Burnout in the Workplace

Innovative Issues and Approaches in Social Sciences, Vol. 13, No. 3 |1 Innovative Issues and Approaches in Social Sciences, Vol. 13, No. 3 |2 Innovative Issues and Approaches in Social Sciences IIASS is a double blind peer review academic journal published 3 times yearly (January, May, September) covering different social sciences: political science, sociology, economy, public administration, law, management, communication science, psychology and education. IIASS has started as a SIdip – Slovenian Association for Innovative Political Science journal and is being published by ERUDIO Center for Higher Education. Typeset This journal was typeset in 11 pt. Arial, Italic, Bold, and Bold Italic; the headlines were typeset in 14 pt. Arial, Bold Abstracting and Indexing services COBISS, International Political Science Abstracts, CSA Worldwide Political Science Abstracts, CSA Sociological Abstracts, PAIS International, DOAJ, Google scholar. Publication Data: ERUDIO Education Center Innovative issues and approaches in social sciences, 2020, vol. 13, no. 3 ISSN 1855-0541 Additional information: www.iiass.com Innovative Issues and Approaches in Social Sciences, Vol. 13, No. 3 | 18 BURNOUT IN THE WORKPLACE Veronika Ternik1 Beno Arnejčič 2 Background and purpose: Today, in an increasingly competitive society, the individual is exposed to increasing demands, both in private life and in the workplace. These demands and the individual's desire to succeed often require excessive engagement, which not everyone can physically and mentally cope with. The aim of the study is to analyze the types and levels of burnout in the workplace, which is becoming a growing problem nowadays. With a systematic review of literature and research papers in the field of mental health and burnout of employees, we analyzed the types and levels of burnout in the workplace. We used the Dilts model, a tool for determining burnout in the workplace. At the company level, burnout is increasingly present and is not only a consequence of the psychological state of the individual, but also of economic and sociocultural characteristics in the economy of each country. However, at the level of individual behavior, values and beliefs, burnout occurs as a result of the individual's personality characteristics. At the level of identity, however, we can link burnout with an individual's assessment of their own abilities, and it is also related to gender identity. At the level of organizational culture, we can observe burnout in relation to the positive or negative climate and management style in the company. Based on the analysis of selected literature, we have highlighted the types and levels of burnout in companies, which is becoming an increasingly pressing issue in modern society. Such analysis also allows individuals to identify factors that threaten them and potentially lead to burnout. Keywords: burnout, workplace, employees, Dilts model, phenomenon, mental illness DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12959/issn.1855-0541.IIASS-2020-no3-art2 1 Veronika Ternik, student at the Faculty of Economics in Ljubljana 2 Beno Arnejč ič Ph. D is an Assistant Prof. at the Faculty of Education, Primorska University, Slovenia ([email protected]) Innovative Issues and Approaches in Social Sciences, Vol. 13, No. 3 | 19 Introduction Especially in recent years, burnout syndrome is becoming one of the most worldwide spread mental illnesses in developed, as well as developing countries. In today’s world, which is facing socio-economic changes, more and more people are feeling pressures both in private life and at work (Heinemann, Heinemann, 2017). The World Health Organization defines health as a state of perfect physical, psychological and social well-being. The workplace plays an important role in this, as an individual usually spends a large part of life at work. The work process can be an important protective factor of good mental health, if employees experience a positive feeling of inclusion and usefulness, creativity, confirmation in work and support from colleagues. On the other hand, it can lead to stress and burnout if monotonous work tasks without content, overly demanding tasks, too much work, or the fear of losing a job occur in the workplace. More than a quarter of employees in the European Union suffer from the consequences of psychosocial burdens in the workplace, which indicates the seriousness of this problem in today's society (Bajt, Jeriček-Klanšček, Britovšek, 2015). The article is written according to a systematic method of analysis of scientific literature, methods of comparison and generalization in the field of burnout, between 2010 and 2019. The aim of the study is to explain the types and levels of burnout in the workplace, as well as the basic causes and consequences for individual workers and work organizations. Our model is based on the Dilts model, which we adapted to different levels and types of burnout by analyzing selected and current literature on workplace burnout. The research questions 1.) How does the analysis of current scientific literature contribute to a better overview of the types, causes and consequences of burnout in the workplace? 