Department

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Dept. of Psychology

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Abstract

Attorneys deal with demanding hours, high stakes, and constant pressure to perform which can create an unsustainable work environment, resulting in emotional exhaustion and low job satisfaction. (Chalp & Brown, 2022) This not only affects the well-being of attorneys but also impacts their firms and clients, there is an urgent need for strategies to address and prevent burnout in the legal profession. (Salmons, 2017) The job demands resource model says that demands can correlate with more burnout while resources correlate with engagement and less burnout. Research with attorneys has documented that some demands correlate with burnout such as workload, but fewer studies have looked at demands other than workload. Studies have also not looked at a variety of resources that could help prevent burnout. We hypothesized that workload and emotional demands are correlated with more burnout and less engagement. We also hypothesized that meaning at work and perceived work support are correlated with less burnout and more engagement. This study will include survey data from attorneys that will be used to test our hypotheses. Currently our analyses are in progress. Results from this study could lead to the development of policies that promote work-life balance as well as cause law firms to improve mental health resources and counseling services. Researching attorneys who experience burnout can inform law firms and legal organizations about best practices for creating a healthier work environment.

Date

11-9-2024

Subject

Industrial and organizational psychology

Document Type

posters

Language

English

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Examining the Impact of Job Demands and Resources on Attorney Burnout

Attorneys deal with demanding hours, high stakes, and constant pressure to perform which can create an unsustainable work environment, resulting in emotional exhaustion and low job satisfaction. (Chalp & Brown, 2022) This not only affects the well-being of attorneys but also impacts their firms and clients, there is an urgent need for strategies to address and prevent burnout in the legal profession. (Salmons, 2017) The job demands resource model says that demands can correlate with more burnout while resources correlate with engagement and less burnout. Research with attorneys has documented that some demands correlate with burnout such as workload, but fewer studies have looked at demands other than workload. Studies have also not looked at a variety of resources that could help prevent burnout. We hypothesized that workload and emotional demands are correlated with more burnout and less engagement. We also hypothesized that meaning at work and perceived work support are correlated with less burnout and more engagement. This study will include survey data from attorneys that will be used to test our hypotheses. Currently our analyses are in progress. Results from this study could lead to the development of policies that promote work-life balance as well as cause law firms to improve mental health resources and counseling services. Researching attorneys who experience burnout can inform law firms and legal organizations about best practices for creating a healthier work environment.