Burned Out, Engaged, Both, or Neither? Exploring Engagement and Burnout Profiles among Social Workers in Spain

Abstract

Few studies have analyzed the existence of homogeneous groups (profiles) in burnout and engagement among professionals, and none in social workers. This study with 448 social workers from Spain mainly examined their profiles in burnout and engagement and the characteristics of each profile in relevant job-related variables. Cluster analyses yielded four distinct profiles: the first, Burned Out, showed high burnout and low engagement; the second, Engaged, exhibited the inverse pattern with low burnout and high engagement; the third, Both, displayed simultaneously high burnout and high engagement; the fourth, Neither, showed low burnout and low engagement. The profiles also differed greatly in work-related variables: job demands (i.e., workload and work-–family conflict), job resources (i.e., support from supervisor and coworkers), personal resources (i.e., psychological detachment and relaxation), and outcomes (i.e., intrinsic job satisfaction and intent to leave). The findings support interventions, individual and organizational, tailored to the characteristics of different groups to boost engagement and decrease burnout and turnover.

Systemic Occupational Health Needs of Gender-Based Violence Advocates: Findings from the Early Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Supervisors are also likely to need additional support and training to adapt their leadership approaches to meet the needs of employees in flexible work arrangements, especially as remote and hybrid work have become more normalized post-COVID. 46,51,52,[58][59][60][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71] Sustainable flexible work approaches prioritize trust-based policies that clarify managerial expectations and establish safeguard mechanisms for defined boundaries between employees' work and home. Such practices can contribute to achieving harmonious workload management, fostering employee engagement and retention, and enhancing overall workforce wellbeing both at work and at home.…”

“…Such practices can contribute to achieving harmonious workload management, fostering employee engagement and retention, and enhancing overall workforce wellbeing both at work and at home. 56,58,64,65,[67][68][69][70][71][72] System-level solutions to improve advocates' wellbeing when previous coping mechanisms are disrupted can be expected to have the most success if they are rooted in the occupational experiences of those affected. This research is a starting point for identifying pain points specific to this population in the post-COVID era.…”

“…Permitting flexibility and enabling employees to craft teleworking arrangements tailored to their needs as well as those of the organization can maximize the advantages of both remote work and in-office collaboration. Supervisors are also likely to need additional support and training to adapt their leadership approaches to meet the needs of employees in flexible work arrangements, especially as remote and hybrid work have become more normalized post-COVID 46,51,52,58–60,62–71 . Sustainable flexible work approaches prioritize trust-based policies that clarify managerial expectations and establish safeguard mechanisms for defined boundaries between employees’ work and home.…”

“…Sustainable flexible work approaches prioritize trust-based policies that clarify managerial expectations and establish safeguard mechanisms for defined boundaries between employees’ work and home. Such practices can contribute to achieving harmonious workload management, fostering employee engagement and retention, and enhancing overall workforce wellbeing both at work and at home 56,58,64,65,67–72 …”

Pathways to organizational commitment: Workplace empowerment and engagement among Spanish social workers

“…In turn, high levels of engagement at work facilitate employees' improved performance, wellbeing, and commitment to the organization (Borst et al, 2020;Geisler et al, 2019;Lin et al, 2020;Lombardero-Posada et al, 2023). For example, Borst et al (2020) conducted a meta-analysis to explore the relationship between work engagement and organizational commitment among public, semipublic, and private sector employees (k = 36, n = 22,757 participants).…”