Successful return to work after burnout: an evaluation of job, person- and private-related burnout determinants as determinants of return-to-work quality after sick leave for burnout

Abstract

Purpose: Burnout literature has primarily studied determinants and rehabilitation. Remarkably, ways to enable qualitative return to work after burnout are considered considerably less and were studied here. Specifically, building on the Job Demands-Resources model and Effort-Recovery model, this study investigated determinants of the quality of return to work. Material and Methods: Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the quality of reintegration among 786 workers who were surveyed about their return to work after a burnout episode. Results: Restarting work at a new employer and especially getting supervisor support appeared beneficial, whereas remaining burnout symptoms, stressors in one's private environment andmostlyneuroticism hampered the quality of return to work. Conclusion: Given the high prevalence and important costs burnout entails, primary prevention alone proves insufficient. Current study findings inform on how to optimize the quality of reintegration in the workplace after a burnout episode, demonstrating that supportive managers and inclusive workplaces (i.e., open to hire applicants with a burnout history) are important levers for qualitative return to work, next to ensuring workers are not (so much) impaired by their burnout rest symptoms. ä IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONReintegration trajectories after burnout should not only be evaluated by sick leave duration but also by the clients' subjective experience of quality of return to work. Rehabilitation professionals should ensure clients prepare return to work early so they return timely and are not (so much) impaired by their burnout rest symptoms. Rehabilitation professionals should propose reorientation towards a new employer in case of irreversible work ability problems at the current workplace. The clients' current work situation should allow for sufficient supervisor social support. Also stressors in private life (like divorce) and personality characteristics (like neuroticism) should be considered as they may hamper quality of return to work.

Management of patients with occupational burnout in Switzerland: some insights on the heterogeneity in current practices

“…Return to work generally symbolizes the recovery (27) or a “return to the normality” (28). Since return to work is likely to be an outcome, seen as the therapy effect, it can also correspond to the end of the treatment when return to work seems successful (29, 30). Therefore, it is relevant to assess and to examine this outcome in relation with the treatment modalities as we did.…”

Why making promotion after a burnout is like boiling the ocean

“…Interestingly, compared to former burnout patients who immediately change employers after sick leave, those who successfully return to their initial workplace can more readily hide their burnout history (i.e. once recovered, they might become less dependent on vital supervisor support, see Rooman et al, 2021). Recovered employees would conceal their burnout history and avoid external hiring penalties (Brouwers et al, 2020), which further incentivises them to leave in the case of promotion discrimination.…”

“…Next, the personality assessment of a promotion candidate is a logical fifth dimension because assessment centres are often organized to aid promotion decisions and because of personality traits' predictive value for both performance and the successful reintegration of burnout patients (Rooman et al, 2021). Its five levels, namely 'openness', 'conscientiousness', 'extroversion', 'agreeableness', and 'emotional stability', were derived from the globally established 'Big Five' personality traits from the psychological literature.…”

“…internal hiring) could be an equally-if not moreunderestimated consequence of burnout for two reasons. First, approximately two thirds of the burnout patients voluntarily returns to their prior employer after their sick leave (Rooman et al, 2021) and consequently, intentionally or not, they bypass the risk of being penalized in the external job market. Moreover, interviews reveal that these employees, although temporarily spared from external hiring discrimination, report experiencing interpersonal problems at their original workplace (Boštjančič and Koračin, 2014).…”

“…Moreover, in the Dutch working population, for instance, Dewa et al (2021) found that 73.2 per cent of the workers with a history of mental health problems actually disclosed their health issues to managers. Although workers are not legally obliged to reveal the exact reason for their sick leave (EEOC, 2016), knowledge of the employee's burnout is practically unavoidable because of the employer's crucial role in the return-to-work process (Rooman et al, 2021). Opportunities, therefore, arise for unequal treatment, such as promotion discrimination.…”