Predictors of employee well-being: A global measurements using reflective-formative model

Background

Employee well-being (EW) is an integral part of occupational safety & health. Therefore, measuring EW is very important for holistically evaluating well-being instruments and measurement models. This research aimed to identify and confirm dimensions that significantly contribute to EW and also to examine the reliability and validity of the formative model of EW.

Methods

The survey consisted of 89 items from a well-being questionnaire administered to 426 employees in the coal mining industry, covering five domains. Measurements were analyzed using partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4.1.1. The measurement and analysis were conducted in two stages, the first of which used a reflective model. Subsequently, the results of the first stage were used in the second stage as a formative model to measure EW globally.

Result and conclusion

Home, Community, and Society (HCS), Health Status (HS), Workplace Environment and Experience (WEE), Workplace Policies and Culture (WPC), as well as Workplace Environment and Safety Climate (WPE) domain significantly contributed to EW, as identified through first-order reflective and second-order formative models.

Contribution

This research developed a measurement model for EW with two orders: first-order reflective and second-order formative. It also offered practical insights for organizations and companies to measure and understand EW, providing a basis for implementing effective interventions.

The relationship between workplace bullying and family functioning: A systematic review

While the occupational and health-related consequences of workplace bullying have received extensive research attention, the effects of workplace bullying on the family domain have been largely ignored. Based on the PRISMA framework, the Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and PubMed databases were searched up to May 12, 2024, for articles on associations between workplace bullying and family functioning. A total of 1347 articles were identified, of which 37 were found after review to meet the criteria for inclusion. All the included studies found a direct or indirect association between workplace bullying and family functioning. Most studies are grounded in the conservation of resources (COR) theory, spillover theory, crossover theory, and work-family interface model. Negative affect (emotions), work-family conflict (WFC), and burnout were considered essential mechanisms explaining the links between workplace bullying and family functioning, with personal resources (demands) as the main moderators. Most studies focus on the one-way impact of workplace bullying on family functioning, mainly using cross-sectional, non-randomized self-report designs. Future research will benefit from using a longitudinal design, continued characterization of the workplace bullying-family functioning relationship, including its nature, direction, processes, and boundary conditions in various industrial and cultural contexts, together with the use of models for the integration of research findings.

Examining Medical Staff Well-Being through the Application and Extension of the Job Demands-Resources Model: A Cross-Sectional Study

For medical staff, job satisfaction is essential for advancement on an individual and organizational level. This study looked into the relationships between challenging job demands, job resources, personal resources, and well-being. Additionally, it examined the potential mediating effects of emotional exhaustion and work motivation within the framework of the job demands-resources (JD-R) model. Results from a cross-sectional study of 267 medical employees at a second-grade comprehensive hospital in Jiangsu, China's mainland, indicated that challenging job demands and job satisfaction were positively correlated and mediated via (decreasing) emotional exhaustion. The relationship between job resources and job satisfaction was found to be mediated via (decreasing) emotional exhaustion and (increasing) work motivation. The investigation also demonstrated that the two regulatory focuses serve different purposes. It was discovered that promotion focus had a favorable effect on work motivation but a negative effect on emotional exhaustion. Conversely, preventive focus only positively predicted emotional exhaustion. Thus, the JD-R model offers a valuable structure for clarifying the job satisfaction of health personnel. The implications for enhancing individual and job outcomes are discussed.

“I want it all”: exploring the relationship between entrepreneurs’ satisfaction with work–life balance, well-being, flow and firm growth

Drawing from the conservation of resources theory, we explore how two personal resources (satisfaction with work–life balance and experience of flow at work) contribute to two important outcomes in entrepreneurship: entrepreneurs’ subjective well-being and firm growth. Although previous research has emphasized the importance of personal factors for firm growth and explored a variety of factors affecting entrepreneurs’ subjective well-being, little attention has been paid to the role of satisfaction with work–life balance as a critical personal resource for entrepreneurs. With this study, we find that entrepreneurs’ satisfaction with work–life balance is positively associated with subjective well-being, which, in turn, mediates the relationship between satisfaction with work–life balance and firm growth. Our study also shows that experiencing flow at work accentuates the relationship between satisfaction with work–life balance and subjective well-being. Based on our findings, we offer implications for practicing entrepreneurs in terms of how to achieve higher levels of well-being and better firm growth. Specifically, we emphasize the benefits of achieving satisfaction with work–life balance, as this is important for an entrepreneur’s subjective well-being and has an indirect impact on firm growth. Stakeholders in entrepreneurial ecosystems should embrace subjective well-being as an important indicator of firm outcomes alongside traditional economic measures.

