How to Measure Burnout Accurately and Ethically

The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) is the first scientifically developed measure of burnout and is used widely in research studies around ... Youhave1freearticlesleftthismonth. Youarereadingyourlastfreearticleforthismonth. Subscribeforunlimitedaccess. Createanaccounttoread2more. Healthandbehavioralscience HowtoMeasureBurnoutAccuratelyandEthically TheMaslachBurnoutInventorycanbeahelpfultool—butonlywhenorganizationsuseitcarefully. by ChristinaMaslach and MichaelP.Leiter by ChristinaMaslach and MichaelP.Leiter March19,2021 MirageC/GettyImages Tweet Post Share Save GetPDF BuyCopies Print Summary.    TheMaslachBurnoutInventory(MBI)isthefirstscientificallydevelopedmeasureofburnoutandisusedwidelyinresearchstudiesaroundtheworld.Sinceitsfirstpublicationin1981,theMBIhasbeenappliedforotherpurposes,suchasindividualdiagnosisororganizationalmetrics.Whenusedcorrectly,theseapplicationsoftheMBIcangreatlybenefitemployeesandorganizations.Whenusedincorrectly,itcanresultinmoreconfusionaboutwhatburnoutisratherthangreaterunderstanding.Someoftheseapplicationsareevenunethical.ThisarticleexploreswhattheMBIis,howmisusesoftheMBIhaveledtotroublingoutcomes,andhowfollowingthebestpracticesforadministeringtheMBIcanhelpleadersdesigneffectivewaystobuildengagementandestablishhealthierworkplaces. Tweet Post Share Save GetPDF BuyCopies Print Leerenespañol Leremportuguês ItisnowclearthattheCovid-19pandemichasaggravatedburnoutandrelatedformsofworkplacedistress,acrossmanyindustries.Thishasledmoreorganizationstobecomemoreawareofburnout,andmoreconcernedaboutwhattodoaboutit.WefeltitwastherighttimetoassesstheuseoftheMaslachBurnoutInventory(MBI)inorganizations.ThisarticlewillgiveanoverviewaboutwhattheMBIis,coversomeconcerningwaysthatitisbeingmisused,andshowhowemployersshoulduseitforthebenefitofemployees,organizations,andtheworld’sunderstandingofburnout. WhatIstheMBI? Asthepandemichasspilledfrom2020into2021,somanypeopleinsomanyplacesaretalkingaboutburnout.Thephenomenonofburnoutisnotnew—peoplewhohavebeenwornoutandturnedoffbytheworktheydohaveappearedinbothfictionalandnonfictionalwritingforcenturies.Inthepast60years,theterm“burnout”hasbecomeapopularwayofdescribingthisparticularphenomenonthatcaptureswhatmanypeopleareexperiencingnow. Bythelate1970s,questionswerecrystallizing:Whatistheburnoutexperience?Whyisitaproblem?Whatcausesit?Answeringthesequestionswouldrequireresearchtoolsthatdidnotyetexist,whichledtothecreationoftheMaslachBurnoutInventory(MBI).Firstpublishedin1981andnowwithitsManualinitsfourthedition,theMBIisthefirstscientificallydevelopedmeasureofburnoutandisusedwidelyinresearchstudiesaroundtheworld. TheMBIalignswiththeWorldHealthOrganization’s2019definitionofburnoutasalegitimateoccupationalexperiencethatorganizationsneedtoaddress,characterizedbythreedimensions: Feelingsofenergydepletionorexhaustion Increasedmentaldistancefromone’sjob,orfeelingsofnegativismorcynicismrelatedtoone’sjob Reducedprofessionalefficacy