Gedrag & Organisatie - Volume 38, Issue 2, 2025

Stress complaints, overstrain and burnout in the context of an occupational health and safety service: Duration of absence, treatment and predicting sickness absence duration with the BAT

Remarkably little research has been conducted on absenteeism due to burnout and related diagnoses. We therefore proposed the following research questions: 1) What is the sickness absence in relation to these diagnoses? (2) By whom are these employees treated? (3) Is the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT) a good predictor of sickness absence duration? Data with two-year follow-up were collected among 3,462 employees who were absent in 2020 due to stress complaints (n = 691), overstrain (n = 2,254) or burnout (n = 517), through registered data and employee questionnaires including the BAT and the Four Dimensional Symptom Questionnaire (4DSQ). Results show that two-thirds of those with stress complaints, half of those with overstrain and one third of those with burnout returned to work within half a year. At the beginning of the absence, almost half was already under treatment, with the mental health assistant of the general practitioner and psychologists being most common, and more often with burnout. The BAT explained only 0.8% of variance in absence duration, as well as the 4DSQ. To conclude: differences in absence duration between the three diagnoses aligned with guidelines. Particularly those with burnout have additional treatment already early during absence. The BAT and 4DSQ are significant but not clinically relevant predictors of sickness absence duration.

Back on track after burnout with the Burnout Reintegration Monitor: A measurement of work resumption quality and its determinants

Psychological literature has long acknowledged the elements that contribute to burnout, yet many workers still drop out due to burnout. Therefore, this paper focuses on reintegration following an extended leave due to severe burnout. Extending on the findings of the dissertation of Rooman (2023), it describes the valorization and practical application of the ‘Burnout Reintegration Monitor’: an evidence-based and accessible tool with which workers who resumed their jobs after burnout can monitor their reintegration process and thus gain insight into concrete action points in terms of obstructing and promoting factors for the quality of their reintegration. Following completion, each participant is given a personalized feedback report. This raises awareness, which might be the first step toward improving the reintegration process. The tool is included in the website www.re-integratiebalans.be, which provides resources for workers, employers, and job coaches to improve the success rate of reintegration processes following burnout.

Dit artikel vat een proefschrift samen waarin onderzocht werd wat de invloed is van een burn-outverleden op carrières. Aan de hand van vijf vignetstudies (N = 199-582) toetsten we de rol van burn-out in verschillende personeelsbeslissingen: (1) baanvoorkeuren, (2) selectie van personeel op niveau, (3) promotie, (4) ontslag en (5) selectie van personeel onder niveau. We vinden dat een verleden van klinische burn-out samenhangt met verschillende accenten in baanvoorkeuren. Verder blijkt burn-out als reden voor ziekteverzuim een bron van stigmatisering onder werkgevers, waardoor men mogelijk minder kansen krijgt op de arbeidsmarkt. Werkgevers hebben verschillende negatieve percepties bij personen met een burn-outverleden, waaronder de verwachting dat ze onvoldoende stresstolerant zijn, dat ze in de toekomst opnieuw zullen verzuimen, en dat ze over minder leiderschapscapaciteiten beschikken. Tot slot bespreken we ook aanbevelingen voor toekomstig onderzoek en voor de praktijk.