Toward an understanding of occupational burnout among employees with autism - the Job Demands-Resources theory perspective

This article aims to gain insight into the phenomenon of occupational burnout among employees with autism based on the theoretical framework of the Job Demands-Resources theory and the literature on employees with autism in the workplace. Firstly, we argue that although the resources and demands of the neurotypical and neurodivergent employees might be different, the theoretical mechanism of occupational burnout formation remains similar among the neurotypical and neurodivergent employees, leading to the similar burnout experience. Next, we distinguish key demands that might drain neurodiverse employees' energy, and spark burnout, and propose a set of resources that might foster their achievement of work goals and mitigate demanding working conditions. We emphasise that the nature of job demands/resources that may cause burnout is not universal but might depend on how employees evaluate them, thus neurotypical and neurodiverse workers who evaluate the same work characteristics differently might complement each other, increasing organisational diversity without losing productivity. Our conceptual elaboration contributes to the theory and practice of healthier workplaces by providing tools and inspiration to managers, policymakers, and all stakeholders interested in creating a diverse and productive workplace. Moreover, our work might spark a much needed debate on occupational burnout among employees with autism and encourage conducting further empirical studies.

The Role of Personal and Contextual Resources on the Relationship Between Soul at Work and Discerning Millennial Employees

In this study, the influence of soul at work on discerning millennial employees was analysed, keeping in mind the newer workforce and less paid attention to the nurturance of their soul and discernment. This article also studies and investigates the mediating and moderating roles of personal and contextual resources. 624 respondents (367 office and 257 online) were interviewed working as executives in manufacturing and service industries (public and private) from eastern and northern India. Data was gathered using a cross-sectional study, and structural equation modelling (SEM) was employed to study the hypothesis. The findings indicated a relationship between soul at work and discerning millennial employees. The impact of meditation and moderation was also found in this relationship. The study adds to the literature on the soul at work by combining it with discerning millennial employees, demonstrating its uniqueness and importance for the desired outcome. This research explains unique results with meaningful discussion and practical suggestions derived from the data.

Workplace Supported Recovery from Substance Use Disorders: Defining the Construct, Developing a Model, and Proposing an Agenda for Future Research

Substance use disorders (SUDs) represent a critical public and occupational health issue. Therefore, understanding the process of SUD recovery has become an issue of growing importance among substance use and recovery professionals. Nonetheless, despite the acknowledged importance of employment for SUD recovery, little conceptual or empirical work exists on how the workplace might support or undermine SUD recovery. In this article, we address this limitation in several ways. First, to promote a better understanding of SUD recovery for occupational health researchers, we provide a brief overview of the nature of a SUD, prior definitions of SUD recovery, and general themes associated with the recovery process. Second, we develop a working definition of workplace supported recovery. Third, we present a heuristic conceptual model showing how the workplace might impact the SUD recovery process. Fourth, using this model and research from the substance use and occupational health literatures, we develop a series of general research propositions. These propositions highlight broad directions requiring more detailed conceptualization and empirical research to understand better how work conditions may support or undermine the process of employee SUD recovery. Our overarching goal is to motivate innovative conceptualization and research on workplace supported recovery from SUDs. Such research may inform the development and evaluation of workplace interventions and policies supporting SUD recovery and highlight the benefits of workplace supported SUD recovery for employees, employers, and communities. Research on this issue may allow occupational health researchers to impact a significant societal and occupational health issue.

Conducting and Writing a Structured Literature Review in Human Resource Development

This article describes how to develop, conduct, and write a structured literature review (SLR) and cites examples of published SLR to illustrate different perspectives on the process and contributions to the literature. We first discuss how the SLR differs from other types of reviews (i.e., integrative literature review, meta-analysis, and scoping review). Second, the process of writing an SLR is discussed across common manuscript components: (1) the research problem, (2) conceptual or theoretical framework, (3) method, (4) findings and discussion, and (5) implications. Finally, we offer implications for how the SLR can be effectively leveraged in human resource development.

