Mindfulness and Resilience As Predictors of Burnout

The faster pace of work due to technological advances and globalization as well as global competition in the workforce may lead to increased chances of stress and burnout among employees. Understanding more predictors of burnout may help companies create better work environments to increase productivity and minimize consequences of burnout (e.g., higher absenteeism, turnover, substance abuse, anxiety, depression). However, not enough research has been done to study the degree to which personality traits predict burnout. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to examine the degree to which trait mindfulness and trait resilience predict burnout. The study was a cross-sectional, correlational survey in which data were collected online through self-reports from people working at least part-time. Responses from 139 participants were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression. Results showed that both mindfulness and burnout predicted burnout above and beyond the effects of demographic variables. Furthermore, results also showed that mindfulness was more predictive of most domains of burnout than resilience, and resilience was more predictive of client-related burnout. Results suggest mindfulness and resilience are important predictors of burnout. Therefore, organizational leaders could prioritize selecting employees with, and provide resources to build upon existing levels of, mindfulness and resilience to reduce burnout and its subsequent consequences