The Protective Effects of Hope Training on the Human Service Workforce Burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress

Workplace stress and burnout are a concern among human service leaders. Organizations need evidence-driven enhancements and actionable strategies that impact employee wellbeing. This study evaluates employee-focused training that draws from theory and research on hope in a large, multi-agency human service organization. The training used both in-person and asynchronous learning. A nonrandomized comparison group design with retrospective posttest assessment was used to investigate the potential impact of participation in hope training on workforce burnout and secondary trauma. Findings demonstrate statistically significant differences between those who completed training and those in the control group with no training. Burnout and secondary traumatic stress can have negative effects on the overall well-being of the human service workforce and if severe, can lead to a functional impairment.The cognitive process of hope, or positive future expectations, when nurtured in the workplace, has a positive impact on the overall employee wellbeing, including a reduction of burnout and secondary trauma symptoms.A training program designed to nurture the employee's hopeful thinking processes for their personal and professional life was designed and provided to a large human service organization.The training increased hope among the sample that completed the training, and reduced reported symptoms of job burnout and secondary traumatic stress when compared to the group of employees who did not complete the training.Hopeful thinking provides strategies to set specific goals, solve problems to overcome barriers and sustain motivation during challenges.