Happy to Be a Boss? Cultural Moderators of Relationships Between Supervisory Responsibility and Job Satisfaction

This paper addresses whether supervisory responsibility is a challenging job demand in the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model in different cultural contexts. We investigate how job satisfaction responds to a supervisory role with job control and selected cultural dimensions using a cross-cultural dataset of 14 countries with more than 43,000 adults using ordered logit regression models. We find that a supervisory role enhances job satisfaction and appears to be a challenging job demand. However, no studied cultural dimension, masculinity, power distance, individualism, or uncertainty avoidance, increases job satisfaction derived from this kind of responsibility. Our study indicates that there might be stereotypical assumptions about cultural dimensions concerning the job satisfaction of supervisors.

Authentic Leadership, Trust (in the Leader), and Flourishing: Does Precariousness Matter?

Orientation

This study employed a second stage moderated mediation analysis to investigate the influence of authentic leadership on employee flourishing via trust in the leader (mediating variable) and job overload (moderating variable).

Research Purpose

To explore the relationship between authentic leadership and flourishing by considering the indirect effect of trust in the leader as potentially moderated by job overload.

Motivation for the Study

An authentic leadership style, trust in the leader, and job overload may impact employee flourishing. A deeper understanding of the potential interaction effect of trust in the leader and job overload in the relationship between authentic leadership and flourishing may improve individual and organizational productivity.

Research Approach/Design and Method

This study used a quantitative, cross-sectional survey design and PROCESS for moderated mediation. The sample consisted of 314 employees in a prominent steel manufacturing organization in South Africa. The Authentic Leadership Inventory, Workplace Trust Survey (WTS), Flourishing-at-Work Scale, and the Job Demands-Resources Scale were utilized.

Main Findings

The study found that authentic leadership was a significant predictor of flourishing through trust in the leader. Job overload did not moderate the relationship between trust in the leader and employee flourishing.

Practical/Managerial Implications

This study emphasizes the potential role of authentic leadership in fostering a trustful relationship between employees and their leaders. It might result in the increased flourishing of employees. The non-significant influence of job overload on trusting relationships in precarious work contexts was also illuminated.

Contribution/Value-Add

Through the analysis of these relations, organizations may be favorably equipped to optimize the resources required to improve performance. Moreover, the investigation into trust in the leader combined with job overload increases our understanding of supporting and promoting employee flourishing at work.

Positive Organizational Practices, Life Satisfaction, and Psychological Capital in the Public and Private Sectors

Public and private sector employees confronted stressful life circumstances that affected the world during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, new knowledge on possible psychological and organizational resources is needed. This study aimed to explore positive organizational practices, psychological capital, and life satisfaction of employees in the public and private sectors. The survey applied the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), the Psychological Capital Questionnaire—PCQ-24, validated in the Lithuanian population (the Lith-PCQ-21), and the Positive Organizational Practices Questionnaire. The sample consisted of 582 employees, including 443 public sector and 139 private sector employees. The respondents’ mean age was 42.0981 years (SD = 13.23083). The CFA results confirmed the six-factor structure of positive organizational practices, χ2 = 270,884.785; Df = 406; CFI = 0.996; TLI = 0.996; NFI = 0.995; RMSEA = 0.074 [0.070–0.078]; SRMR = 0.043, the four-factor structure of psychological capital, χ2 = 32,780.109; Df = 190; CFI = 0.983; TLI = 0.980; NFI = 0.978; RMSEA = 0.082 [0.076–0.088]; SRMR = 0.067, and one factor structure of life satisfaction, χ2 = 10,588.246; Df = 10; CFI = 0.999; TLI = 0.999; NFI = 0.999; RMSEA = 0.022 [0.000–0.066]; SRMR = 0.014. The findings revealed that private sector employees demonstrated higher scores of dignity, support, care, forgiveness, and overall positive organizational practices than public sector employees. Private sector employees demonstrated higher optimism scores than public sector employees, and public sector employees demonstrated higher self-efficacy scores than private sector employees. Male employees demonstrated significantly higher scores on dignity, meaning, and forgiveness than females. Significant positive correlations were found between age and resilience, care and age, care and number of working years, care and number of working years in the current organization. Psychological capital mediated the link between positive organizational practices and life satisfaction. Positive organizational practices were linked to life satisfaction and psychological capital in both employees’ groups, but the features of links were distinctive in the public and private sectors. These results signify the importance of positive organizational practices and psychological capital for the life satisfaction of employees.