TheMBIassesseseachofthesethreedimensionsofburnoutseparately.Itsformatemergedfrompriorexploratoryworkonburnoutinthe1970s,whichusedinterviewswithworkersinvarioushealthandhumanserviceprofessions,on-siteobservationsoftheworkplace,andcasestudies.Anumberofconsistentthemesappearedintheformofstatementsaboutpersonalfeelingsorattitudes(forexample,“Ifeelemotionallydrainedfrommywork”),soaseriesofthesestatementsbecametheitemsintheMBImeasure.TheMBIdevelopedanapproachbasedonthefrequencywithwhichpeopleexperiencedthosefeelings,withresponsesrangingfrom“never”to“everyday.” Afterrigoroustesting,theMBI-HumanServicesSurvey(MBI-HSS)waspublished,followedbyotherversions,includingtheMBI-EducatorsSurvey(MBI-ES)andtheMBIformedicalpersonnel(MBI-MP).TheMBI-GeneralSurvey(MBI-GS)wasdevelopedforusewithpeopleinanytypeofoccupation,andwastestedinseveralcountries,inseverallanguages. Inallversions,theMBIyieldsthreescoresforeachrespondent:exhaustion,cynicism,andprofessionalefficacy.Thereisacontinuumoffrequencyscores,frommorepositivetomorenegative,ratherthananarbitrarydividingpointbetween“present”and“absent.”Aprofileofburnoutisindicatedbymorenegativescoresonallthreedimensions. Inresearchstudies,thegoalhasbeentostudywhatthingsareassociatedwitheachofthethreedimensions.Forexample,dosometypesofworkplaceconditionsmakeitdifficulttodothejobwell(lowerprofessionalefficacy)orcreateworkoverload(higherexhaustion)?Doestheoccurrenceofburnoutbeginwithexhaustion,whichthenleadstocynicismandthedeclineinprofessionalefficacy,orarethereotherpathstoburnout? ModificationsandMisusesoftheMBI Morerecently,theMBIhasbeenappliedforotherpurposes,suchasindividualdiagnosisororganizationalmetrics.Whenusedcorrectly,theseapplicationsoftheMBIcangreatlybenefitemployeesandorganizations.Whenusedincorrectly,itcanresultinmoreconfusionaboutwhatburnoutisratherthangreaterunderstanding.Someoftheseapplicationsareevenunethical. ThefactthattheMBIproducesthreescoreshasledtosomechallenges.Thiscomplexityhasledsometoseekasimpleroutcomebymodifyingthescoringprocedure.First,somepeoplehaveaddedthethreescorestogether.Theproblemwiththisadditiveapproachisthatthesametotalscorecanbeachievedbyverydifferentcombinationsofthethreedimensions.Anothermisusehasbeentoconsiderthethreedimensionsas“symptoms”ofburnout,andtothenarguethatanegativescoreonanyoneofthesesymptomsconstitutesburnout.Anotheroversimplificationhasbeentouseonlyonequestiontoassesseachdimension. Second,somepeoplehavedecidedtouseonlyoneofthethreedimensionsofburnout(usuallyexhaustion),implicitlyproposinganewdefinitionofburnout.Inanothervariationofthisfocusonexhaustion,somehavearguedthatthecorrelationwithmeasuresofdepression(whichcontainmultipleitemsaboutexhaustion)meanthatburnoutisreallyjustdepression. Third,anotherscoringmodificationhasinvolvedarbitrarilydividingthesampleofrespondentsinhalfandinaccuratelyassumingthatthehalfthathasmorenegativescoresisburnedout,andtheotherhalfisnot.Somehaveusedthedescriptionsoftherangeofscores,whichdividetherangeintothirds(lower,mid-range,upper),asthearbitrarycutoffsfor“low,medium,andhighburnout.”Whentheirstudyreplicatesthatsamerange,theyinaccuratelyclaimthat“athirdofthegroupishighlyburnedout.” Whatleadstoallthesemisuses?Amajorreasonforthesescoringmodifications(andresultinginaccuracies)isthatmanythinkofburnoutassomesortofmedicaldiseaseordisability,andtheywantasinglescorethatcandiagnosewhetherindividualemployeeshavethisdisabilityornot,yetweneverdesignedtheMBIasatooltodiagnoseanindividualhealthproblem.Indeed,fromthebeginning,burnoutwasnotconsideredsometypeofpersonalillnessordisease—aviewpointthattheWHOreiteratedinitsMay2019statement.However,manyformsofpersonaltherapyortreatmentcanonlyoccur,orbecoveredbyinsurance,ifthereisanofficiallyrecognizeddiagnosiswithintheoverallhealth-caresystem.Therehasbeencontinuingpressuretodefineburnoutinmedicaltermstomakeitfitwithinthatsystem. EvenmoretroublingisthemisuseofMBIscorestoidentify(sometimespublicly)peoplewhoare“diagnosed”asburnedoutandwhothereforeneedtobedealtwithinsomeway(“youshouldseekcounseling,”“yourteamneedstoshapeup,”“youshouldquitifyoucan’thandlethejob”).ResearchstudiesconsiderthisnonconfidentialuseofMBIscoreswithinorganizationstobeunethical.Giventhatthereisnoclinicalbasisforassumingthatburnoutisapersonaldisability,andnoevidenceforestablishedtreatmentsforit,theuseofanindividual’sscoresinthiswayisclearlywrong. BestPracticesforUsingtheMBIatWork TheMBIwasdesignedfordiscovery—bothofnewinformationthatextendsourknowledgeaboutburnoutandofpossiblestrategiesforchange.ThisdiscoverycanalsotakeplacewhenorganizationsusetheMBIforpracticalstudiesandplanning.WhentheMBIisusedcorrectly,andinstrategiccombinationwithotherrelevantinformation,thefindingscanhelpleadersdesigneffectivewaystobuildengagementandestablishhealthierworkplacesinwhichemployeeswillthrive. First,newresearchhasrevealedhowtobringtogetherallthreeMBIdimensionsinacomprehensiveandmeaningfulway. Thisnewscoringprocedureforthethreedimensionsgeneratesfiveprofilesofpeople’sworkexperience: Burnout:negativescoresonexhaustion,cynicism,andprofessionalefficacy Overextended:strongnegativescoreonexhaustiononly Ineffective:strongnegativescoreonprofessionalefficacyonly Disengaged:strongnegativescoreoncynicismonly Engagement:strongpositivescoresonexhaustion,cynicism,andprofessionalefficacy Allfiveoftheseexperiencesneedtobebetterunderstood,notjustthetwoextremesofburnoutandengagement.Whenmeasuredproperly,evidencesuggeststhatonly10%to15%ofemployeesfitthetrueburnoutprofile,whereastheengagementprofileappearstwiceasoften,ataround30%.Thatleavesoverhalfofemployeesasnegativeinoneortwodimensions—notburnedout,butperhapsonthepathwaythere. Whenresearchdataisgatheredonhowpeoplearereactingtosixkeycomponentsoftheirworkplaceculture(workload,control,reward,community,fairness,values—asreflectedbyscoresontheAreasofWorklifeSurvey,orAWS),eachprofileshowsaverydifferentpattern.Forexample,theoverextendedgrouphasjustonekeyproblem:workload(highdemandsandlowresources).Butthedisengagedorineffectivegroupsseemtohaveotherproblems,includingfairnessintheworkplace,orsocialrewardsandrecognition.Theburnoutgrouphasmajorissueswithmultipleaspectsoftheworkplace—apatternthatstandsinsharpcontrasttothe“exhaustion-only”overextendedgroup.Anysolutionthatanemployerundertakestoimprovethework-lifeexperienceneedstoaccountforthevaryingsourcesofthefivedifferentpatterns,ratherthanassumingthatonetypeofsolutionwillfitall. Second,organizationsshouldnotusetheMBIinisolation.Theyshouldcombineitsfindingswiththoseofothertoolstodeterminethelikelycausesofthefiveprofiles.Asinglesummaryofemployees’MBIscoresdoesnotprovideanyusefulguidanceonwhythesummarylookslikeitdoes,nordoesitsuggestpossiblepathstoimprovement. Fororganizationsthatdonothaveinternalresourcestoconductanappliedstudyofemployeeburnoutandengagement,analternativeoptionistoobtainassessmentservicesfromconsultantsortestpublishers.Externalsurveyorscanassureconfidentialitybyactingasintermediariesbetweenemployeerespondentsandmanagement.Theyoftenhaveagreatercapacitytogenerateindividualorworkgroupreports.Largeorganizationsdonothaveoneoverallprofileontheseissues:scoresvaryconsiderablyacrossorganizationalunits.Importantquestionsinclude:Whatisthepercentageofeachprofilewithinvariousunitsoftheorganization?Isburnoutaproblemonlyincertainareasorwithincertainoccupationalspecialties?Theorganizationcanthenusesuchreportstodevelopoptimalpoliciesandpracticestoeffectpositivechange. Theonlinesurveysforassessingburnoutneedtoincludeanoptionforemployeestoprovidetheirownwrittencommentsandsuggestions.Peopleoftenputalotofthoughtandeffortintotheircomments,andtheresultscangivevaluableinsights,especiallyifthemesemergeacrossawiderangeofresponses.Employersmayaddsupplementalquestionstotargetissuesthatarespecifictotheorganizationatthattime. Thereisanimportantcaveatwithrespecttothesekindsoforganizationalassessments: organizationsmustsharetheresultswiththepeoplewhogeneratedthem.Alltoooften,wehaveseenleaderscollectinformationfromtheiremployeesbutneverprovideanyfeedbackaboutwhattheylearnedandwhethertheywillactuallyusethatinformationforpositiveimprovements.Whenemployeesdoworkthatisnotacknowledged,theriskofcynicismandfrustrationrises.Itisimportantforleaderstoreflectontheimplicationsofthepatternofscoresandthethemesofthecomments.Managementatalllevelshastoclearlycommunicatetheimportanceoftheorganizationalassessment;thegoalistomakepositivechange,andmanagementwilltakeaction. “Burnout”hasbecomeapopularumbrellatermforwhateverdistressespeopleintheirwork,butwehopewe’veclearedupsomemisconceptions.Althoughthelabelcanbemisusedandmisunderstood,itisanimportantred-flagwarningthatthingscangowrongforemployeesonthejob.Thatwarningshouldnotbeignoredordownplayedbutshouldincitecoursecorrections.Allstakeholdersfromlineworkerstotheboardroomneedacompleteunderstandingofwhatburnoutisandhowitcanbeproperlyidentifiedandsuccessfullymanaged;thisisessentialtoreshapingtoday’sworkplacesanddesigningbetteronesinthefuture. Thisarticleisadaptedfromthe HBRGuidetoBeatingBurnout. ReadmoreonHealthandbehavioralscience orrelatedtopics Psychology, Stressmanagement andBurnout CM ChristinaMaslachisaprofessorofpsychologyandacoreresearcherattheHealthyWorkplacesCenterattheUniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley.Sheisthepioneerofresearchonjobburnout,producingthestandardassessmenttool(theMaslachBurnoutInventory,MBI),books,andaward-winningarticles.Shehasbeenhonoredwithmultipleawards,includingonefromtheNationalAcademyofSciencesin2020. ML MichaelP.Leiterisaresearcherandwriteronpsychology,focusingonburnout,workengagement,andsocialrelationshipsatwork.Recentinitiativesincludeimprovingthequalityofworklifethroughenhancingcivilityandrespectamongcolleagues.HehaswrittenextensivelyontheseissuesbasedonhisresearchinNorthAmericaandAustralia.ResidinginNovaScotia,Canada,heisHonoraryProfessor,DeakinUniversityandAcadiaUniversity. Tweet Post Share Save GetPDF BuyCopies Print ReadmoreonHealthandbehavioralscience orrelatedtopics Psychology, Stressmanagement andBurnout PartnerCenter Diversity Latest Magazine Ascend Topics Podcasts Video Store TheBigIdea Data&Visuals CaseSelections HBRLearning