Abstract
PurposeAdequate recovery from burnout is important to understand. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether post-traumatic growth (PTG) contributes to higher engagement and reduced symptoms of burnout and whether this process is mediated by personal resources.Design/methodology/approachIn a cross-sectional survey, 166 Dutch workers who had fully recovered from burnout were questioned on their level of PTG, their personal resources (optimism, resilience and self-efficacy), and their levels of engagement and burnout.FindingsFully recovered workers scored somewhat higher on current burnout level, but did not differ from norm group workers in their engagement level. Moreover, PTG appeared to positively affect both higher engagement and lower burnout levels, which is fully mediated by personal resources.Research limitations/implicationsPost-traumatic growth (PTG) impacts on engagement and burnout levels amongst workers who have recovered from burnout by enhancing personal resources. The role of personal resources and the impact of PTG on engagement and burnout complaints following (recovery from) burnout deserve further investigation.Practical implicationsManagement can support workers who have (recovered from a) burnout, by being aware of their (higher) engagement, and facilitate the enhancement of PTG and personal resources.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first to study the role of PTG after (recovery from) burnout and reveals valuable findings for both research and practice.
Highlights
Today, workers need to do more work in less time, and may risk not being able to handle the work demands leading to burnout
Addressing these questions, this study focuses on the role of post-traumatic growth (PTG) in the recovery process following burnout
As 30–70 percent of people who experienced any kind of trauma report having experienced positive changes, we argue that PTG may be associated with recovery from burnout through the development and advancement of personal resources such as resilience, optimism and self-efficacy
Summary
Workers need to do more work in less time, and may risk not being able to handle the work demands leading to burnout. Burnout is an affliction characterized by exhaustion, cynicism and inefficacy (Maslach et al, 2001). Little is known on how workers who have experienced a burnout, recover and regain or renew their personal resources during this recovery process. Little is known on how this recovery process affects current levels of engagement and burnout. People who have had a burnout often experience residual complaints like poorer cognitive performance (Deligkaris et al, 2014) and express chronic complaints (Leiter et al, 2013). Can adequate recovery enable people to flourish (again), resulting in higher engagement levels and less burnout symptoms? Can adequate recovery be helpful in diminishing these complaints? Can adequate recovery enable people to flourish (again), resulting in higher engagement levels and less burnout symptoms? In other words, can one fly again with wings that were once broken?
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