Differences in the Emotional Burnout Symptoms Between Older and Younger Employees with Reference to Job Satisfaction in the Arabian Gulf

Abstract

Purpose: The primary purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of occupational stress and burnout symptoms on people of various ages. This study also examines the impact of occupational stress, burnout symptoms, and age on employees’ perceived job satisfaction.

Methodology: This study adopted a quantitative research method that included a survey of employees in two age groups: older employees (41 years old and above) and younger employees (40 years old and under). To determine the extent of the constructs’ influence in the workplace, the constructs of occupational stress, burnout symptoms, and job satisfaction were examined using factor analysis in SPSS. The Mann-Whitney U-test was used to see if the perception of occupational stress and burnout symptoms differs across age groups. Finally, multiple regression techniques were used to investigate the impact of occupational stress, burnout symptoms, and age on employee job satisfaction.

Findings: The findings revealed significant differences in the emotional burnout symptoms between older and younger employees. However, the two age groups found no significant differences in occupational stress, physical symptoms of burnout, or behavioral burnout symptoms. Occupational stress and emotional burnout symptoms were also found to significantly affect employees’ job satisfaction. In contrast, behavioral and physical symptoms of burnout and age did not affect job satisfaction.

Applications of this study: This study can provide Bahraini and Saudi Arabian human resource managers with supporting empirical data and potentially help them to better understand and manage varied forms and levels of stress and burnout, experienced by employees of various age groups in order to boost employee job satisfaction.

Novelty/originality of this study: Due to the limited studies in this field within this region, this research attempts to focus on Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. The study will also provide in-depth knowledge and understanding of how workplace characteristics are affected by employee age groups. This research enhances the scholarly literature and has the potential to provide direction for future studies in this field, especially in the Arabian Gulf region.