Abstract
The present study investigated how the consequences of telecommuting depend on the personality characteristics of employees. The hypothesis is that extroverted people will have more difficulties distancing themselves from the workplace and shifting work to home and thus high levels of burnout. It was also hypothesized that individuals with high levels of neuroticism would experience more burnout symptoms. The research involved 133 people who answered a questionnaire of demographic factors, the Eysenck personality questionnaire (EPQ) short form to determine extroversion and introversion and neuroticism, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). The first hypothesis was not confirmed, as the results of the research showed that extroversion is negatively associated with burnout and therefore introversion is associated with more burnout symptoms. The second hypothesis was confirmed by demonstrating that neuroticism is positively correlated with burnout. Multiple regression showed extraversion as the most significant predictor of reduced burnout symptoms but showed no gender differences in burnout. In addition, it appeared that those with a higher academic education presented more emotional exhaustion and depersonalization which are indicators of burnout, but also more personal achievements which is an indicator of reduced burnout compared to those who were high school/IEK/KEK graduates. Even those with improved financial situation compared to 3 years ago presented more personal achievements.
Keywords
burnout, extroversion, introversion, neuroticism, telecommuting
1. Introduction
Internet communication has grown greatly in recent years. Even more so with the advent of the pandemic and due to the mandatory confinement, face-to-face communication has largely shifted to remote. The same has happened in the work environment by allowing employees to have a remote office job via the Internet, which is called teleworking, a term coined by Jack Nilles in 1973 [1]. This change has resulted in increased exposure to screens, which has been shown to increase levels of stress and burnout [2]. The new condition of telecommuting can cause continuous stress and, as a consequence, increase emotional exhaustion [3–5]. According to Fox [6], in the COVID era, 7 out of 10 remote workers experienced burnout, a disorder that continues to increase greatly. However, telecommuting can also be considered as a strategy to deal with stressful factors in the work environment [7]. Based on the literature, telecommuting has advantages such as stress reduction, better time management, and money-saving as people do not have to commute to work and can achieve a better work-life balance [8, 9]. The occurrence of stress and burnout in telecommuting is related to an individual’s personality traits [10]. Personality refers to the sum total of stable psychological characteristics of a person and reflects how a person adapts to the environment based on his way of thinking and behavioral patterns and is a result of his interaction with the environment. Depending on personality, individuals are more or less prone to develop burnout [11]. There are people who are more or less suited to telecommuting. Employees to cope with telecommuting should bring a special personality [10]. The practice of telecommuting can be influenced by individual characteristics [12]. According to the person/environment adaptation theory, there is an interaction of a person’s characteristics with the environment, i.e., not only does the person affect the environment but the environment also affects the person. The work environment combined with a person’s personality can ultimately lead to stress and chronic burnout [13].
Although working from home can arise for many professionals, it does not mean that everyone can cope with it satisfactorily [14]. Potentially, telecommuting is ideal for professionals who have difficulties in face-to-face social interaction [15–18]. People who have less need for social contact, who prefer to be isolated, and who choose to spend most of their time alone are introverts. In contrast, people who prefer companionship, cooperation, and coexistence with other people are extroverts [19]. Personality characteristics affect the results of telework and for this reason, employers are asked to select suitable employees for telework who will necessarily be more isolated and have less social interactions [20, 21]. Telecommuting appears to be more suitable for introverts who seek isolation as opposed to extroverts who seek companionship [16, 17]. There is a correspondence between telecommuting and introvert personality traits. According to Maslach et al. [22], there are more chances of burnout when there is a discrepancy between the nature of the work and the nature of the person working [23]. So, introverts probably adapt better to this remote-from-the-office condition than extroverts. Conversely, extroverted people may have more difficulty since they need people around them to have energy and focus [24].
