BURNOUT AND JOB SATISFACTION OF VOCATIONAL SUPERVISORS

Abstract

Over the past 15 years, there has been an explosion of research and inquiry into the burnout phenomenon. The study of burnout has moved from a hot topic to a serious issue which affects millions of workers (Farber, 1983). " Burned out professionals are more frequently absent or late for work than their non-burned out colleagues; they become noticeably less idealistic and more rigid; their performance at work deteriorates markedly, and they may fantasize or actually plan on leaving the profession " (Farber, 1983, p. 3) " Studies of burnout have provided baseline data that bring the burnout phenomenon into focus. Research has shown that burnout-prone individuals are not lazy or underachievers but are in fact characterized as overachievers, dynamic, charismatic, empathetic, dedicated, idealistic and people oriented (Freudenberger & Richelson, 1980). Burnout has been most prevalent among workers in the helping professions. Studies have shown that these individuals suffer from high stress levels found that administrators also experience high stress and low job satisfaction. Administrators reported that " 70% of their total life stress resulted from their jobs " (Cooper & Marshall, 1980, p. 77). This linkage between stress, job satisfaction, and the work environment is critical to the study of burnout. In fact, Maslach (1978) stated that, when looking for possible reasons for burnout, one is better off not to try to identify the bad people in an organization but instead to uncover the characteristics of bad situations where good people function. Three of the major related problems involve role ambiguity, role conflict and role overload