Burnout is a syndrome which is commonly found among individuals working in high pressure environments and is defined as a negative experience which results from the interaction between the individual and the environment (Yip and Rowlinson, 2009). Burnout is known to be a syndrome characterized by three dimensions; these dimensions being emotional exhaustion, cynicism and personal inefficacy; burnout affects individuals in a way that they are likely to feel as if they have a lack of energy, a cynical attitude which causes distancing from work and are inclined to view themselves in a negative light causing them to feel dissatisfied with their achievements in the workplace (Maslach et al, cited in Yip and Rowlinson, 2009). The construction industry is a complex and demanding environment which consists of long working hours and as a result can cause mental and physical exhaustion (Yip and Rowlinson, 2009). Characteristics of the construction industry which include multilevel subcontracting, time pressure, constant worker rotation and an unstable work environment are what could contribute to the psychological stress experienced by managers in the construction industry; these stress causing factors are what justify studying the prevalence of burnout in the construction industry (Melia and Becerril, 2007).
The level of burnout among project managers in the construction industry:
Existing literature discusses burnout in terms of the three dimensions, emotional exhaustion, cynicism and personal inefficacy, and relates these constructs of burnout to turnover intention, job satisfaction, demographic characteristics, work engagement and organizational commitment; the literature also considers the prevalence of burnout in the construction industry and the effects thereof on the performance of employees. Emotional exhaustion occurs when an individual has been
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