Nevertheless, according to Brown [24], extroverted individuals can adapt to the condition of telecommuting and become more productive by choosing to work in places where there are opportunities for social interaction. In addition, it has been shown in the literature that some employers feel mistrust towards employees and accordingly, colleagues may feel suspicious of their colleagues as due to the physical distance there is not as much control and surveillance in terms of work. This situation creates a tense environment, which is not desired by introverts and can cause them anxiety [25]. It is important to mention that out syndrome, regardless of the telecommuting condition, occurs less in extroverted individuals. These individuals are more energetic, competitive, communicate, and cooperate more easily with others [22]. Furthermore, researchers have found that extroversion is a valid predictor of burnout for occupations that require social interactions. Specifically, it negatively affects the dimensions of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization and positively affects effectiveness [26].
The practice of telecommuting, while it increased a lot during the COVID period, still continues today for many professionals. There is a wealth of research that has studied the relationship of telecommuting with the five elements or factors of personality, extroversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, contribution, and emotional stability [27–29]. On the other hand, research on the relationship between extroversion and introversion in telecommuting is limited and research has never been done in a Greek population. It is important to investigate whether extroversion, introversion, and neuroticism have significant effects on burnout in the context of telecommuting so that attention is drawn to the fact that employers should assess which individuals can adapt more effectively to working at home. The focus of the present study was to expand the relationship of burnout with personality traits and in particular extroversion, introversion, and neuroticism in the context of telework.
2. Methods
2.1 Research design
The method followed is quantitative as in this particular case it is the most suitable for investigating the correlation of extroversion, introversion, and neuroticism in relation to professional burnout. Still, the data collected for the research was numerical and quantitative.
2.2 Participants and sample
The sample consisted of 133 random participants with a mean age of 33.6 years (SD = 7.8 years) through available convenience sampling. The inclusion criteria required participants to work remotely. The aim of the sample in this research was to meet the conditions of a parametric sample, i.e., the individuals should be more than 100 so that the results are statistically significant and can be generalized. The table provides the demographics of the participants (Table 1).
66.9% of the sample were women. 68.7% were single and 82.7% had no children. Also, the majority (50.4%) had completed a postgraduate study program.
The table (Table 2) is given with the questions about the financial situation of the participants.
84.2% stated that their financial situation was a little to a lot better compared to the average citizen. Also, 68.4% had a little to a lot better financial situation compared to 3 years ago.
|
Ν |
% |
What gender do you identify with?
|
Male |
42 |
31,6 |
Female |
89 |
66,9 |
Other |
2 |
1,5 |
What is your age (in years)? Mean (SD), median (range indicatively) |
33,6 (7,8) |
32,0 (29,0-36,0) |
What is your current family status? |
Single |
90 |
68,7 |
Married (including civil partnership) |
19 |
14,5 |
Divorced (and not remarried) |
4 |
3,1 |
I live with someone |
18 |
13,7 |
Do you have children? |
No |
110 |
82,7 |
Yes |
23 |
17,3 |
What is the highest level of education that you have finished? |
Municipal |
1 |
0,8 |
Gymnasium and lower technical schools |
0 |
0,0 |
Lyceum or technical vocational school |
5 |
3,8 |
Colleges, higher vocational schools |
7 |
5,3 |
University education |
46 |
34,6 |
Postgraduate program of studies |
67 |
50,4 |
Phd |
7 |
5,3 |
Table 1: Demographics of the participants.
|
N |
% |
%Little-much better |
Compared to the average citizen, what is your finance status? |
Much worse |
2 |
1,5 |
84,2 |
A little worse |
19 |
14,3 |
|
A little better |
88 |
66,2 |
|
Much better |
24 |
18,0 |
|
Compared to your situation 3 years ago, your financial status is? |
Much worse |
5 |
3,8 |
68,4 |
A little worse |
37 |
27,8 |
|
A little better |
47 |
35,3 |
|
Much better |
44 |
33,1 |
|
Table 2: Economic situation.
