Burnout and Worklife in Disaster Restoration: Maslach Burnout Inventory and Areas of Worklife Survey

Abstract

Disaster restoration professionals operate in an inherently stressful niche of the construction industry. Their work often demands being on call and working long hours under stressful and dangerous conditions following fires, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, and a variety of other events that are catastrophic to structures. The purpose of this study is to examine the predictors and consequences of burnout among disaster restoration professionals. In this study, the researchers used the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and the Areas of Worklife Survey (AWS) to investigate factors contributing to burnout for professionals in the disaster restoration industry. Two additional questionnaires were developed to record participant demographic information and whether participants were considering leaving their jobs (turnover intentions). A between-subjects multivariate analysis was used to determine whether significant differences existed in the reported roles for respondents, company types (franchise or independently owned), and turnover intentions. Internal consistency was tested for each dimension of the MBI and AWS. Structural equation modeling was applied to analyze the structural relationships between the dimensions of the MBI and AWS. The results indicated that respondents experienced heavy workloads and, subsequently, increased exhaustion, increased cynicism, and decreased professional efficacy. This study was the first to examine worklife factors, burnout, and turnover in the disaster restoration industry.