CONTENTMENT WITH WORK AND RISK OF PROFESSIONAL BURNOUT AMONG UNIVERSITY STAFF

dr hab. Joanna M. Łukasik, prof. URK

STRUCTURE �

1. Theoretical assumptions

2. Methodological aspects of the research

3. Research results

4. Findings and conclusions

CONTENTMENT CAN BE VIEWED IN A GENERAL AND PARTICULARIST PERSPECTIVE. IS IDENTIFIED WITH A GENERAL EMOTIONAL ATTITUDE TOWARDS WORK AND DOES NOT ASSUME THE NECESSARY RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN CERTAIN WORK FACTORS. IN THE PARTICULARIST PERSPECTIVE, IT IS DESCRIBED AS A SPECIFIC TYPE WHICH REFERS EXCLUSIVELY TO SOME SPECIFIC WORK FACTOR (SINGLE FACTORS CAN BE INDEPENDENT OF EACH OTHER, AND EACH CAN BE THE SOURCE OF A DIFFERENT JOB SATISFACTION ASPECT)

Contentment

1) EMOTIONAL EXHAUSTION (INVOLVES, AMONG OTHERS, INCREASING AND LASTING FATIGUE CONNECTED WITH SUBJECTIVELY EXPERIENCED ABSENCE OF VITAL POWER AND WILL TO ACT, SOMATIC SYMPTOMS LIKE DIGESTIVE AND IMMUNE SYSTEM DISORDERS, HEADACHES AND INSOMNIA)� �2) DEPERSONALIZATION (PHYSICAL AND COGNITIVE DISTANCE BETWEEN ONESELF AND OTHERS, LEADING TO DEHUMANIZED PERCEPTION AND TREATMENT OF OTHERS)�� 3) REDUCED PERSONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT (MANIFESTED AS A LACK OF ADEQUATE COMPETENCE, DECREASED EFFECTIVENESS AND NEGATIVE PERCEPTION OF ONE’S OWN PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS) ��(MASLACH, SCHAUFELI & LEITER, 2001; MASLACH, JACKSON, 1996)

Professional bornout

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES/ AIMS AND PROBLEM ��THE PROJECT DESCRIBED IN THE ARTICLE FOCUSED ON EVALUATING CONTENTMENT WITH WORK IN RELATION TO PROFESSIONAL BURNOUT OF UNIVERSITY STAFF MEMBERS. THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED BETWEEN 1 MAY AND 30 DECEMBER 2024 AMONG ACADEMIC STAFF MEMBERS OF A UNIVERSITY IN SOUTHERN POLAND. THE SAMPLE CONSISTED OF 163 UNIVERSITY TEACHERS WITH DIFFERENT SCIENTIFIC DEGREES AND TITLES, ROLES AND YEARS OF EXPERIENCE. THE SAMPLING WAS CONVENIENT. THE OBJECT OF THE STUDY WAS CONTENTMENT WITH WORK AND PROFESSIONAL BURNOUT, AND THE OBJECTIVES WERE: TO IDENTIFY CORRELATIONS BETWEEN CONTENTMENT WITH WORK AND AREAS OF BURNOUT AND TO EVALUATE OF CORRELATIONS BETWEEN CONTENTMENT WITH WORK AND PROFESSIONAL BURNOUT, AND SELECTED SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC AND WORK-RELATED FACTORS. �

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��THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED USING THE SURVEY METHOD. THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONNAIRES WERE USED: MINNESOTA SATISFACTION QUESTIONNAIRE – SHORT FORM - MSQ-SF BY D. J. WEISS, R.V. DAVIS, G.W. ENGLAND & L.H. LOFQUIST, TRANSLATED AND ADAPTED TO POLISH BY Z. BORUCKI (1988) – TO INVESTIGATE CONTENTMENT WITH WORK AND THE OLDENBURG BURNOUT INVENTORY – OLBI ADAPTED BY ŁUKASZ BAKA & BEATA A. BASIŃSKA TO INVESTIGATE BURNOUT IN THE AREA OF EXHAUSTION AND DISENGAGEMENT FROM WORK. THE DATA OBTAINED WERE DESCRIBED USING ADEQUATE STATISTICAL METHODS.�

Research methods

�� DURING A LITERATURE REVIEW, IT WAS NOTICED THAT STUDIES INTO JOB SATISFACTION AND BURNOUT (ESPECIALLY THE ONES USING OLBI) HAD BEEN HARDLY EVER CONDUCTED AMONG ACADEMIC TEACHERS. THEREFORE, IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT A RESEARCH PROJECT FOCUSING ON THIS GROUP (ACADEMIC STAFF MEMBERS) AND CONDUCTED USING TOOLS WHICH IN PEDAGOGY HAVE BEEN APPLIED ONLY OCCASIONALLY (MSQ-SF) OR NEVER (OLBI), AS WELL AS COMPLEMENTARITY OF CONCEPTS AND METHODOLOGY, WOULD BE VALUABLE. ���

Process of argumentation

Figure 1 Scatterplot of raw work satisfaction scores with professional burnout of university teachers in the areas of exhaustion (A) and disengagement (B)

Table 1. Analysis of differences in psychological variables between men and women

N – number of observation, M – mean, SD – standard deviation, z – Mann-Whitney’s standard test value,�p – significance, r_g – effect size

Table 2. Correlation analysis of psychological variables with age

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Note. Analysis performed with observations number N=163.

r_s – Spearman’s coefficient, p – significance

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TABLE 3. CORRELATION ANALYSIS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL VARIABLES WITH WORK EXPERIENCE AND TITLE�

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Note. Analysis performed with observations number N=163.

r_s – Spearman’s coefficient, p – significance

� ANALYSES OF THE RESULTS INDICATE THAT ACADEMIC TEACHERS ARE CONTENT WITH THEIR JOB. THIS REFERS IN PARTICULAR TO OLDER STAFF MEMBERS WITH MORE YEARS OF PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE AND HIGHER ACADEMIC DEGREE/TITLE. THE MAJORITY OF THEM DO NOT EXPERIENCE BURNOUT. SLIGHTLY FELT BURNOUT WAS VISIBLE IN RESPONDENTS WHO HAVE HAD EXPERIENCE IN OTHER WORKPLACES. IT MEANS THAT MANAGERS OF HUMAN POTENTIAL IN UNIVERSITIES SHOULD FOCUS IN PARTICULAR ON EMPOWERING THE YOUNGEST EMPLOYEES (EMOTIONAL SUPPORT, INFORMATION ETC.) AND STAFF MEMBERS WITH EXPERIENCE IN OTHER WORKING ENVIRONMENTS (SUPPORT IN ADAPTATION TO NEW SETTING AND CONDITIONS).� �

Research findings and their impact on the development of educational sciences

THERE IS A NEED TO FURTHER EXPLORE CONTENTMENT AND BURNOUT AMONG THE YOUNGEST, THE LEAST EXPERIENCED ACADEMIC TEACHERS WITH THE LOWEST SCIENTIFIC DEGREES AND TITLES, AND TEACHERS WHO BEGIN WORK IN A NEW PLACE/UNIVERSITY. SUCH A RESEARCH WILL HELP DIAGNOSE THE SITUATION OF THESE STAFF MEMBERS AND TAKE SUPPORTIVE, EMPOWERING ACTIONS THAT WILL PREVENT, FOR EXAMPLE, PROFESSIONAL BURNOUT, DECREASED LEVEL OF WORK SATISFACTION AND, CONSEQUENTLY, OUTFLOW OF ACADEMIC TEACHERS OR DECREASE IN THE QUALITY OF THEIR WORK.�

Conclusions and recommendations