2.3 Materials and tools
The psychometric tools, the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised-Short Form (EPQR–S) [30] and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) [31] were used after permission to use them was requested from their owners. Also, the items of the personality questionnaire were translated into Greek by a bilingual Greek national and then translated into English by a second bilingual national in order to check for inaccuracies and ambiguities. Where there were inconsistencies in the revised English version, both translators were consulted as to the best possible solution.
2.4 Personality questionnaire
The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised-Short Form (EPQR–S) was used to measure extroversion and introversion [30]. It is a questionnaire to assess a person’s personality characteristics and specifically studies 3 independent dimensions corresponding to neuroticism-stability, psychoticism, and extraversion-introversion plus a lie scale [30]. There are 12 elements in each individual measurement. In particular, there are 2 inverted items in extraversion, 7 inverted items in the measure of psychoticism, and 9 inverted items in the lying scale, i.e., honesty. There are no reversed items on the neuroticism measure [30]. The response format for all items is yes or no. For example, “Do you care too much about what other people think?”
2.5 Occupational burnout questionnaire
The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) was used to measure burnout [31]. The MBI questionnaire is a self-administered psychological assessment tool and includes 22 symptom items related to three dimensions of burnout on a 7-point Likert scale. The first-dimension concerns 7 questions on emotional exhaustion, which assesses the emotional collapse of the employee due to his work. The second-dimension concerns 7 questions about depersonalization which reflects the indifferent and impersonal reaction of the employee in dealing with people in the work context. The third-dimension concerns 6 questions about the lack of personal achievements, i.e., it refers to the personal feeling of reduced performance and achievement. Answers are given on a 7-point Likert scale: never (0), once a year (1), once a month (2), once a month (3), once a week (4), a few times a week (5), every day (6) [31]. Maslach et al. [32] state that categorizations are useful only for research and not for diagnosis. The sum of the responses is then calculated for each subscale separately. The existence of burnout results from high values on the emotional exhaustion and depersonalization scales and low values on the personal achievement scale. Each burnout subscale is characterized as low, moderate or high. For example, “I feel mentally drained from my job.”
2.6 Research process
After approval with Protocol Number TER2023111 was given by the Ethics and Research Committee of the SCG – Scientific College of Greece, the process of conducting the research began. This survey was conducted online through the Microsoft Teams online platform. Through internet platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, but also by sending an email to companies such as the National Bank of Greece, an introductory letter was sent which outlined the objectives of the research and emphasized the confidentiality of the research, aiming to attract as many participants as possible so that result as large as possible sample for research. To protect anonymity, no identity information (name, surname, etc.) was required, but only a five-digit code of their own, in order to be able to withdraw their data if they wish, and the necessary demographic information. Also, an informed consent form was given in which subjects were informed of the voluntary nature of their participation and of their right to withdraw from the study at any time, and that no financial benefit would be provided. Those who chose to participate in the survey were sent the questionnaires electronically and had to complete them within 2 weeks. Initially, the questionnaire with the demographic data was presented in the form, followed by the personality questionnaire, and finally the burnout questionnaire. The participants had to fill in the questionnaires in order and the time they had allocated in total was around 15 min. After all the data was collected, the data was analyzed and the results were recorded as well as a discussion about the research topics during 3 weeks.
2.7 Ethical issues
In the present research, there was no harm to the participants and no deception. Participants received an information and consent form as well as the description and objectives of the research. Participation in the research was voluntary and anonymous, and each participant had the right to withdraw from the research at any time. Also, thanks to the five-digit identification code the participant had the right to withdraw his data, upon request to the researchers, within two weeks. No benefit was anticipated from participating in the research, but each individual’s participation was important in understanding the subject under investigation. In particular, the research was conducted with absolute respect for scientific truth and personal data. The researcher followed the code of ethics rules as prescribed by the American Psychological Association (APA). There is no risk of publicizing the details of the research participants as the data is registered anonymously. In addition, the person in charge of the research complied with the provisions of current legislation as well as the rules of professional and research ethics (Research Ethics Committee | Psychology Department).
