Preventing burnout in organizations: The preventing checkup of Leiter and Maslach (2000)

Abstract

Burnout is reaching epidemic proportions in the workplace. Several empirical studies of the effect of stress and burnout on health have shown serious consequences for workers and organizations. Until now, most of the intervention programs in reducing the effects of burnout were individual and focused on person’s crisis. During the last years it has been more evident the need to transform variables related to the working conditions itself, specially in those workplaces where the risk of burnout were probably to occur. Leiter and Maslach (2000) developed a procedure to evaluate the risky areas of the organization and start, with the result of an evaluation and intervention program aimed to change those organizational conditions and to diminish the probability of burnout. The objective of this article is to present this intervention procedure and to discuss its characteristics in contrast to other ways of intervention.