Job Demand, Resources, and Burnout: Investigating Job Satisfaction Among Administrative Staff

INTRODUCTION

In the demanding realm of healthcare, the well-being of the workforce, particularly administrative staff, is frequently challenged, leading to burnout, a state marked by energy depletion, mental distancing from one’s job, and diminished professional efficacy.^[1] This group, pivotal to healthcare operations, faces burnout linked to adverse mental health outcomes and reduced job satisfaction.^[2,3] The job demands-resources (JD-R) model serves as a lens for understanding how job characteristics affect well-being, motivation, and performance.^[4] Job demands encompass workload, emotional, cognitive, and physical demands, each requiring sustained effort and impacting well-being.^[4] For healthcare administrators, this translates to managing patient scheduling, record keeping, and patient interactions alongside decision-making and ergonomic challenges.

Conversely, job resources such as social support, autonomy, training, development, and feedback are vital for achieving goals and promoting well-being.^[4] Support from colleagues and supervisors, control over tasks, ongoing education, and constructive feedback are the key to enhancing job satisfaction and efficiency.

The JD-R model outlines two pathways: one where job demands lead to burnout and negative outcomes, such as decreased job satisfaction and turnover,^[3-5] and another where job resources foster work engagement, leading to positive outcomes, such as improved patient care and organisational commitment.^[4-6]

Understanding these dynamics in healthcare settings is essential for enhancing employee well-being. Potential interventions include workload management and stress reduction programs complemented by supportive policies to boost retention and organisational resilience.

This study employed the JD-R model to explore the intricate relationships between burnout and job satisfaction among administrative staff at a tertiary care hospital. It aims to pinpoint specific job demands and resources influencing these outcomes, providing actionable recommendations to bolster job resources, mitigate demands, and reduce burnout.^[7] This study aimed to investigate the relationships among job demands, job resources, burnout, and job satisfaction among administrative staff at a tertiary care hospital.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This cross-sectional research study assessed job demands, job resources, burnout, and job satisfaction for administrative staff working in a tertiary care hospital in Deralakatte, Mangalore, Karnataka, India. The research data was collected for 3 months between April and June 2024. The study population included all hospital administrative staff, and purposive sampling was used to select participants who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Participants included lower-level managers (administrative staff) with at least 3 months of experience, but participants who had worked less than three months were not included. The Daniel formula for estimating proportions determined the required sample size, creating the minimum sample size of 131 participants at a 95% confidence level and 5% error margin.

Data were gathered using a structured English questionnaire that consisted of three parts. Part A comprised demographic information such as age, gender, years of service, and education. Part B had 25 statements that measured job demands and resources using a Likert scale. Part C assessed job satisfaction according to the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model. The Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI), spanning both, measured the respondents’ burnout. Trained research investigators conducted the in-person interviews. Before giving written informed consent, the investigation was clearly explained to the respondents.

The methods were standard in that no special equipment or devices were necessary to gather the data, as the study was conducted through self-administered questionnaires and interviews. Data entry was entered using MS Excel 2021, and statistical analysis was done on SPSS version 29 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). The demographic characteristics were summarised using descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, frequency, percentage, etc). In contrast, Pearson correlation and Chi-square tests were used to identify relationships between job demands, job resources, burnout, and job satisfaction. A 95% confidence interval was applied, and p-values < 0.05 were deemed statistically significant.

Ethical clearance for the study was obtained from the Institutional Ethics Committee of KS Hegde Medical Academy, Nitte (Deemed to be University), IEC certificate number INST.EC/EC/2952023. Permission to conduct the study was also obtained through the hospital’s medical superintendent. The study was conducted according to the ethical standards of the committee that approved it. Written informed consent was received from all participants, and confidentiality was maintained by omitting names, initials, and hospital identification numbers from all study documents. The study was self-funded by the authors.

RESULTS

Table 1 shows that 131 individuals were primarily identified within the range of 21-31 years (45%) and within 32-41 years (33.6%). Most respondents identified as female (71%). The respondents’ experience varied, with a considerable group having over 5 years (64.9%), and 26% reporting it as less than 2 years of experience. Overall, the respondents were primarily middle-aged females with much experience; therefore, they were knowledgeable and experienced with job demands and resources, and experienced professional burnout while working as an administrative worker at a hospital.

Table 2 presents descriptive statistics for the study variables among administrative staff. The average overall burnout score was 34.28, with exhaustion and disengagement means at 17.65 and 16.63, respectively. Job demands varied, with cognitive demand averaging 8.13 and emotional demand 2.87. Job resources had an overall score of 55.59, including social support (8.69), reward and recognition (11.11), and supervisor support (11.81). Job satisfaction had a mean score of 86.02. These statistics provide insights into burnout, job demands, resources, and satisfaction, highlighting areas for potential improvement in staff well-being and performance.

Table 3 represents the prevalence of burnout considering job demand in low job demand environments,10% of staff experience high exhaustion, 9.1% of staff experience high disengagement, whereas in high job demand environments, 25.8% of staff experience high exhaustion, 25.0% of staff experience high disengagement.

