Effects of a respite from work on burnout: vacation relief and fade-out.
In a quasi-experiment designed to examine the relief from job stress and burnout afforded by a vacation respite, 76 clerks completed measures of job stress and burnout twice before a vacation, once during vacation, and twice after vacation. There was a decline in burnout during the vacation and a return to prevacation levels by the time of the second postvacation measure. Comparing the two prevacation measures indicated no anticipation effects. However, the return to work showed gradual fade-out, as burnout returned part way toward its prevacation level by 3 days after the vacation and all the way by 3 weeks after the vacation. Women and those satisfied with their vacations experienced greater relief; however, both subsamples also experienced the quickest fade-out. The respite effect and its complete fade-out were detected among all subgroups analyzed. Burnout, relief, interpersonal stress crossover, and burnout climate at work are discussed.
Westman
M
M
Faculty of Management, Tel Aviv University, Israel. westman@ccsg.tau.ac.il
Eden
D
D
D002055:Burnout, Professional; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007899:Leisure Activities; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological