Workplace climate, job stress, and burnout among gay men

In this survey study of 181 gay men, a minority stress framework informed an examination of the impact of workplace factors on the experience of burnout. Participants were employed in the same workplace for at least six months and had attained at least an undergraduate degree. Survey responses were gathered via the internet as well as from paper surveys. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) workplace climate was hypothesized to have an indirect effect (mediation/moderation) on the relationship between two predictors, gay identity and job stress, and one outcome, burnout. Hierarchical multiple regressions and a bootstrapped path analysis were used to estimate and evaluate the significance of indirect effects. These analyses suggested that LGBT workplace climate functioned as a significant mediator for the relationship between threat (a dimension of job stress) and personal efficacy (a dimension of burnout) and for the relationship between gay identity and personal efficacy. LGBT workplace climate did not function as a significant moderator. These results identify LGBT Workplace Climate as a mechanism through which chaotic work experiences and negative attitudes about sexual identity contribute to the feeling of inefficacy at work among gay men. These findings highlight the importance of understanding how improving workplace conditions for LGBT employees can prevent burnout and in turn, increase work performance and satisfaction