Workplace burnout is widespread and has a detrimental effect on employee performance, well-being and overall organizational productivity by causing significant mental fatigue manifesting through emotional exhaustion, which appears to be lower in the case of married men due to their level of marital satisfaction, according to the study ‘The relationship between exhaustion and marital satisfaction’.
The findings of the study, conducted by the Higher School of Economics of the Moscow National Research University (Russia), indicate that as the level of marital satisfaction increases, the risk of burnout decreases, and this correlation is more pronounced in men.
The researchers attribute these findings to disparities in social roles and stereotypes attached to men and women, along with variations in expectations related to marriage and career.
Job burnout, also known as ‘burnout syndrome’, causes significant mental fatigue and manifests itself through emotional exhaustion, depersonalization (a state in which people feel disconnected from their body, thoughts or emotions) and a decreased personal fulfillment.
The study aimed to test the hypothesis that satisfaction in personal relationships can affect the manifestation of occupational burnout syndrome. To achieve this, a survey was administered to 203 employees from different Russian companies, in which participants were asked to rate their satisfaction with personal relationships and the presence of symptoms of job burnout.
«For men, professional success can often become a fundamental aspect of their identity and self-esteem. As a result, they may find increased pressure in the workplace and experience elevated levels of stress as they strive to fulfill their duties and meet expectations. In this context, marital satisfaction and feeling supported in private life can become critical factors in preventing burnout,” says the study’s author and doctoral student at HSE School of PsychologyIlya Bulgakov.
When it comes to women, depersonalization characterized by a sense of detachment from colleagues and clients and decreased empathy and compassion has a greater impact on the development of burnout. For men, the most significant factor is emotional fatigue from being overwhelmed by requests and feeling unable to handle them effectively.
Detrimental effect on job performance
The researchers suggest that the depersonalization experienced by women is related to the social expectations and social roles that are commonly imposed on them within the professional field. Therefore, in many cultures, there is an expectation that women will demonstrate caring and empathetic behavior.
In this regard, women often experience pressure over the amount of emotional support they offer to colleagues, clients, or patients. The escalation of such expectations can lead to increased stress and a tendency to disengage from these responsibilities, ultimately leading to depersonalization, with a detrimental effect on job performance and relationships with colleagues and clients.
In men, emotional exhaustion can be triggered by social expectations linked to their roles as providers and protectors, which frequently entail a significant level of responsibility and work stress.
Likewise, the findings reveal that men who experience greater professional success also tend to have higher levels of satisfaction with their personal relationships and no such correlation has been found for women. According to the researchers, this suggests that support in one’s personal life may play a greater role in facilitating job success for men compared to women.
“People who suffer from burnout syndrome they often struggle to disconnect from their work and therefore remain in a state of constant tension. Consequently, personal relationships serve as a means for them to escape from career pressures, providing a source of satisfaction and support,” says Ilya Bulgakov.
The researchers emphasize that for organizations, understanding the specifics of employee burnout can be a valuable tool for managing stressful situations and improving motivation.
“The phenomenon of professional burnout it is multifaceted. Employee personal relationships, both inside and outside the organization, are not only important in themselves, but can also be considered significant predictors of work-related burnout.”
In this regard, Bulgakov asserts that “the way in which people build and engage in both professional and personal relationships, their behavior and self-perception within them, may have implications for their professional self-determination and, ultimately, ccontribute to the burnout experience«.
