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The impact of individual and job characteristics on 'burnout' among civil engineers in Australia and the implications for employee turnover

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  • Helen Lingard

Abstract

A survey was undertaken to explore the experience of 'burnout' among engineers working in the Australian construction industry. The most widely recognized model of burnout, comprising emotional exhaustion, cynicism and a diminished sense of personal accomplishment was found to be valid. However, Australian engineers experience a strong sense of the social worth of their professional activity, independently of believing in their own individual competence as engineers. There was also a widespread belief that the rewards enjoyed by engineers as a result of their professional endeavours are not commensurate with their level of skill and responsibility. The results of the study also show that burnout cannot be attributed to a single cause but occurs as a result of a complex interaction of individual characteristics and issues in the work environment. As such, there is no single 'cure' for burnout and multiple intervention strategies are probably needed. However, the relative importance of job characteristics compared to personality characteristics in predicting burnout suggests that job re-design may be an effective preventive strategy. Cynicism and emotional exhaustion were strong predictors of engineers' intention to leave their jobs. This suggests that measures to prevent burnout could also help to reduce turnover and its associated costs.

Suggested Citation

  • Helen Lingard, 2003. "The impact of individual and job characteristics on 'burnout' among civil engineers in Australia and the implications for employee turnover," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(1), pages 69-80.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:conmgt:v:21:y:2003:i:1:p:69-80
    DOI: 10.1080/0144619032000065126
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Guangdong Wu & Yue Wu & Hongyang Li & Chenglong Dan, 2018. "Job Burnout, Work-Family Conflict and Project Performance for Construction Professionals: The Moderating Role of Organizational Support," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-20, December.
    2. Bhupendra Kumar Verma & Bikrant Kesari, 2020. "Does the Morale Impact on Employee Turnover Intention? An Empirical Investigation in the Indian Steel Industry," Global Business Review, International Management Institute, vol. 21(6), pages 1466-1488, December.
    3. Xiaodong Li & Runshuang Wang & Yizhu Zhao & Fan Yang & Xinyi Wang, 2022. "An Interwoven Psychological Syndrome of Job Burnout and Work Engagement in Construction Project Management Professionals Due to Work–Family Imbalance," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-21, October.
    4. Sonja Ivancevic & Tatjana Ivanovic & Milica Maricic & Mladen Cudanov, 2020. "Student Heavy Work Investment, Burnout, and Their Antecedents: The Case of Serbia," The AMFITEATRU ECONOMIC journal, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 22(Special 1), pages 1182-1182, November.
    5. Helen Lingard & Valerie Francis, 2005. "Does work-family conflict mediate the relationship between job schedule demands and burnout in male construction professionals and managers?," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(7), pages 733-745.
    6. Isabelle Yee Shan Chan & Mei-yung Leung & Qi Liang, 2018. "The Roles of Motivation and Coping Behaviours in Managing Stress: Qualitative Interview Study of Hong Kong Expatriate Construction Professionals in Mainland China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-24, March.
    7. Chol-Jung Park & Soo-Yong Kim & Minh V. Nguyen, 2021. "Fuzzy TOPSIS Application to Rank Determinants of Employee Retention in Construction Companies: South Korean Case," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-16, May.
    8. Zopiatis, Anastasios & Constanti, Panayiotis & Theocharous, Antonis L., 2014. "Job involvement, commitment, satisfaction and turnover: Evidence from hotel employees in Cyprus," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 129-140.

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