2.) What types of pressures in the workplace and personality characteristics of individuals correspond to a certain level of burnout in the workplace? Burnout in the workplace To start with, burnout syndrome was firstly described by clinical psychologist Herbert Freudenberger in research article in 1975. He described burnout as experience of emotional depletion and a loss of motivation and commitment (Maslach, Schaufeli, Leiter, 2001). Burnout is characterized by physical symptoms such as exhaustion, fatigue, frequent headaches, indigestion, insomnia, and shortness of breath. These publications spurred a great amount of research and publication Innovative Issues and Approaches in Social Sciences, Vol. 13, No. 3 | 20 papers over the next 40 years. The most commonly used definition of burnout, however, was put forward by Maslach and Leiter, who define it as indicator of the discrepancy between what people are and what they should do (Maslach, Leiter, 2002, p. 16). We can also define burnout as a prolonged response to chronic emotional and interpersonal stressors on the job. It is defined by the three dimensions: exhaustion, cynicism, and inefficacy (Maslach, Schaufeli, Leiter, 2001). This leads to an escalation of symptoms, from emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, to ultimately reduced efficiency. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) is the first and most widely used questionnaire to measure these three listed dimensions: exhaustion, cynicism and personal inefficiency. It is supposed to enable researchers with the aim to more accurately identify burnout, and at the same time to be an appropriate methodological tool for studying this phenomenon (Maslach, Jackson, Leiter, 1996). From a psychological point of view, we can define three dimensions of burnout: a) emotional exhaustion, characterized by loss of energy; b) depersonalization or cynicism, often described as dehumanization, distancing from work and emotional insensitivity; and c) reduced personal achievement and reduced efficiency (Salvagioni et al., 2017). The first dimension refers to severe and persistent fatigue, in other words feeling constantly drained and worn out. The second dimension involves a loss of interest and enthusiasm for work and even doubts about the importance of their work. The third dimension refers to feelings of incompetence and inefficiency and a reduction in personal achievement at work. Burnout can therefore be defined as a multidimensional framework that includes stress response - exhaustion, response to mental distance - cynicism, and negative belief - decreased efficiency (Schaufeli, 2018). Stress is an important cause of burnout, but we must be aware that it is not the only one. In addition to stress, we can look for the causes of burnout in three other groups of causes: social circumstances, personality traits and work circumstances. The first and second group belong to interpersonal factors, and the third group is classified as intrapersonal factors (Pšeničny, 2009). It is also important to mention the consequences of burnout, because as we know it can have very strong effects on the individual. Burnout can cause both physical problems and mental disorders. As physical usually stomach ailments, headaches and chronic fatigue can occur. On the other hand, feelings of anxiety, insomnia, depression, avoidance of contact often occur as mental problems (Inštitut za razvoj človeških Innovative Issues and Approaches in Social Sciences, Vol. 13, No. 3 | 21 virov, no date). These consequences can lead to serious disruptions in work performance, both in quality and efficiency. As we see, burnout can cause emotional consequences for employees and economic consequences for workplace (Maslach, Leiter, 2002, p.148). Types and levels of burnout in the workplace Workplace burnout rate analysis: types and levels of workplace burnout The analysis of the levels and types of burnout in the workplace is based on the study of conducted research on burnout, published in articles and research literature on the topic of burnout from 2000 to 2019. It is made with the Dilts pyramid, which is a 6th stage model and level hierarchy. Each level in the pyramid corresponds to a particular psychological part of the individual within the organization and is used for the individual’s perception of reality. The Dilts pyramid is based on the fact that brain structure, language, and perceptions form a natural hierarchy of experience levels. The purpose of an individual level is to organize and later control the information of the level below it (Dilts, Epstein, Dilts, 1991, p. 26). According to Robert Dilts, levels follow from the bottom up: environment, behavior, capabilities, beliefs and values, identity and last but not least, mission (Dilts, Delozier, 2000, p. 668). Current studies suggest that burnout should not only be viewed as an individual psychological condition, but also as a collective phenomenon related to economic and socio-cultural characteristics at the national level (Schaufeli, 2018). In next two sections we have described and analyzed such burnout at each stage of the Dilts pyramid, with the help of analysis and relevant literature on workplace