Successful return to work after burnout: an evaluation of job, person- and private-related burnout determinants as determinants of return-to-work quality after sick leave for burnout

Abstract

Purpose

Burnout literature has primarily studied determinants and rehabilitation. Remarkably, ways to enable qualitative return to work after burnout are considered considerably less and were studied here. Specifically, building on the Job Demands-Resources model and Effort-Recovery model, this study investigated determinants of the quality of return to work.

Material and Methods

Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the quality of reintegration among 786 workers who were surveyed about their return to work after a burnout episode.

Results

Restarting work at a new employer and especially getting supervisor support appeared beneficial, whereas remaining burnout symptoms, stressors in one’s private environment and – mostly – neuroticism hampered the quality of return to work.

Conclusion

Given the high prevalence and important costs burnout entails, primary prevention alone proves insufficient. Current study findings inform on how to optimize the quality of reintegration in the workplace after a burnout episode, demonstrating that supportive managers and inclusive workplaces (i.e., open to hire applicants with a burnout history) are important levers for qualitative return to work, next to ensuring workers are not (so much) impaired by their burnout rest symptoms.

Implications for Rehabilitation

• Reintegration trajectories after burnout should not only be evaluated by sick leave duration but also by the clients’ subjective experience of quality of return to work.

• Rehabilitation professionals should ensure clients prepare return to work early so they return timely and are not (so much) impaired by their burnout rest symptoms.

• Rehabilitation professionals should propose reorientation towards a new employer in case of irreversible work ability problems at the current workplace.

• The clients’ current work situation should allow for sufficient supervisor social support.

• Also stressors in private life (like divorce) and personality characteristics (like neuroticism) should be considered as they may hamper quality of return to work.

Keywords:

• Health
• occupational
• burnout
• psychological
• return to work
• rehabilitation
• recovery
• mental health

Acknowledgement

The authors thank Eline Moens for having facilitated the data collection.

Disclosure statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Data availability statement

The anonymized data are stored in an online data repository. Access to the data can be given upon request.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) thank the Special Research Fund of Ghent University.