Exploring intergenerational differences in burnout and how they relate to work engagement, norms, and values: A mixedmethods study

Abstract

Background: Burnout has been on the rise in recent years. Is this increasing prevalence due to changing working circumstances, or also to a changing societal context? Aim: The aim of the study was to explore intergenerational differences in burnout. Design & setting: The study used a mixed quantitative and qualitative design, and tested the theory of the job demands-resources model (JD-RM). The target group of this research was the working population in Belgium, aged between 21-65 years. The study was performed in a public setting with people recruited through social media. Method: A quantitative web survey was distributed among the participants to explore the prevalence of burnout, work ethic, work engagement, and norms and values. The second part of the study used a focus group technique to explore in depth the eight statements that were formulated from the quantitative survey. Results: A total of 309 people participated in the web survey and 21.5% met the criteria for 'burnout', while 22.6% scored high on the criteria for 'engagement'. It was found that 12.6% of all men and 3.0% of all women could not identify with the portrait of 'equivalence'. The value 'benevolence' was positively rated by 100%. In the youngest generation, 71.3 % identified with the portrait of 'stimulation', while 70.8% of older men identified with the portrait 'traditions'. The results also revealed that 43.1% of the younger generation agreed with the statement: 'I often think I would be more successful if I gave up certain pleasures' Conclusion: Burnout is more common among young people. In the older generation, a good ability to put things into perspective, a good balance between work and leisure, and a strong sense of tradition appear to be resources to aid against burnout. The younger generation often deals with stressors. This younger generation appears to have a higher work ethic and commitment.