burnout. Burnout on the first three levels: environmental, behavioral, and abilities and skills The first level on the Dilts pyramid is environment, where the individual lives and works. Maslach and Leiter (2002), based on an extensive study argue, that burnout is not just a problem of individuals, but a problem of the wider social environment where they work. The work environment defines the relationship of cooperation and the way tasks are handled and is everything we respond to. It is a question of when, where and under what circumstances (Dilts, Delozier, 2000, p. 668) burnout occurs. Working conditions can have a positive as well as a negative impact on the health of employees, employers and other present in an individual company. Unfavorable working conditions often lead to burnout, which occurs due to stress, exhaustion, lack of commitment or dissatisfaction Innovative Issues and Approaches in Social Sciences, Vol. 13, No. 3 | 22 with work performance. All of this can contribute to negative consequences for workers, their families, and the organization itself (Salvagioni et al., 2017). On the other hand, burnout is associated with a lot of types of business activities in organizations, and is more common in education and health, in environments where working with people is unavoidable (Maslach, Leiter, 2016). The Sixth European Working Conditions Survey, made in 2015, (Parent-Thirion et al., 2017), which included 43,675 randomly selected workers from 25 European countries and was completed with data on economic, managerial and cultural characteristics from World Bank, Eurostat and United Nations sources, showed that burnout rates are higher in countries, where work is more important and valued, in poorer countries with weak democracy, corruption and gender inequality, and in countries with a strict hierarchy where people feel more insecure. The countries with the highest burnout rates in Europe are mostly in Eastern Europe (Poland) and SouthEastern Europe (Albania, Turkey, the countries of the former Yugoslavia: Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia). The countries with the lowest burnout rates are found in North-Western Europe (the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland). All non-EU countries exceed the average burnout rate of any EU country, with the highest among them in Turkey and Macedonia. The highest burnout rates among EU countries were in Luxembourg, Slovenia, France, Croatia and Poland. France stands out, as it is the only Western European country with relatively high burnout estimates, as according to a survey, as many as 3.2 million French workers are on the brink of burnout. At the same time, research has shown that burnout is negatively related to a country's economic performance (GDP per capita) and productivity (GDP per capita and per hour), as countries with lower economic development have higher burnout rates. In this aspect, Luxembourg and Switzerland are atypical countries, as they have very high GDP and a relatively high burnout rate. In poorer countries with weak democracy, corruption, inequality among employees, with little integrity, burnout is higher (Schaufeli, 2018). In a survey of employees in Norway in 2007 Hetland and others examined the association between leadership style and burnout levels, which were defined by a high level of exhaustion and cynicism and a low level of efficiency. Findings showed that the quality of management is related to the susceptibility to burnout. In doing so, transformational leadership is strongly associated with cynicism and efficiency, and the association with exhaustion is negative in this leadership. The transactional management style showed no association with burnout. In contrast, the passive-avoidant leadership style showed a connection to emotional exhaustion, which is a key element of burnout and cynicism. The passive-avoidant leadership style is assumed to be related to the subordinate’s ability to manage work Innovative Issues and Approaches in Social Sciences, Vol. 13, No. 3 | 23 situations, so it is surprising that there is no connection between this leadership style and efficiency (Hetland in Berce, 2016). What the impact of the environment is, was also shown by a study which involved 664 French psychologists. Work environments with high demands (e.g. high workload, focus on profitability) and low resources (e.g. lack of visibility) promote burnout. In the study, burnout risk was measured using four different risk profiles: »High burnout risk«, »Burnout risk due to high emotional exhaustion«, »Burnout risk due to low personal achievement« and »No burnout risk«. Research has consequently shown that psychologists are particularly exposed to emotional exhaustion and lack of personal achievement due to professional limitations and a significant lack of visibility. In doing so, there is a higher risk of burnout among psychologists working in companies or in public and private hospitals than among those who are independent. This indicates an association with their working conditions (e.g. profitability, time pressure, lack of personal space to practice) and low resources (e.g. low visibility, low recognition). Similar results were obtained in a survey, that was made in France in which French psychologists were asked to answer an open-ended question about situations they experienced in their work and were personally or professionally affected. The results showed that about 30% of events relate to the psychological experience of psychologists’ work: out of these psychological experiences, about 54% relate to a lack of nonrecognition and degradation of psychologists’ skills (Berjot, Altintas, Grebot, Lesage, 2017). The importance of the environment and an individual's personality in a way someone reacts to the environment was also shown by a survey of 205 Polish teachers. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that exhaustion and cynicism determine both personality and organizational variables, and teacher's effectiveness is determined by personality factors alone. Therefore, teachers who experienced burnout perceived a higher degree of mismatch between themselves and the work environment compared to engaged teachers who showed better coordination (Mojsa-Kaja, Golonka, Marek, 2015). This indicates the importance of the second level, which is the behavior of the individual or activities performed by the individual, which are representing the answer to the question what individual should do. This indicates the individual’s responses to stimuli from the environment, both verbal and nonverbal (Dilts, 1990). As we see at this level, occupational burnout is a disease of people competing with themselves in the spirit of perfectionism. Burnout syndrome occurs almost exclusively in the Innovative Issues and Approaches in Social Sciences, Vol. 13, No. 3 | 24 strongest, most productive, most responsible, creative, and committed people (Bilban, Pšeničny, 2007, p. 25). Accordingly, we see, that we are not all equally susceptible to the development of burnout but are more exposed perfectionists who are never happy with what they do. They want to control all situations too much, which makes them reluctant to assign tasks to others, because in their opinion, no one does the job as well as they do. People, who aspire to high achievements and who cannot say no, are also more susceptible to burnout. The workplace or profession that an individual performs also has a great impact on burnout. Although burnout can occur in any profession, it most often affects managers, sole proprietors, doctors, psychiatrists and managers, as they are often exposed to stressful situations and are often more prone to workaholism. Among them, the most exposed are perfectionists who are never satisfied with what they do and individuals who strive for high goals and achievements (Judež, 2018, p. 294). Therefore, it is important for an individual to develop behavioral self-defense mechanisms by answering different questions about behavior and responses to conditions in the workplace. Social and other skills of employees play an important role in protecting them against the burnout they are exposed to. Under the same conditions, some are subject to burnout syndrome, while others are not, as they differ in their abilities, skills and strategies for achieving the goal associated with the answer to the question »How will I achieve or What skills I need«, »What skills are needed to get the job done without getting burned out« (Zidar Gale, 2005, str. 36). As noted by Moeller and others in their study on the impact of high employee engagement on employee burnout, past studies have highlighted the negative association between employee engagement and the occurrence of burnout. High burnout and engagement occurred in 18.8% employees (Moeller, Ivcevic-Pringle, Menges, White, Brackett, 2018). Some studies even concluded that engagement and burnout are on two opposite poles of a common dimension (Schaufeli, De Witte, 2017). In contrast, a study based on an online survey of 1085 employees in all 50 U.S. states found that the structure of engagement and burnout varies between individuals, meaning that there are groups of individuals who present negative correlations (e.g. »engaged« and »burned out«) and other individuals in whom engagement leads to a positive connection (e.g. »apathetic« and »engaged-exhausted«). The research measured the internal individual profiles of employees' work engagement, burnout, demands and resources on a six-point scale, with answers ranging from »never« to »almost always« or »strongly agree« to »strongly disagree«. For commitment at work, the questions were: »I work as hard as I need to get the job done« and »I feel a lot of energy at work«. For burnout, Innovative Issues and Approaches in Social Sciences, Vol. 13, No. 3 | 25 participants were asked how often at work they felt »disappointed in people« or »physically weak / sick«. The question about requirements included: »I have too much work to do« while resources were measured by questions such as: »my manager is giving me the support I need to do a good job«. The researchers examined the overlap of these different factors and the interactions in order to be able to infer different groups of employee profiles. A large group of American workers (41.4%) were found to be mostly engaged and not burned out, with almost one in five American workers reporting high levels