The Customer,Co-Worker,and Management Burnout. Distinction in Service Settings

ABSTRACT

Academic research indicates that distinct types of workplace burnout exist in service settings, including management burnout (MBO), customer burnout (CUBO), and co-worker burnout (CWBO). Each type of burnout can have detrimental influences on important service outcomes. As managers attempt to improve service quality, it is important that they consider the impact of each burnout dimension. The current work extends previous work on the psychological antecedents of burnout by considering the effects of personality traits on these distinct types of burnout and by considering the extent to which each type of burnout influences customer contact behaviors and propensity to leave the service organization. The researchers present the results of an empirical study that included survey data obtained from banking employees. The results support several hypothesized relationships that relate personality traits to each burnout facet, as well as the hypothesized influence of the burnout dimensions on customer contact performance and intentions to leave the service firm. Implications of the findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.