Athens, GA — Frontline public service employees who believe their work is making a difference are less likely to feel emotionally exhausted and burned out, results of a recent study show.
Public service workers, such as firefighters, social workers and correctional officers, typically engage in emotionally taxing work. Those emotions often intensify during times of crisis and change, which can lead to burnout and workers leaving their jobs, a University of Georgia press release states.
Researchers from three universities surveyed 650 police officers in 2019 and 2021 – before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and protests for racial justice reform. They found that public service motivation leads to a greater perception among workers that their job has meaning and impact, especially during challenging times. That, in turn, is linked to lower levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization (a detachment from one’s own feelings and thoughts, making work seem unreal).
The researchers suggest that public organizations address worker burnout with a “lean into the mission” strategy to foster public service motivation.
“For the most part, people who work for the government want to do things that help other people and benefit society,” said lead study author Bradley Wright, a professor in UGA’s School of Public and International Affairs. “Our findings suggest that if someone chooses an occupation because they want to help people, they find their work to be very meaningful. And that can help provide some psychological or emotional buffer to the stresses they face.”
The study was published in the journal Public Administration Review.