of work commitment and burnout. These exhausted employees, however, reported high levels of positive and negative emotions, as well as intense realization combined with high skills. The number of burnt out and apathetic individuals is small (a total of 3.2 percent). Even though, research has shown, that a high level of engagement in the workplace can be two-sided. For some employees, high engagement is very beneficial for both the employee and the organization when burnout symptoms are low, and for employees with high burnout symptoms, high engagement can lead to unintended consequences, including increased employee intentions to leave the organization. Therefore, managers need to pay close attention to a high level of engagement and help employees in areas where it could lead to burnout, because otherwise they may risk a higher rate of fluctuation and other adverse consequences (Moeller, Ivcevic-Pringle, Menges, White, Brackett, 2018). Burnout on the other three levels: beliefs and values, individual identity and organizational cultures Individuals enter the labor market with certain values and beliefs, guiding thoughts that they consider to be true. These show answers to questions why they do this, what do they want and what is important to them (Dilts, 1990). Maslach and co-workers (2001) found through research that individuals who feel they are most capable of completing work on their own and have idealistic and high expectations are more prone to burnout. The importance of work values was explored in a European Values Study conducted in 2008, which included a representative sample of adults in seven European countries. Four different work values were included with the help of statements, namely: (1) the importance of work with the statement: »Work is important in my life«, (2) the importance of leisure with the statement: »Leisure time is important in my life«, (3) work as a duty with the statement: »Work is a duty towards society« and (4) work centrality with the statement: » Work should always come first, even if it means less spare time«. The survey found that burnout is higher in countries where work is more important and more valued (Schaufeli, 2018). A survey conducted at the Institute for Human Resources Development from Slovenia, between 2013 and Innovative Issues and Approaches in Social Sciences, Vol. 13, No. 3 | 26 2015, which included 3394 people shows, that the situation in Slovenia is similar to the situation in other European countries. Half of the people tested showed signs of exhaustion. As many as 30 percent of them felt exhausted, 20 percent felt trapped, and 8 percent of the population experienced burnout. Among people with signs of exhaustion, one third are exhausted from work and two thirds are burnt out. In particular, four risky personality traits came to the fore. The first is seen as inability to say no. For these people we could say that they are relationship dependent as they find it difficult to set and maintain their boundaries for fear of conflict and rejection. Others are strongly afraid of criticism and mistakes and are sensitive to the idea of rejection. They even experience the suggestion for improvement as a personal attack and devaluation because they need constant recognition to maintain a sense of self-worth. Their self-image is therefore labile, and they call themselves perfectionists. Third parties are overly responsible, control everything, and find it difficult to accept change. They feel responsible even for things over which they have no objective influence. Fourth are excessively introverted and retreat from closeness they cannot cope with through workaholism, because they fear it. These are those »caring partners and parents«, who take good material and functional care of their loved ones, but on the other hand have no time for relationship with them (Inštitut za razvoj človeških virov, 2020). For protection against burnout, we should know exactly the answers to the questions »What is important to me?«, »What I want?« and »What I believe in?« (Zidar Gale, 2005, str.36). Well-defined answers to these questions help to better understand ourselves, our own values and selfimage, which also leads to the answer of the question »Who am I and what my role is«. Maslach and colleagues (2001) found in the study that individuals with low self-esteem, passive problem-solving, poor selfrespect and emotional imbalance are more prone to burnout and are unable to recognize the moment when they need to relax. Also, in a study on the topic of the relationship between personality and burnout, Schwarzkopf and others (2016) found that a higher degree of narcissism or self-confidence is associated with a higher rate of burnout. Individuals with narcissistic traits are more prone to the risk of burnout. In the desire to be the best, they often resort to excessive work or workaholism, which leads to burnout. The personality traits of an individual, especially narcissism, can be just as important as the symptoms of depression, so they need to be considered in preventing burnout (Schwarzkopf, Znoj, Conrad, Porschke, 2016). Also, a survey of burnout-related personality traits, conducted among nurses in Singapore found, that