Mobbing and burnout in selected working environments

Background. Next to burnout, mobbing belongs to those workplace phenomena that are strongest correlated with stress. Chronic stress, combined with negative organizational solutions, is an underlying cause of professional burnout. Mobbing is an extreme social stress factor. The phenomena of mobbing, stress and burnout at work, associated with social and civilization changes, are increasingly faced by employees.

Aim. The aim of this study was to analyse the incidence of burnout syndrome and its correlation to mobbing and stress among workers of courts of general jurisdiction, healthcare sector, and supermarkets.

Material and methods. The study was conducted between May 2014 and October 2014. It involved 418 individuals at the age of 19–64 years, holding various positions in selected working environments. This survey-based study was carried out using the Polish adaptation of the Negative Acts Questionnaire (NAQ), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI).

Results. The analysis showed that sociodemographic factors contribute to the mobbing phenomenon. Correlations between mobbing, stress and burnout syndrome demonstrated statistically significant differences (p < 0.05). The highest severity and exposure to mobbing were observed among workers of supermarkets. In the healthcare sector mobbing more often affects workers with longer seniority.

Conclusions. The problem of mobbing is associated with stress and burnout syndrome. It affects mostly people who are dissatisfied with their work. Individuals with higher education are less exposed to mobbing.