The mixed blessing of cyberloafing on innovation performance during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has produced major changes in work routines. With many people now working from home, cyberloafing is increasingly widespread. The COVID-19 pandemic is also an economic downturn that is disruptive and challenging for organizations. Innovation is a vital strategy for organizations to survive and recover from the pandemic crisis. Recent research suggests that cyberloafing can produce complex workplace outcomes. Therefore, we seek to explore how and why cyberloafing affects employee innovation performance. Based on the conservation of resources theory, our study explores the potential positive and negative effects of cyberloafing on employee innovation performance by identifying job anxiety, state gratitude and perceived meaning of work as critical mediating mechanisms in the COVID-19 pandemic. Results from an online survey (N = 544) during the COVID-19 pandemic showed that COVID-19 based informational cyberloafing was positively related to employees' innovation performance by enhancing their perceived meaning of work. It simultaneously weakened and strengthened employees' perceived meaning of work through increased job anxiety and state gratitude, and ultimately had mixed effects on innovation performance. Our findings provide both theoretical and practical insights on personal internet use as well as innovation activation in crises.

Cognitive Appraisal of Job Autonomy by Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction

Job autonomy (JA), a task-level job resource has the potential to motivate individual behavior; it is indecisive, however, whether JA promotes or hinders extra-role behavior.

Objective

The study aims to examine the effect of JA on innovative work behavior (IWB) directly and indirectly through cognitive appraisal and work engagement (WE) while considering the organization type and age as control variables.

Methods

Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect the data from 326 nurses. SPSS and Amos 21 software was used to analyze the data. Data was collected between September, 2021 to January, 2022.

Results

According to the findings, JA can both stimulate and impede IWB indirectly through cognitive appraisal and WE depending on how it is appraised as a challenge and a threat (ρ = .089, p <.001); (ρ = -.038, p <.001), respectively.

Conclusion

The current study revealed that JA significantly influences the IWB of nurses directly and indirectly through cognitive appraisal and WE. Therefore, nursing management should find ways to influence nurse's appraisal of JA as a challenge rather than a threat to improve their extra-role behavior.

Feedback-Seeking Behavior in Organizations: A Meta-Analysis and Systematical Review of Longitudinal Studies

Based on the Job Demands-Resources theory, this meta-analysis investigates the role of resources in predicting feedback-seeking behavior (FSB) over time. We also examine the relationship between FSB and its outcomes from a systematic review perspective. The eligibility criteria were: (a) to measure feedback-seeking behavior, (b) to have a longitudinal design, and (c) to have employees as target groups. Thirteen studies met these criteria (Ntotal= 1,527). We combined the meta-analysis procedures and structural equation modeling (metaSEM) and used the systematic review. The methodological quality of the available longitudinal studies is assessed. Our findings indicated that job resources predict future feedback-seeking behavior and between feedback-seeking behavior and personal resources is significant relationship. More research is needed to clarify the reciprocal relationships between personal resources and feedback-seeking behavior and the influences of feedback-seeking behavior on performance.

Linking doctor-patient relationship to medical residents' work engagement: The influences of role overload and conflict avoidance

Background

Chinese residents’ practical work experiences are different from those described in Western studies. To explore potential mechanisms underlying the effects of doctor-patient relationships on medical residents’ work engagement, verifying a posited mediating effect of role overload, and moderating effect of conflict avoidance, in the Chinese context.

Methods

Based on the conservation of resources theory, a composite model was constructed. This study’s data were collected from four different Chinese tertiary hospitals; 195 residents undergoing regularization training took this survey. Hierarchical moderated and mediated regression analyses were utilized.

Results

Doctor-patient relationship were found to be positively related to residents’ work engagement (β=0.31, p≤0.001). Role overload partially mediated the effect of these relationships on work engagement, and the moderating role of conflict avoidance in the relationship between doctor-patient relationship and conflict avoidance was negative.

Conclusion

Maintaining good doctor-patient relationship can prompt residents to increase their engagement in work in order to meet their patients’ needs. Furthermore, role overload has a particular influence in early career stages. Not only is it necessary for residents to gain a sense of recognition and support while they carry out their job responsibilities, especially while dealing with complex doctor-patient relationship, but it is also important to create work environments that can help residents shape their professional competency.