2.8 Statistical data analysis
The statistical program SPSS 26.0 was used for the analysis. Using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, the distributions of the quantitative variables were tested for normality. For those that were normally distributed, mean values and standard deviations (standard deviation = SD) were used for their description, while for those that were not normally distributed, medians and interquartile ranges were additionally used. Absolute (N) and relative (%) frequencies were used to describe qualitative variables. Spearman’s correlation coefficient was used to test the relationship between two quantitative variables. Linear regression analysis was used to find independent factors related to the dimensions of the burnout scale, from which dependence coefficients (b) and the standard errors (standard errors = SE). When the distribution of the dependent variable was not normal, its logarithm was used in the linear regression. Significance levels are two-sided and statistical significance was set at 0.05.
3. Results
3.1 Burnout scale
Below is the table with the descriptive data for the dimension’s emotional exhaustion, personal achievements, and depersonalization of the burnout scale (Table 3). Higher values indicate greater emotional exhaustion, more personal accomplishments, or greater depersonalization, respectively.
Minimum value |
Maximum value |
Mean (TA) |
Median (range indicatively) |
Cronbach’s α |
0,0 |
42,0 |
16,5 (10,3) |
14 (8-24) |
,90 |
Emotional exhaustion |
|
|
|
|
0,0 |
48,0 |
28,7 (9,9) |
30 (24-36) |
,86 |
Personal achievements |
|
|
|
|
0,0 |
42,0 |
10 (8,2) |
8 (4-15) |
,83 |
Depersonalization |
|
|
|
|
Table 3: Scores in the dimensions of the burnout scale.
The emotional exhaustion dimension can range from 0 to 54 points. In this sample, the score ranges from 0 to 42 with a mean value of 16.5 points (SD = 10.3 points). The personal achievements dimension can range from 0 to 48 points. In this sample, the score ranges from 0 to 48 with a mean value of 28.7 points (SD = 9.9 points). The depersonalization dimension can range from 0 to 42 points. In this sample, the score ranges from 0 to 42 with a mean value of 10 points (SD = 8.2 points).
Cronbach’s α reliability coefficient was for all dimensions greater than 0.7, indicating acceptable reliability.
The table shows the burnout levels of the participants based on the dimensions of emotional exhaustion, personal accomplishment, and depersonalization (Table 4).
10.5% of participants felt high emotional exhaustion, 22.6% moderate, and 66.9% low. Based on the personal achievement dimension, 6.8% of participants felt high burnout as they had low levels of personal achievement, 20.3% felt moderate, and 72.9% low. Finally, based on the depersonalization dimension, 36.8% of the participants felt high burnout because they had high depersonalization, 24.1% moderate, and 39.1% high.
|
N |
% |
Emotional exhaustion |
Low |
89 |
66,9 |
Moderate |
30 |
22,6 |
High |
14 |
10,5 |
Personal achievements |
Low |
9 |
6,8 |
Moderate |
27 |
20,3 |
High |
97 |
72,9 |
Depersonalization |
Low |
49 |
36,8 |
Moderate |
32 |
24,1 |
High |
52 |
39,1 |
Table 4: Burnout levels in the three dimensions.
3.2 Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ-S)
The following is the table with the descriptive data for the dimensions extroversion, neuroticism, honesty, and psychic mood of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (Table 5). In all dimensions, the score ranges from 0 to 12 points. Higher values indicate correspondingly greater extroversion, neuroticism, honesty, or psychotic mood.
|
Minimum value |
Maximum value |
Mean (TA) |
Median (range indicatively) |
Cronbach’s α |
|
|
|
|
|
,81 |
Extroversion |
0,0 |
12,0 |
8,7 (2,8) |
9 (7-11) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
,80 |
Neuroticism |
0,0 |
12,0 |
6 (3,2) |
6 (4-8) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
,73 |
Honesty |
1,0 |
12,0 |
6,7 (2,4) |
7 (5-8) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
,71 |
Psychotic mood |
0,0 |
7,0 |
3,2 (1,7) |
3 (2-4) |
|
Table 5: Scores in the dimensions of the personality questionnaire.
