Burnout in the Australian public service during COVID-19: A job demands and resources theory perspective

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the quest for the best ways to manage high job demands and the resultant burnout is especially salient. This article draws on the theory of job demands-resources to explore a moderation model of how job demands affect the likelihood of burnout at different levels of using job resources adopted during COVID-19. Using data from the Australian Public Service Employee Census (n = 88,503) in 2020 we find that workload and emotionally demanding work predict burnout. Furthermore, job resources - team adaptability and supervisor support can act as a buffer against the adverse effects of emotionally demanding work on employees. These findings shed light on how to effectively utilise job resources to manage job demands in critical situations.