Burnout: Contributing and Protecting Factors Within the Work-Family Interface

The current research builds on conservation of resources theory as a theoretical framework to examine the relationship between work-family and the three dimensions of job burnout: emotional exhaustion, cynicism (depersonalization), and reduced personal accomplishment. A study involving 292 employed women from multiple organizations assessed cross-domain (CD) compensationa new component of work-family enhancement (Wiese, Seiger, Schmid, & Freund, 2010)referring to the focus of one's attention on positive experiences in the work domain that helps to deal with negative experiences in the family domain. Key findings reveal that CD compensation acts as a resource by reducing each facet of job burnout. Work-family conflicta demandcontributes to various dimensions of job burnout. The effects of these variables were additive rather than interactive. Theoretical implications as well as applied recommendations for employees, career consultants, and organizations are discussed.