The extraversion dimension ranged from 0 to 12 with a mean value of 8.7 points (SD = 2.8 points). The neuroticism dimension ranged from 0 to 12 with a mean value of 6.0 points (SD = 3.2 points). The honesty dimension ranged from 1 to 12 with a mean value of 6.7 points (SD = 2.4 points). The mood dimension ranged from 0 to 12 with a mean value of 3.2 points (SD = 1.7 points).
3.3 Correlation of burnout scale dimensions with personality questionnaire dimensions
Below is the table of Spearman’s correlations of burnout scale dimensions with personality questionnaire dimensions (Table 6).
|
Extroversion |
Neuroticism |
Honesty |
Psychotic mood |
Emotional exhaustion |
-,333*** |
,373*** |
-,075 |
-,138 |
Personal achievements |
,096 |
-,391*** |
,063 |
-,048 |
Depersonalization |
-,224* |
,290** |
-,251** |
,083 |
Table 6: Spearman’s correlation coefficient between the dimensions of the burnout scale and the dimensions of the questionnaire about personality. *p < ,05, **p < ,01, ***p < ,001.
The dimension of emotional exhaustion was found to be significantly related to the dimensions of extraversion and neuroticism. Specifically, the correlation with extraversion was moderately negative, rho (133) = -0.333, p-value < 0.001 (2-tailed), indicating that as extraversion increases emotional exhaustion decreases. The correlation with neuroticism was moderately positive, rho (133) = 0.373, p-value < 0.001 (2-tailed), indicating that as neuroticism increases, so does emotional exhaustion. The personal achievement dimension was found to be significantly related to the neuroticism dimension. Specifically, the correlation was moderately negative, rho (133) = -0.391, p-value < 0.001 (2-tailed), indicating that as neuroticism increases, personal achievement decreases. The dimension of depersonalization was found to be significantly related to the dimensions of extraversion, neuroticism, and honesty. Specifically, the correlation with extraversion was weakly negative, rho (133) = -0.224, p-value = 0.010 (2-tailed), indicating that as extraversion increases depersonalization decreases. The correlation with neuroticism was weakly positive, rho (133) = 0.290, p-value = 0.001 (2-tailed), indicating that as neuroticism increases, so does depersonalization. Finally, the association with honesty was weakly negative, rho (133) = -0.251, p-value = 0.004 (2-tailed), indicating that as honesty increases depersonalization decreases.
3.4 Correlation of burnout dimensions with participant demographic, economic, and questionnaire dimensions Eysenck personality
In order to find the factors independently related to the dimension of emotional exhaustion, a multivariate linear regression was performed with the score on this dimension as the dependent variable and the demographics, economic data of the participants, and the dimensions of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire as independent variables. The results of the analysis with the enter method are given in the table (Table 7).
