Critical predictors of burnout among civil engineers at construction sites: a structural equation modelling
Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management
ISSN: 0969-9988
Article publication date: 5 August 2021
Issue publication date: 24 November 2022
Abstract
Purpose
The construction industry has always been regarded as a stressful and task-driven industry with high levels of work pressure. When the stressful situations are prolonged, job burnout becomes unavoidable for construction professionals. The purpose of the present paper is to investigate the critical predictors of burnout among civil engineers at construction sites in Turkey and identify the impact of those determined burnout predictors on various burnout dimensions.
Design/methodology/approach
The possible causes of burnout for civil engineers at construction sites were determined using an extensive literature review and were further studied using a questionnaire. The obtained data were analysed statistically using SPSS 22 and LISREL 8.7 software. Correlation analysis, exploratory and confirmatory analysis, and structural equation modelling were performed on this collected data, and a structural model was developed.
Findings
Three critical factors affecting burnout levels of civil engineers in construction sites were determined; among them “organisational injustice” and “competitive pricing and lack of contract management” were identified as the critical predictors of burnout in the emotional-exhaustion and cynicism dimensions. Based on these predictors, potential solutions and recommendations are proposed that are anticipated to decrease the burnout among civil engineers at construction sites.
Originality/value
Although there are several works of research regarding the burnout among construction professionals, there is limited research that has provided insight into the specific factors causing burnout among civil engineers. This research presents a structural model of the predictors obtained by a confirmatory factor analysis for decreasing the burnout level of civil engineers at construction sites. The current study represents the first comprehensive quantitative determination of the factors and predictors of burnout among civil engineers at construction sites in Turkey.
Keywords
Citation
Gumusburun Ayalp, G. (2022), "Critical predictors of burnout among civil engineers at construction sites: a structural equation modelling", Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, Vol. 29 No. 9, pp. 3547-3573. https://doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-12-2020-1066
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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