The State of Job Burnout Amongst New Zealand Managers: Implications for Employment Relations

Abstract

Job burnout is a perennial issue for workers, but the most popular way to measure it has become widely critiqued. We utilise the newest burnout construct – the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT) – and provide New Zealand’s first data on managers. Importantly, the BAT provides a cut-off score representing severe burnout (being burnt-out). Using data from 840 New Zealand managers, support for the BAT construct is found, and 11.3 per cent of managers meeting the burnt-out threshold. Statistical analysis towards burnt-out status shows significant differences across managerial position, firm size, and workforce education, although no significant differences by sector. In light of growing attention to burnout, we discuss the implications for employment relations around burnout and the importance for firms to address this growing issue.