Model |
Independent variables |
β+ |
SE++ |
b‡ |
t |
F (12,116) = 3,28, p < 0,001, R2 = 0,25 |
Gender (women vs men) |
0,115 |
0,059 |
0,166 |
1,94 |
|
What is your age (in years)? |
0,002 |
0,004 |
0,043 |
0,43 |
|
Married-cohabiting (yes vs no) |
-0,003 |
0,065 |
-0,004 |
-0,05 |
|
Do you have children? (yes vs no) |
0,046 |
0,084 |
0,052 |
0,54 |
|
Higher education level |
|
University education vs up to Lyceum studies/higher vocational schools |
0,290 |
0,094 |
0,428 |
3,08** |
|
Master’s/PhD vs up to Lyceum studies/IEK/KEK/higher vocational schools |
0,172 |
0,092 |
0,265 |
1,86 |
|
Compared to the average citizen, what is your finance
status? |
0,026 |
0,049 |
0,050 |
0,53 |
|
Compared to your situation 3 years ago, your financial situation is? |
0,016 |
0,034 |
0,044 |
0,48 |
|
Extroversion |
-0,037 |
0,010 |
-0,325 |
-3,68*** |
|
Neuroticism |
0,013 |
0,009 |
0,128 |
1,39 |
|
Honesty |
-0,015 |
0,013 |
-0,108 |
-1,18 |
|
Psychotic mood |
-0,015 |
0,018 |
-0,082 |
-0,84 |
Table 7: Multiple linear regression results with dimension as dependent variable emotional exhaustion. *p < ,05, **p < ,01, ***p < ,001.
The prediction model was statistically significant F (12,116) = 3.28, p < 0.001, and it was found that the 11 predictor variables together explained 25.0% of the variability in emotional exhaustion. The most significant predictor appeared to be the dimension of extroversion (β = -0.325, t = -3.681, p < 0.001), followed by educational level for those who were graduates of university education, in relation to those who were graduates of Lyceum (β = 0.428, t = 3.079, p = 0.003). Specifically, • Increased extraversion was associated with decreased emotional exhaustion. • Those who were graduates of university education had increased emotional exhaustion, compared to those who were graduates of Lyceum.
In order to find the factors independently related to the dimension of personal achievements, multivariate linear regression was performed with the score on this dimension as the dependent variable and the demographics, financial data of the participants, and the dimensions of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire as independent variables. The results of the analysis with the enter method are given in the table (Table 8).
Model |
Independent variables |
β+ |
SE++ |
b‡ |
t |
F (12,116) = 4,71, p < 0,001, R2 = 0,33 |
Gender (women vs men) |
0,033 |
0,039 |
0,068 |
0,84 |
|
What is your age (in years)? |
0,008 |
0,003 |
0,290 |
3,06** |
|
Married-cohabiting (yes vs no) |
0,018 |
0,043 |
0,037 |
0,43 |
|
Do you have children? (yes vs no) |
-0,053 |
0,055 |
-0,087 |
-0,96 |
|
Higher education level |
|
|
|
|
|
University education vs Lyceum studies/higher vocational schools |
0,226 |
0,062 |
0,479 |
3,63*** |
|
Master’s/PhD vs up to Lyceum studies/higher vocational schools |
0,186 |
0,061 |
0,414 |
3,06** |
|
Compared to the average citizen, what is your financial situation? |
-0,005 |
0,032 |
-,0013 |
-0,15 |
|
Compared to your situation 3 years ago, your financial
status is? |
0,056 |
0,023 |
0,220 |
2,50* |
|
Extroversion |
-0,014 |
0,009 |
-0,160 |
-1,56 |
|
Neuroticism |
-0,021 |
0,006 |
-0,310 |
-3,55** |
|
Honesty |
-0,010 |
0,008 |
-0,100 |
-1,15 |
|
Psychotic mood |
-0,014 |
0,012 |
-0,109 |
-1,18 |
Table 8: Multiple linear regression results with dimension as dependent variable personal achievements. *p < ,05, **p < ,01, ***p < ,001.
The prediction model was statistically significant F (12, 116) = 4.71, p < 0.001, and it was found that the 11 predictor variables together explained 33.0% of the variability in personal achievement. The most important predictive factor appeared to be the educational level for those who were graduates of university education, in relation to those who were graduates of Lyceum (β = 0.479, t = 3.634, p < 0.001) and for those who had a Master’s or Doctoral degree, in relation to those who graduated from Lyceum (β = 0.414, t = 3.064, p = 0.003). This was followed by the dimension of neuroticism (β = -0.310, t = -3.546, p = 0.001), age (β = -0.290, t = 3.064, p = 0.003), and the improvement of the financial situation compared to 3 years before (β = 0.220, t = 2.495, p = 0.014). Specifically, • Those who were graduates of university education or had a Master’s/PhD diploma had more personal achievements compared to those who were graduates of Lyceum. • Increased neuroticism was associated with decreased personal achievement. • Increasing age was associated with increasing personal achievements. • Improvement in the financial situation compared to 3 years ago was associated with an increase in personal achievements.