The table also depicts the prevalence of burnout in relation to job resources, focusing on exhaustion and disengagement. Among those with low job resources, 15% experienced low exhaustion, 45% moderate exhaustion, and 40% high exhaustion. For moderate job resources, 31.7% had low exhaustion, 50% moderate exhaustion, and 18.3% high exhaustion. High job resources showed 29% with low exhaustion, 54.8% moderate exhaustion, and 16.1% high exhaustion. In terms of disengagement, 13.6% of those with low job resources had low disengagement, 50% moderate, and 36.4% high disengagement. With moderate job resources, 22% experienced low disengagement, 52.5% moderate, and 25.4% high disengagement. High job resources showed 53.6% with low disengagement, 42.9% moderate, and 3.6% high disengagement. These results highlight that higher job resources are linked to lower levels of both exhaustion and disengagement, underscoring the significance of adequate job resources in reducing burnout among administrative staff.

Table 4 explains the relationship between job demand, job resources, burnout (disengagement, exhaustion), and job satisfaction using Karl Pearson’s correlation showed significant relationships between job demands, job resources, burnout, and job satisfaction. Overall job demands were positively correlated with exhaustion (r = 0.321**) and job satisfaction (r = 0.484**). Cognitive demand was negatively correlated with disengagement (r = -0.178*) but positively correlated with job satisfaction (r = 0.551**). Emotional demands correlated positively with exhaustion (r = 0.174*) and job satisfaction (r = 0.233**). Time pressure had positive correlations with disengagement (r = 0.256**) and exhaustion (r = 0.319**), but a negative correlation with job satisfaction (r = -0.059). Work-home interference and physical work environment were positively correlated with burnout and negatively correlated with job satisfaction. Job resources strongly correlated with job satisfaction, especially rewards and recognition (r = 0.646**), social support (r = 0.626**), and supervisor support (r = 0.719**). Higher job resources were linked to lower disengagement and higher job satisfaction, highlighting the importance of balancing job demands with resources to manage burnout and enhance job satisfaction.

DISCUSSION

This study sheds light on the significant relationships among job demands, job resources, burnout, and job satisfaction for administrative staff working in a tertiary care hospital in India. The study sample was primarily female (71%) and mostly in the 21-31 age range (45%), and mainly had more than five years of professional work experience (64.9%), signifying a fairly experienced administrative staff pool. These demographics were consistent with previous research by Abadi et al. and Mijakoski et al, indicating a trend toward younger female healthcare administrative staff.^[4,7] The high job demands, such as workload, emotional demands, and temporal demands, are all highly related to burnout, particularly as it relates to exhaustion and disengagement. Regarding the high demands, 25.8% of staff reported high exhaustion and 25% reported high disengagement, compared with 10% and 9.1% for low demands, respectively. These findings are consistent with prior research conducted by Vander Elst et al and Patel et al, which showed that higher job demands are related to increased burnout among healthcare administrative and support staff.^[8,9] These findings also highlight the key tenets of the JD-R model, which has been developed to demonstrate the impact of excess demands on employee well-being and performance, explicitly focusing on the damaging effects.^[3,5]

Job resources were found to have an important protective effect against burnout, with staff with low job resources having the highest levels of exhaustion (40%) and disengagement (36.4%). Staff who reported moderate job resources had moderate levels of burnout (50% exhaustion, 52.5% disengagement). High job resources were associated with even significantly lower burnout scores, supporting the proposition made by the JD-R model that job resources protect against the negative impact of job demands.^[10] Specifically, the most salient resources: rewards and recognition, social support, and supervisory support had a significant positive correlation to disengagement and job satisfaction (r = 0.646, r = 0.626, and r = 0.719, respectively).^[7,10]

As mentioned, both job demands and resources impacted job satisfaction. Even more uniquely, high job demands had higher job satisfaction scores (mean 28.22 to 33.38), which may have to do with the great rewards of fulfilling challenging job roles. This contrasts with job resources, which exhibited a strong relationship with higher job satisfaction (mean 46.94 to 62.51), and supported the previous literature by Ogresta et al, suggesting that it is the availability of resources that promotes engagement and satisfaction.^[12]

The correlation analysis indicated subtle relationships regarding individual job demands and outcomes. Cognitive demands were slightly negatively correlated with disengagement and slightly positive for job satisfaction, whereas emotional demands correlated with exhaustion and job satisfaction. Demands of time pressure, physical workload, and recipient contact were correlated with job satisfaction, indicating that actual job demands have a more complex effect on administrative staff.^[9,13] The high level of job resources was especially critical to mitigate burnout, which was negatively correlated with disengagement and positively correlated with job satisfaction. Various job resources correlate negatively with disengagement (rewards and recognition, social, and supervisor support) and positively with job satisfaction. Our findings substantiate the protective role of job resources for burnout, as reported in other studies by Mijakoski et al.^[7] By connecting our findings with organisations, hospital administrations must more intentionally manage job resources to ameliorate the adverse effects of a high job demand, promoting positive outcomes related to job-related well-being for the employee and the organisation.^[3,5,14] In conclusion, this study confirms the substantial role that job demands and job resources play in exhaustion and job satisfaction burnout experiences among general hospital administrative staff. Interventions designed to increase job resources in parallel with controlling job demands may represent viable intervention options to promote job satisfaction, improve organisational engagement, and reduce burnout in tertiary health care settings.

CONCLUSION

The current study shows that high job demands increase burnout amongst administrative staff, but job resources can help alleviate exhaustion and disconnection. However, providing further supportive resources, including recognising work efforts, social support, and supervisory support, can improve job satisfaction even with high demands.

These findings highlight the need for the hospital to allow parameters of workload pressures and have strong organisational support in place. Increasing job resources through recognition programs, training opportunities, supportive leadership, and reducing unnecessary demands are successful ways to mitigate burnout and develop a healthier, more satisfied, and resilient workforce.