Burnout Analysis

Burnout may be defined as being psychologically worn out by one's work; burnout adversely impacts motivation, productivity and job satisfaction and is reflected in low levels of enthusiasm or energy, negative disposition towards others at work and one's perception of productivity (Spector, 2012). The article identifies four (4) indicators of burnout. The first indicator identified by the author was being easily annoyed (Garfinkle, 2005-2015); researchers support this indicator; cynicism and detachment were identified as one of the symptoms of burnout (Beheshtifar & Omidvar, 2013). Cynicism and depersonalization are directed at both persons receiving service and co-workers and it generally affects the employee's personal life as well (Embriaco,

Furthermore, the MBI measures burnout on a continuum with burnout on one extreme and engagement on the other extreme; and a separate scale has also been developed by other researchers to measure engagement, that is, the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (Shimazu & Schaufeli, 2008). Nonetheless, for measuring burnout, the MBI remains the standard for most researchers due to its reliability and validity. Reliability refers to the consistency in results every time a scale is used whereas validity is an assessment of the scale measuring what it was intended to measure. The MBI was assessed as reliable and valid in tests for internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent validity and external validity (Maslach & Jackson, 1981). Supporting Maslach's findings, researchers reported that the MBI was used in 93% of scholarly and peer-reviewed articles up to the 90's and continued to be the preferred burnout assessment scale even after the emergence of the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory and the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (Schaufeli et al., 2009). Additionally, a meta-analysis of studies using the MBI reported that the mean Cronbach alpha coefficient of 45studies each subscale ranged from 0.71 to 0.88 (Aguayo,

Employees who work in chaotic environments that exert extreme demands such as in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) have been diagnosed as being at high risk for burnout (Embriaco et al., 2007). These employees frequently worked overtime due to the nature of their jobs. IUC's are opened 24 hours per day and employees work in a shift system which includes a night shift. Patients at ICU's are often in life-threatening situations requiring doctors and nurses to be on constantly alert and responsive at very short notice; often decisions have to be made about suspending life-support treatment for patients. The environment in an ICU is extremely chaotic and stressful; prolonged exposure to ICUs make health care professional susceptible to burnout. In addition high-pressure environment, dysfunction within an organisation has been correlated with burnout amongst employees (Leary et al., 2013); dysfunction was defined as the use of avoidance and coercion tactics by supervisors. Leadership styles that are forceful and lacks clear direction create confusion, stagnation and stifle creativity. n this way dysfunctional leadership may cause the perception of lack of productivity, desensitisation and exhaustion or