In order to find the factors independently related to the dimension of depersonalization, multivariate linear regression was performed with the score on this dimension as the dependent variable and the demographics, economic data of the participants, and the dimensions of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire as independent variables. The results of the analysis with the enter method are given in the table (Table 9).
Model |
Independent variables |
β+ |
SE++ |
b‡ |
t |
F (12, 116) = 3,83, p < 0,001, R2 = 0,28 |
Gender (women vs men) |
-0,020 |
0,071 |
-0,024 |
-0,29 |
|
What is your age (in years)? |
-0,008 |
0,005 |
-0,159 |
-1,63 |
|
Married-cohabiting (yes vs no) |
0,061 |
0,078 |
0,069 |
0,78 |
|
Do you have children? (yes vs no) |
-0,105 |
0,101 |
-0,098 |
-1,04 |
|
Higher education level |
|
|
|
|
|
University education vs up to Lyceum studies /higher
vocational schools |
0,377 |
0,113 |
0,453 |
3,33** |
|
Master’s/PhD degree vs high school
studies/higher vocational schools |
0,430 |
0,111 |
0,541 |
3,88*** |
|
Compared to the average citizen, what is your financial situation? |
0,026 |
0,059 |
0,041 |
0,45 |
|
Compared to your situation 3 years ago, your financial
status is? |
-0,023 |
0,041 |
-0,050 |
-0,55 |
|
Extroversion |
-0,020 |
0,012 |
-0,146 |
-1,69 |
|
Neuroticism |
0,025 |
0,011 |
0,204 |
2,26* |
|
Honesty |
-0,031 |
0,015 |
-0,185 |
-2,06* |
|
Psychotic mood |
0,013 |
0,021 |
0,056 |
0,59 |
Table 9: Multiple linear regression results with dimension as dependent variable depersonalization. *p < ,05, **p < ,01, ***p < ,001.
The predictive model was statistically significant F (12, 116) = 3.82, p < 0.001, and it was found that the 11 predictor variables together explained 28.0% of the variability in depersonalization. The most important predictive factor appeared to be the educational level for those who had a Master’s or Doctorate degree in relation to those who were graduates of Lyceum (β = 0.541, t = 3.881, p < 0.001) and for those who were graduates of ATEI/higher university education compared to those who graduated from Lyceum (β = 0.453, t = 3.328, p = 0.001). This was followed by the dimension of neuroticism (β = 0.204, t = 2.264, p = 0.025) and honesty (β = -0.185, t = -2.058, p = 0.042). Specifically, • Those who were graduates of university education or had a Master’s/PhD diploma had a higher score in the dimension of depersonalization compared to those who were graduates of Lyceum. • Increased neuroticism was associated with increased depersonalization. • An increase in honesty was associated with a decrease in depersonalization.