certain personality traits affect burnout. Traits such as openness, agreeableness, extraversion and conscientious have a protective effect Innovative Issues and Approaches in Social Sciences, Vol. 13, No. 3 | 27 on burnout, while emotional neuroticism acts detrimentally. Research has shown that the more an individual has negative personality traits, the greater is the risk of exhaustion and burnout. Personality profiling may be useful in preventing burnout in individuals with weak and negative personality traits (Ang et al., 2016). The Maslach Burnout Inventory is widely used questionnaire to measure burnout, however West, Dyrbye, Satele, Sloan, and Shanafelt (2012) showed that for assessing exhaustion it is also useful to answer the additional question »How often do you feel burned out at work« (Schaufeli, 2018). Some people seem to be prone to react more strongly than others in a similar situation. The importance of personality in the way someone reacts to the environment is also shown in a survey of 205 Polish teachers, already mentioned in the environmental factor. Numerous studies support the idea that certain aspects of personality can affect average levels of stress and starts with stress such as burnout. The most frequently mentioned risk factors for burnout at the level of personality traits are high levels of neuroticism, negative affectivity, and temperament traits that are characteristic of low stimulation process ability (high emotionality, low strength, low selfesteem, avoidance style). On the other hand, resilience, internal integration, and good emotional control are protective factors (MojsaKaja, Golonka, Marek, 2015). Pšeničny also researched interpersonal factors that look for the causes of burnout in an individual’s personality traits and can explain why people in the same work environment, in the same conditions and with the same experience often respond differently to the same stressor. The reason for this was found in personality traits. To answer this question a new Reciprocal Burnout Model (SAI) questionnaire was developed in the survey. 1480 people took part in it. Research has shown that people who burn out are less emotionally stable and more closed. They have a performance-conditioned selfimage and it depends on their achievements. People who burn out are more inclined to put off their own needs, the more important to them is the status they enjoy. Workaholism is a behavioral component of performance self-esteem (Pšeničny, 2009). According to a study by the Institute for Human Resources Development from Slovenia, burnout in Slovenia threatens all demographic groups, most notably managers and female sole proprietors, who burn out more than other men in similar jobs (Pšeničny, 2011, str. 27). Similarly, research conducted on a sample of engineers from high-tech companies (Ronen, Malach Pines, 2008) and on a sample of teachers (Antonious, Polychroni, Vlachakis, 2006) showed a higher burnout rate in women than in men. Innovative Issues and Approaches in Social Sciences, Vol. 13, No. 3 | 28 Burnout is not only related to factors on the part of the employee but also to the organization, company or the institution in which he works. We are talking about so called level of organizational culture. Organizations have the power and resources to do a lot in the area of burnout prevention. The best approach to burnout management is an organizational approach, as it tackles the problems of a group of people instead of focusing on each person individually (Maslach, Leiter, 2002, p. 72). Studies have shown that burnout is more likely to occur in organizations where work is qualitatively and quantitatively too demanding, where workers don’t have social support from superiors and autonomy at work, have little feedback and not a lot of opportunities to participate in decision-making. On the other hand, a positive organizational climate and appropriate leadership are important for reducing burnout in the workplace (Maslach, Schaufeli, Leiter, 2001). The Sixth European Working Conditions Survey in 2015 showed that health condition of employees is related to the number of hours a worker works per week (Parent-Thirion et al., 2017). In countries where companies work longer on average, the burnout rate is higher. Therefore, in the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Germany, where workers generally work the least hours a week, they are more productive, especially due to robotization, automation, the use of IT, and consequently the prevalence of burnout is lower. On the other hand, in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, where employees work more hours a day, they are less productive and furthermore have a higher burnout rate (Schaufeli, 2018). Burnout is more common in organizations with the following characteristics: (1) job characteristics: time pressure, excessive work demands, conflict and role uncertainty, lack of work resources, lack of social support, lack of feedback, no ability to make independent decisions, lack of autonomy; (2) characteristics of the organization: strict hierarchical organization, implicit values of the organization, breach of contract (Jeriček-Klanšček, Bajt, 2015). Conclusion We presented