMSDs. Also, work demand has a significant positive effect on work stress. It was further found that work stress partially mediates the relationship between work demand and WMSDs.

Research limitations/implications

The usage of cross-sectional data limits the strength of causality and observation of changes within units of observation over time, hence the need to use longitudinal data in future studies.

Originality/value

The novelty of this study lies in the revelation of the influence of stress in the pathway of work demand and WMSDs among emergency professionals, using an African lens.

Do dimensions of transformational leadership have an effect on workaholism?

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between dimensions of the perceived transformational leadership style and the employees’ workaholism.

Design/methodology/approach

The quantitative approach with a cross-sectional research design was adopted in the present study. The study involved 250 employees working in different Lithuanian organisations. The perceived transformational leadership style was assessed with the help of the Transformational Leadership Inventory (Podsakoff et al., 1990). The ten-item Dutch Work Addiction Scale developed by Schaufeli et al. (2009) was used for measuring workaholism.

Findings

The results revealed a significant positive correlation between the perceived high expectations of the manager, employees’ excessive work and general workaholism. The perceived individualised support was negatively related to the employees’ excessive, compulsive work and general workaholism. It was also found that high performance expectations could predict the employees’ greater excessive work and general workaholism. Moreover, a higher level of individualised support appears to be the most important factor decreasing the employees’ excessive work and proneness to general workaholism. It was further found that the probability of higher levels of workaholism was stronger among the middle managers than among the non-executive employees.

Originality/value

This study contributes to limited empirical research into the negative effect of the transformational leadership style in determining the employees’ health-damaging work behaviour.

Workaholism on Job Burnout: A Comparison Between American and Chinese Employees

Past research frequently reports significant relation between workaholism and job burnout, and some studies further indicate workaholism varies across countries. Surprisingly, there is no study that directly examines whether country moderates the workaholism-burnout association. To address this research question, we have collected independent work samples from two culturally diverse countries, namely the People's Republic of China and the United States. A total of 2243 participants (1243 American respondents and 1000 Chinese respondents) were recruited. Preliminary group comparison suggested that there were statistical differences among participants from different industries on the key variables, including workaholism, job demands, autonomy and emotional exhaustion. Therefore, we have divided our participants into three subsamples [i.e., (1) natural resources, mining and construction industry, (2) manufacturing industry, and (3) service industry] and separate analyses were conducted. In the moderated regression analyses, workaholism significantly predicted two dimensions of job burnout, namely emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, even when job demand and job autonomy were controlled. Finally, although two significant moderating effects were found, there was a lack of consistent empirical support to the hypothesized moderating effect of country on workaholism-burnout association. Implications and limitations were discussed.