4. Discussion
Telecommuting increased greatly during the pandemic and became entrenched as a way of working later as well. In light of this fact, the present research was conducted to identify whether burnout is related to personality traits, and in particular, it was hypothesized that extraversion is positively related to burnout and that introversion is consequently negatively related to homework. This hypothesis was based on the fact that extroverts who have characteristics such as the desire for social intercourse have more significant negative effects than introverts on telecommuting which entails isolation at home [33]. In addition, it was hypothesized that individuals with high levels of neuroticism would have more burnout symptoms. The first hypothesis was not confirmed by the research results. Extraversion appeared to be the most important factor for reduced emotional exhaustion, which is also considered the most important dimension of burnout [34]. In particular, with regard to extroversion, it was shown that it is negatively correlated with the two dimensions of burnout, namely empathetic exhaustion and depersonalization but there was no statistically significant correlation with personal achievements, and consequently, it appeared that introversion is negatively correlated with burnout. This contrasts with the research by Meymandpour et al. [33] according to which extroverts presented a greater risk of experiencing burnout in the context of telework. This may have happened because the sample was not exclusively made up of people who worked entirely in a teleworking regime but also hybrid combined their presence in the physical space. Another interpretation of this discrepancy between hypothesis and results may be that the very nature of telecommuting offers alternative ways to meet the extrovert’s need for sociality for example in local cafes, libraries, and reading rooms [24]. In addition, the telecommuting regime can cause tensions in the workplace due to employers’ suspicion of employees. Thus, introverts who seek calm and stress-free work environments may experience anxiety [25]. Still, the findings are compatible with other research that concerned the traditional way of working, but which additionally identify a statistically significant positive correlation of personal achievements with extroversion [26]. The second hypothesis was confirmed and it was shown that neuroticism increases burnout. Multiple regression analysis revealed that neuroticism was strongly related to all burnout scales. Specifically, as neuroticism increases, so does emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and so does personal achievement decrease. Similar results have been shown by other studies that report that people with high levels of neuroticism tend to be nervous, anxious, and feel inadequate. Again, this result is logical since neurotic people have high levels of stress and find it difficult to return to their previous emotional state after a mentally or physically stressful situation [35]. Regarding the demographic factors, in the present research, gender was not a predictive factor for the occurrence of burnout, although there are studies that support that women present a higher risk of burnout [36]. Increasing age was also associated with fewer burnout symptoms and in particular with increased personal achievements. Indeed, in the literature, older people show lower levels of burnout [37].
4.1 Practical applications of research
In an ever-changing era where the way of working is evolving and changing, the findings of this research are important as they offer organizations information about the suitability of employees in the field of telecommuting. Based on these findings, organizations can select employees who are suited to telecommuting, thus reducing or even preventing burnout. In addition, based on the specifics of the employee’s personality, both the employer and the employee can make adjustments and achieve an effective telework performance. In this way, the employee’s sense of satisfaction could be enhanced.
4.2 Limitations/suggestions for future studies
In addition to the usefulness of this research, some limitations are identified and some suggestions for future studies are indicated. Given that the scope of Eysenck’s specific theoretical model of personality is based on limited personality traits, other personality factors such as perfectionism, difficulty coping with stress, and hypersensitivity could be explored in the future. Another limitation of the research concerns the difficulty of generalizing the results. More specifically, it was not possible to send the questionnaires to all workplaces, and perhaps the organizations and individuals who indicated a desire to participate differed from those who chose not to participate (participation bias). Therefore, the results refer mainly to people from the SCG College-Scientific College of Greece and to the National Bank. In the future, the survey could be repeated and include people from more workplaces. Even the relatively small size can be considered as a limitation in this research, especially in the regression analyses, and therefore it is recommended to repeat the research with a larger sample. Non-telecommuters were excluded from the survey, however, those who answered the questionnaire did not exclusively telecommute but also combined work at the workplace, so the results may also come from environmental components and not just by personality type. In a future study, the sample could consist of two groups of people, the first consisting of people who work exclusively in telecommuting and the second of people who work in the office space.
5. Conclusion
Based on the above, a person’s personality significantly affects the work environment. In a special and relatively new condition, telecommuting, the individual is asked to adapt. Whether he can do this effectively depends largely on his personality traits. In this research, it was observed that although telecommuting may suit introverts better, extroverted workers have reduced levels of burnout. Extraversion appeared to be the most important predictor of low levels of burnout. So, we conclude that extroverted people have characteristics that allow them to adapt even to environments that may not be ideal for them at first sight.
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