Burnout and workplace dehumanization at the supermarket: A field study during the COVID‐19 outbreak in Italy

Abstract

This study explores the psychological effects of the COVID‐19 emergency on workers employed in the supermarket sector by analysing their levels of burnout and the relationship between the burnout syndrome and employees' workplace experiences. A sample of 422 Italian workers answered a survey addressing the burnout dimensions (i.e., exhaustion, cynicism, and professional inefficacy) along with perceived organizational factors and dehumanizing representations. Results showed that 32% of the respondents had symptoms of severe burnout, and 41% had symptoms of exhaustion and cynicism. More specifically, through cluster analysis, four burnout profiles were identified: “burnout” (high on all three dimensions), “engagement” (low on all three dimensions), “overextended” (high on exhaustion), and “disengaged” (moderate on exhaustion and cynicism). Each cluster showed a different pattern of correlates with the organizational and dehumanizing perceptions. Our findings contribute to the knowledge gaps of burnout and workplace experiences by providing insights into the ongoing health emergency among supermarket clerks. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement .

Under fire: Meta‐dehumanization and burnout among first responders

“…The findings of this study indicated that first responders experience meta-dehumanization and that such experiences significantly predict burnout. Although the relationship between dehumanization and burnout had been established for other populations (Caesens & Stinglhamber, 2019;Testoni et al, 2022;Valtorta et al, 2021), this is the first study to reveal this link for first responders.…”

“…This implies that the experience of being dehumanized may contribute to burnout, as do organizational dehumanization (Moriano et al, 2021) and unrealistic expectations (Bagherian & Hosseini, 2019), such as being seen as a superhero (Lanza et al, 2018). Even government employees (Caesens & Stinglhamber, 2019) and private sector employees (Valtorta et al, 2021) have experienced symptoms of burnout in response to dehumanizing experiences at work. More specific to helping professions, Testoni et al (2022) conducted a study of 270 medical professionals dealing with emergency situations and found that dehumanization was linked to higher levels of burnout.…”

The Evolution of Kaufland Communication Strategy in Romania during the Pandemic

“…Instagram is a virtual platform, most likely by Romanians, after Facebook. According to Mediafactbook 2021 [11], Instagram users represent 61 % of the online population in Romania, which justifies both the brands and the consumers orientation towards this one. Hence, researching intense interactivity on Instagram during the pandemic provides us with a better comprehension of the new Kaufland communication strategies.…”