Job burnout among construction professionals in Hong Kong: A moderator model with coping strategies

The construction industry is demanding and many job-related stressors are likely to affect the work of professionals engaged in the sector, particularly during the recent period of recession in Hong Kong. Previous research suggests exposure to constant daily stress over prolonged periods of time leads to burnout. Given these circumstances, it is expected that construction professionals experience burnout to a considerable degree, but there is still only limited research exploring this phenomenon within this neglected work group. In fact, burnout has been widely studied among many other occupational groups and has been shown to be associated with mental and physical disorders and with negative attitudes and behaviour towards work, leading to reduced organisational effectiveness. Human resources are among the most valuable assets of the construction industry. Where professional burnout is widespread, therefore, it is likely to reduce the overall performance of the whole sector. In view of the detrimental effect burnout has on individuals and organisations, research hitherto has focused on job re-design, projected to minimise burnout by mitigating its job predictors. However, job re-design is not always feasible given available organisational resources and related occupational characteristics, resulting in the need to formulate alternative intervention strategies to manage burnout. This study aims to fill the gaps identified in existing research by combining current theories of psychology and construction management to develop an advanced model of burnout. It seeks to gauge scientifically the levels of burnout, identify its sources from job characteristics in the construction industry, and quantify its consequences at both individual and organisational levels. The study also attempts to answer the question of whether or not coping strategies moderate the relationship between job stressor and burnout. The empirical findings derived primarily from the quantitative data, which includes 601 useable cross-sectional questionnaire responses (of which 403 were fully completed) and another 83 quasi-longitudinal questionnaire responses taken a year later from a sub-set of the sample. Major findings were subsequently verified and interpreted by nine post-survey qualitative interviews, which were then linked to the phenomena of burnout specific to the construction industry. As originally hypothesised, high levels of burnout were detected, and largely explained by long working hours, heavy workload, role conflict, role ambiguity, lack of autonomy, job insecurity and (in particular) role overload. Burnout demonstrates a strong, significant and negative impact on both organisational commitment and intention to turnover, as theoretically expected; however, it shows no significant effect on absenteeism and job turnover. Rational problem-solving was found to be an effective coping strategy in moderating the effect role overload has on burnout, whereas resigned distancing and seeking support/ventilation were only mildly effective. Contrary to the initial hypothesis, passive wishful thinking interacted with role overload and strengthened the effect of role overload on burnout. Also discussed is the significance of incorporating job re-design and effective coping strategies within interventions for managing burnout at individual, organisational and institutional levels to minimise its negative effects.