Examining the relationships among managerial coaching, perceived organizational support, and job engagement in the US higher education context

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to apply social exchange and organizational support theories to examine the relationship between mid-level strategic enrollment managers’ perceptions of managerial coaching behaviors enacted by their senior managers and their own reported job engagement, as mediated by perceived organizational support (POS) within the US higher education context.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative survey-based half-longitudinal design, which used the latent marker variable technique, was conducted with a sponsoring professional organization in the strategic enrollment management (SEM) field in the USA. A total of 310 usable surveys were analyzed using structural equation modeling.

Findings

The results of this study indicate that SEM managers’ job engagement and the perceived managerial coaching behaviors provided to them by their senior managers were positively correlated, and that POS fully mediated this relationship. These findings highlight how coaching behaviors may allow managers to elicit positive emotional responses and, by fostering enhanced POS, ultimately enhance job engagement among their team members.

Originality/value

This study addresses several calls for research on managerial coaching, job engagement and POS in an under-examined higher education context within the human resource development field.

Coping Through COVID-19: A Mixed Method Approach to Understand How Palliative Care Teams Managed the COVID-19 Pandemic

OBJECTIVE

While previous work documented a substantial increase in patient mortality consultations and workload for palliative teams, little is known about how these team members managed their mental and physical health during the COVID-19 pandemic. We investigated how job resources (coworker and supervisor support) and personal resources (coping strategies) reduced perceptions of burnout and increased perceptions of well-being.

METHOD

An anonymous electronic survey was sent to all members (N = 64) of the palliative medical team among 14 hospitals of a New York State health system. Data were collected between September 2020 to October 2020. Measures included validated scales for burnout (Oldenburg Burnout Inventory), coping strategies (Cybernetic Coping Scale), subjective well-being (BBC Subjective Well-being scale), and coworker/supervisor support (7 items from Yang et al).

RESULTS

Results indicated devaluation coping tactics were used to reduce perceptions of burnout and to increase perceptions of physical health. Higher burnout was identified when using avoidance coping techniques. Furthermore, coworkers and supervisor(s) support significantly reduced disengagement when compared to coworker support alone.

CONCLUSION

COVID-19 exacerbated burnout experienced by palliative care teams, yet the use of coping behaviors (devaluation/avoidance) and external resources (coworker and supervisor support) utilized by these teams were found to have positive effects. Further research should investigate these antagonizing factors to help preventing and addressing burn out during times of crises and in the everyday of palliative care teams.

Fueling Work Engagement: The Role of Sleep, Health, and Overtime

With the current study, we investigate mechanisms linking sleep quality with work engagement. Work engagement is an affective-motivational state of feeling vigorous, absorbed, and dedicated while working. Drawing from both the effort-recovery model and the job demands-resources framework, we hypothesize that sleep quality should be positively related to work engagement via the replenishment of personal resources that become apparent in mental health and physical health. Because personal resources should gain salience especially in the face of job demands, we hypothesize that overtime as an indicator for job demands should strengthen the positive relationship between mental health and work engagement. We gathered data from 152 employees from diverse industries via an online survey. Results showed that sleep quality was positively related to work engagement (r = 0.20, p < 0.05), and that mental health mediated this relationship (indirect effect: β = 0.23, lower limit confidence interval = 0.13, upper limit confidence interval = 0.34). However, physical health did not serve as a mediator. Overtime turned out to be significantly and positively related to work engagement (r = 0.22, p < 0.01), replicating previous findings, but did not significantly interact with mental health or physical health in predicting work engagement. Overall, the study highlights the significance of sleep quality for employees' mental health and work engagement.

Employee engagement in non-Western contexts: The link between social resources Ubuntu and employee engagement

Underpinned by Social Exchange Theory (SET) this study examines the relationship between social resources and employee engagement using the Ubuntu construct as a mediating variable. Employee engagement conceptualized as a positive work-related mind-set has demonstrated positive association with both supervisor support and colleague support. The study uses data collected from employees in organizations in Botswana (n = 438) to assess the relationship between social resources and employee engagement using Ubuntu as a mediating variable. Using mediation analysis, findings suggest that high levels of Ubuntu enhance the strength of the relationship among supervisor support, colleague support and employee engagement. These findings open significant potential for future studies identifying the cultural peculiarities as well as managerial implications of management concepts such as employee engagement in non-western settings and underlining the importance of the Ubuntu concept in managing staff in a sub-Saharan Africa country.