the types of burnout in the workplace, arranged in six levels, in the shape of a pyramid. The levels follow each other in a hierarchical order, each level shows the causes and consequences on the part of the individual or the organization in which they work and lead to burnout syndrome. The width of the pyramid gradually narrows from the level of environment, behavior, abilities and skills of the individual towards the top through beliefs, values and individual identity to i.e. organizational culture. In the field of burnout, analyzing this problem is becoming increasingly important, as more than a quarter of employees in the European Union suffer from the consequences of psychosocial burdens in the workplace. This has the effect on increasing Innovative Issues and Approaches in Social Sciences, Vol. 13, No. 3 | 29 absenteeism, lower work productivity, lower motivation and greater fluctuation. Research shows that mental health disorders are experienced by at least one in four people at some point in their lives, which means that we all more or less face this problem and it is part of our daily lives (Bajt, Jeriček-Klanšček, Britovšek, 2015). The model is based on the analysis of selected and current literature on burnout in the workplace, which allowed us to answer research questions: 1.) How the analysis of current scientific literature contributes to a better overview of the types, causes and consequences of burnout in the workplace. The answer to the first research question: a review of selected literature and a definition of terms provided a better overview of the types, causes and consequences of burnout in the workplace. The analysis by individual levels increases the understanding of burnout in the workplace, which represents added value mainly due to the identification of risk factors for the occurrence of burnout syndrome and on this basis protective behavior to defend against burnout. 2.) What types of pressure in the workplace and personality characteristics of individuals correspond to a certain level of burnout in the workplace. The answer to the second research question was sought by analyzing the literature on burnout in the period from 2010 to 2019. Due to rapid socio-economic changes today, more and more individuals are struggling unsuccessfully with stress and burnout for objective and subjective reasons. Therefore, burnout should be viewed not only as an individual psychological state, but also as a collective phenomenon related to economic and socio-cultural characteristics at the national level. At the environmental level, burnout is negatively linked to a country's economic performance and productivity, while in poorer countries with weak democracy, corruption, inequality among employees, and a strict hierarchy, burnout is higher. Burnout is also higher in environments where working with people (health, education) comes first and is the predominant passive-avoidant leadership style. Behavioral burnout is associated with individuals who are the most productive, responsible, committed people, but dissatisfied with what they do, and constantly striving for new heights and not armed with the appropriate social and other skills to manage stress and burnout. At the forefront, there are the four most risky personality traits associated with an individual’s beliefs and values: they can’t say no, they are very afraid of criticism and mistakes, they are overly responsible, they control Innovative Issues and Approaches in Social Sciences, Vol. 13, No. 3 | 30 everything, they find it difficult to accept changes and they are workaholics. Burnout at the level of individual identity is associated with low self-esteem and low self-respect and is higher in women than men. As a protective factor for reducing burnout, a positive organizational climate at the level of organizational culture has a significant impact. Quantitative and qualitative over-demanding work, with insufficient social support, not enough information, control and autonomy, increases the possibility of burnout syndrome in employees. Knowing all levels and using the model can help individuals to take preventive measures for protection against burnout in the workplace. Limitations of the study The review of findings is based on the analysis of current literature enables individuals and companies to identify the most important pitfalls at the level of the individual, as well as companies and societies that lead to burnout. This allows individuals to develop their own self-defense mechanisms, managers to have the appropriate leadership style and companies to upgrade organizational culture. As we see, the model represents the strategic basis for the preparation of a strategic plan for burnout protection. However, the model also has limitations, as it is based on a theoretical basis and conducted research, which are not as numerous as the burnout problem itself in modern society. However, it represents a good starting point for a further empirical study of workplace burnout, which would include research across all levels presented in Dilts pyramid, as other studies were conducted partially according to individual levels in the model. 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