The Impact of Behavioral Symptoms of Burnout on Work Engagement of Older Employees: The Case of Slovenian Companies

Abstract

The main objective of the paper is to determine the impact of behavioral symptoms of burnout of older employees on their work engagement in large- and mediumsized companies in Slovenia. The research is based on the implementation of a factor analysis by which we wanted to reduce the large number of variables into a smaller number of factors. With those factors, we performed a simple linear regression. Based on the results, we confirmed the hypothesis that behavioral symptoms of burnout of older employees have a statistically significant negative impact on their work engagement. Well-being of employees of varying ages in the workplace is key for long-term effectiveness of companies. From this point of view, companies should apply appropriate measures to reduce burnout as well as to contribute to employees’ well-being and better workplace performance, which is reflected in work engagement of employees.

Sense of Coherence, Burnout, and Work Engagement: The Moderating Effect of Coping in the Democratic Republic of Congo

“…BO refers to a persistent, negative work-related state of mind (or syndrome), which is characterised by an array of physical, psychological, and attitudinal symptoms [8,33]. It is a chronic, negative, affective response, with fatigue and emotional exhaustion as major symptoms [34].…”

“…WE and BO are conceptualised to be opposing constructs on the ease-disease continuum, while vigour and dedication are the direct opposites of exhaustion and mental distance (cynicism) [3]. Previous research has found that WE and BO relate closely to work-associated well-being [8,52], while managing job burnout prevents ill-health outcomes [1,41,53].…”

“…Research has established that BO relates negatively to WE, as it does to SOC [8]. In order to facilitate WE and prevent BO, organisational contexts should foster environments where employees feel enthusiastic, energised, and motivated [54].…”

“…Previous research on WE reveals that WE decreases levels of occupational stress [5,6] and brings about organisational and financial success [7]. Work engagement refers to an energetic state in which the employees are devoted to excellent performance at work, whilst being confident about their own effectiveness [8]. It relates to work-related outcomes, promoting employee health and well-being [9], productivity and flexibility [10], individual morale, and extra-role and organisational performance [11].…”

Design and validity of a questionnaire for measuring psychosocial risk factors and burnout

“…Unlike physical hazards, which are directly observable and measurable, psychosocial risks are the product of social interactions, and cannot be understood outside their context [7]. Some of the psychosocial factors associated with work burnout are: new hiring schemes and job insecurity, aging of the workforce, task intensification, high emotional demands at work, poor work-life balance, long shifts, higher workloads, poor salary and promotion prospects, ambiguous roles, and time and cost pressures that increase the risk of errors or compromise ethical and quality standards [8,9].…”