Time to Disentangle the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Constructs: Developing a Taxonomy around ICT Use for Occupational Health Research

The use of information and communication technology (ICT) in the workplace has gained considerable research attention in the occupational health field due to its effects on employee stress and well-being. Consequently, new ICT-related constructs have proliferated in occupational health research, resulting in a need to take stock of both potential redundancies and deficiencies in the current measures. This paper disentangles ICT-related constructs, developing a taxonomy of ICT-related constructs in terms of ICT demands, resources, motivation, use, and strains. We then integrate this taxonomy with stress and motivation theories to identify three key implications for ICT and workplace health research and practices in terms of providing suggestions on understudied areas for building better theories, highlighting important psychometric issues for building better constructs and measures, and offering recommendations for building better interventions. This review aims to serve as a guide for researchers to move forward with the current state of research and provide recommendations for organizations in terms of both potential repercussions and best practices for ICT use in the workplace.

Cleaner production practices at company level enhance the desire of employees to have a significant positive impact on society through work

Implementation of cleaner production practices (CPP), service quality (SQ) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) is often studied at organizational level. A number of studies on trio have reported it's significant impact on overall organizational performance and profitability across the globe. However, not much is studied about the individual level micro influence of these constructs on employee engagement (EE), organizational pride (OP), organizational identification (OI) and "desire to have a significant impact through work" (DSIW). Therefore, this study presents a comprehensive framework for assessing the impact of the implementation of CPP, SQ and CSR on EE, OP, OI and DSIW. Data collected from 320 non-managerial staff members employed at a garments manufacturing company in Pakistan was analyzed using partial least square (PLS) approach. Findings revealed that the implementation of CPP, SQ and CSR plays an important role in shaping EE, OP, OI and DSIW in the garments manufacturing industry. Further, it is found that the implementation of CPP has a non-significant impact on SQ. Additionally, results of the importance-performance map analysis (IPMA) have also confirmed that the implementation of CPP at company level has shown a highest importance and performance amongst all the latent constructs proposed as predictors of DSIW in the garments manufacturing industry. These findings are a step forward and unique contribution of this study in the domain of CPP, SQ, CSR, EE, OP, OI and DSIW.

The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership, Psychological Empowerment, Role Clarity, and Work Engagement: Evidence From South Africa

Employees in the mining sector are faced with a demanding work environment due to external challenges impacting on the organization. Optimizing their engagement is vital in weathering a demanding environment. The aim of this study was to (a) position authentic leadership (AL) and psychological empowerment (PE) as enablers of work engagement (WE); (b) to investigate the processes (i.e., PE) through which AL exerts its effect on WE, and (c) to determine whether contextual factors [i.e., role clarity (RC)] influenced this process. A cross-sectional research design was employed to collect data from 236 employees employed by a coal-mining organization within South Africa. The AL inventory, PE questionnaire, measures of role conflict and ambiguity questionnaire, and UWES-9 was administered to collect data. A moderated-mediation investigation was employed to test the hypotheses. Results supported the value of AL to enhance WE, both directly and indirectly via PE. Results also concluded that AL exerts its influence on WE through PE, regardless of employees’ levels of RC. AL literature is limited, not only in the South African context but also in the mining sector. The study not only extends AL literature by investigating its outcomes in a South African mining organization, but it also does so by investigating the boundary conditions under which AL exerts its influence. The boundaries (i.e., moderation) within which leadership-subordinate relationships (i.e. mediation) function are often neglected in favor of simplified investigations of mediation processes only.

Exploring Proactive Behaviors of Employees in the Prevention of Burnout

Extensive evidence indicates that burnout can have detrimental consequences for individuals as well as organizations; therefore, there is a great need for burnout prevention. While burnout prevention interventions initiated by the employer have previously been studied, the proactive behaviors employees deploy themselves to prevent burnout have received less research attention. The purpose of this exploratory qualitative interview study was to enhance our understanding of the self-initiated actions employees undertake to prevent burnout, using the model of proactive motivation and conservation of resources theory as theoretical frameworks. Findings indicated that most participants reported to engage in specific kinds of proactive burnout prevention behaviors. The reported self-initiated proactive actions were aimed at maintaining and/or increasing resources and/or reducing demands in the work, home, and personal domain. The study contributes to the literature by linking the proactive motivation process to the prevention of burnout and by focusing on both work and non-work factors. Results of this study can be used in further research into the (effectiveness of) employees’ proactive burnout prevention behaviors and serve as a starting point for developing interventions aimed at enhancing proactive burnout prevention.