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Linking Biomechanical Workload and Organizational Practices to Burnout and Satisfaction

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Abstract

We found support for several hypotheses linking work practices to employee outcomes: reducing biomechanical workload is associated with decreased burnout via perceptions that job demands are less threatening; lower demands are associated with higher job satisfaction primarily through decreases in burnout; employers who include employees in decision making processes have employees with lower levels of burnout and higher satisfaction; and having a disability management program is associated with having employees who report less job-related burnout. This study demonstrates the importance of programs that increase perceived organizational support and the importance of job design strategies that take into account physical workload.

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Correspondence to Jennifer C. Cullen.

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The data used in this study came from a larger study assessing management practices associated with “healthy workplaces” conducted by the SHARP Program within the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (Connon et al. 2001). A previous version of this paper was presented at the International conference, Work, Stress, and Health, co-sponsored by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the American Psychological Association (APA), in Miami, Fl, March 2006.

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Cullen, J.C., Silverstein, B.A. & Foley, M.P. Linking Biomechanical Workload and Organizational Practices to Burnout and Satisfaction. J Bus Psychol 23, 63–71 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-008-9079-8

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