Effects Of Burnout On The Workplace - 1713 Words

A major concern in human service occupations is burnout as it has been linked to turnover, absenteeism, a reduction in the quality of services, numerous physical and psychological disorders, and a disruption in interpersonal relations (Barford 271). Child and youth care workers are especially susceptible to burnout as the inherent challenges of working with high-risk youth causes difficulties in attracting and maintaining qualified employees. Social workers are committed to the protection and empowerment of populations at risk, helping improve their physical and mental well-being within a society characterized by great economic inequality and a high potential for vulnerability (Hamama 113). Social welfare is constantly looking at the†¦show more content†¦In 1987, Christina Maslach along with Susan Jackson expanded the definition, describing burnout as emotional depletion, deprofessionalization, and reduction of personal competence. Maslach and Jackson designed a multidimensi onal model of burnout that went into further detail of these three main components: emotional exhaustion, the depletion of mental energy involved in professional obligation; depersonalization, the development of negative attitudes, emotional numbness, apathy, and cynicism toward the client; reduced personal accomplishment, the diminution of self-esteem and ambition. Whiton Stewart Paine asserted that the factors underlying burnout also include the worker’s personality traits, environmental factors, and various organizational and social conditions. Although a bulk of the burnout research to date has focused on the role of organizational characteristics in the development of burnout, individual characteristics and social support have also demonstrated predictive value. The demographic factors that have been shown to be most predictive of burnout levels are the age of the employee, their marital status, and their perceived levels of social support, as well as gender, professiona l seniority, and education level. Age is generally considered to be the demographic variable that most effectively predicts the level of