Decent Work, Work Motivation, Work Engagement and Burnout in Physicians

Abstract

This article presents the relationships among decent work (DW; Decent Work Questionnaire), work motivation (Multidimensional Work Motivation Scale), work engagement (Utrecht Work Engagement Scale) and personal-burnout (subscale of Copenhagen Burnout Inventory) in Portuguese and Brazilian physicians (N = 605). Canonical correlation analyses were performed. The results in the Portuguese sample: the seven DW factors were related to identified and intrinsic-work-motivation, work-engagement and less personal-burnout. Adequate-working-time-and-workload is associated with decreases of identified-work-motivation and personal-burnout. Less meaningful-remuneration-for-the-exercise-of-citizenship is related to less extrinsic-material-work-motivation and extrinsic-social-work-motivation; in the Brazilian sample: fundamental-principles-and-values-at-work, adequate-working-time-and-workload, fulfilling-and-productive-work, and opportunities relate to identified and intrinsic-work-motivation, work-engagement, less amotivation and less personal-burnout. Less adequate-working-time-and-workload and less social-protection are associated with more personal-burnout. In both samples, the DW global score were related significantly and positively with the more self-determined types of work-motivation (intrinsic and identified); and significantly and negatively with the amotivation. These results help human resources management to enhance physicians’ performance and well-being, and therefore the quality of care provided.