629 - BURNOUT IN ENGINEERING FIRMS

Session: P_D01S003 - Poster Session 3 - Division 1
AUTHORS:
Cahilap Dave (Systra ANZ ~ Sydney ~ Australia) , Brown Jac (Jac Brown ~ Sydney ~ Australia) , Mitchell Vincent (University of Sydney ~ Sydney ~ Australia)
Abstract text:
Burnout is surprisingly common in professional services and in this paper we highlight the issues relevant to engineering companies. Burnout arises when job demands (e.g., workload, pressure, emotional demands) exceed the job resources (e.g., support, autonomy, feedback) available to cope in line with the Job Demands-Resources Model. Using content analysis to analyze over 300 employee reviews from platforms like Glassdoor and Indeed, and companies such as; Tesla, Rictchie Engineering Company, BGC Engineering, YETI and EXeevo, several recurring themes emerge regarding burnout in engineering roles. The major themes included; excessive workloads, poor management, limited career growth, work-life balance and toxic workplace culture. These insights shed light on the multifaceted nature of burnout and highlight areas where organizations can implement changes to improve employee well-being, but show that no one model of burnout (e.g., Maslach's Three-Dimensional Model of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced Personal Accomplishment, Conservation of Resources Theory (Hobfoll 1989), Person-Environment Fit Theory (Caplan, 1987), Learned Helplessness (Seligman 1976), Cognitive Appraisal Theory (Lazarus & Folkman, 1986), explains what happens in the engineering sector. These themes underscore the multifaceted nature of burnout in engineering roles, highlighting the need for organizational change, supportive management, and a culture that values employee well-being. To help, we detail real world examples of how engineering companies are seeking to reduce burnout by deploying strategies such as; Personal-Level Support via Company Initiatives, e.g., Google - "20% Time", Team-Level Strategies e.g.,Spotify - Squad Autonomy & Agile Practices; Organizational-Level Programs, e.g.,Basecamp - 4-Day Work Weeks; Psychological Safety & Recognition, e.g., Salesforce - Well-being Culture; Career Path and Technical Growth, e.g., Intel - Dual Ladder Career Path. The paper holds interesting findings regarding the sector specific problem and solutions to burnout in professional service firms.