The effect of empowerment on burnout of female employees in health and human service organizations in the state of Texas

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between the level of perceived empowerment and the level of burnout among female employees in health and human service organizations. Also, this study investigates the relationship between each dimension of empowerment--control, competence, and valued goals--and employees' level of burnout. In order to focus on the aforementioned relationships, this study takes into account background factors such as socio-demographic and employment characteristics. Data for the present study were taken from the Survey of Organizational Excellence, which was administered by the state of Texas to assess the organizational effectiveness of state employees. This study employs a series of multiple regression analyses in order to address the effect of the level of empowerment on the level of burnout--as well as the effect of the level of each dimension of empowerment on the level of burnout--for female employees in these health and human service organizations. The results indicate that female employees who perceive higher levels of control, competence, or valued goals--that is, empowerment taken as a whole--on the job experience lower levels of burnout. In addition to the effect of empowerment or the dimensions of empowerment, it was found that various background factors influence the level of burnout perceived by female employees in workplace. Finally, the author discusses the methodological limitations of this study, its implications for management and social work practice, as well as some recommendations for further research.