The effectiveness of controlled interventions on employees' burnout: A meta-analysis

The aim of this paper is to assess the effectiveness of controlled interventions on reducing employees' burnout. Peer-reviewed published papers included in online databases, as well as papers identified in previous reviews, were considered for selection into the meta-analysis. Keywords entered were burnout and intervention, exhaustion and intervention, cynicism and intervention, and depersonalization and intervention. Inclusion criteria for the studies were (1) to include a burnout measure as a primary or a secondary outcome; (2) to include a comparison control group; and (3) available/sufficient data to calculate the d Cohen effect sizes. Using a random-effects model, we found small overall effect sizes for general level of burnout (d=.22, p<.05, k=13, overall N control=741, overall N intervention=747) and exhaustion (d=.17, p<.01, k=34, overall N control=1,120, overall N intervention=1,215), and statistically not significant effects for depersonalization (d=.04, p>.05, k=31, overall N control=895, overall N intervention=888) and personal accomplishment (d=-.02, p>.05, k=29, overall N control=806, overall N intervention=817). Similar effects were also found at follow-up, suggesting modest but lasting effects of interventions in reducing burnout. Yet, new more tailored strategies to reduce burnout are needed to improve the effects of the interventions.