School of Mechanics & Civil Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China.
Research Center for Digitalized Construction and Knowledge Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Oct 25;19(21):13879. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192113879.
Burnout is at all-time highs across modern professions. As a typical labor-intensive industry, the high-pressure and task-driven nature of the construction industry makes construction workers more prone to burnout. It is still unclear whether increasing the professionalization level can lessen the many harmful consequences of job burnout on construction workers' employment. Therefore, this study examined the influencing mechanism of professionalization on job burnout in the construction industry. First, a theoretical model based on the conservation of resources (COR) theory was developed with workload, job insecurity, and work-family conflict as moderating variables. A reliable sample of 441 Chinese construction workers were then recruited in the investigation. The data analysis was supported by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM). The results indicated that: (i) an increase in the professionalization level could be directly effective in alleviating job burnout among construction workers; (ii) workload and work-family conflict could play an independent and continuous mediating role between professionalization and job burnout; and (iii) while job insecurity caused by a low professionalization did not have a direct impact on job burnout, it could have an indirect impact on job burnout through workload and work-family conflict, respectively. This study enriches the literature on job burnout among construction workers, as well as provides a theoretical basis and practical management guidance for Chinese construction companies to alleviate job burnout in workers from a professionalization standpoint.
职业倦怠在现代职业中达到了历史新高。建筑行业作为典型的劳动密集型产业，其高压和任务驱动的性质使得建筑工人更容易出现职业倦怠。目前尚不清楚提高专业化水平是否能减轻工作倦怠对建筑工人就业的许多有害后果。因此，本研究考察了专业化对建筑行业工作倦怠的影响机制。首先，基于资源保存理论（COR），构建了一个理论模型，其中工作负荷、工作不安全感和工作-家庭冲突作为调节变量。然后，对 441 名中国建筑工人进行了可靠的调查。数据分析得到了验证性因素分析（CFA）和结构方程模型（SEM）的支持。结果表明：（i）专业化水平的提高可以直接有效地减轻建筑工人的工作倦怠；（ii）工作负荷和工作-家庭冲突可以在专业化和工作倦怠之间独立且连续地发挥中介作用；（iii）虽然低专业化导致的工作不安全感对工作倦怠没有直接影响，但它可以通过工作负荷和工作-家庭冲突分别对工作倦怠产生间接影响。本研究丰富了建筑工人工作倦怠方面的文献，为中国建筑公司从专业化角度缓解工人的工作倦怠提供了理论依据和实践管理指导。
