Burnout and Time Perspective of Blue-Collar Workers at the Shipyard

• Main Authors: Sarah Detaille, Adela Reig-Botella, Miguel Clemente, Jaime López-Golpe, Annet De Lange
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-09-01
• Series: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Subjects: ageing; blue-collar workers; cross-sectional; occupational health; risk burnout; shipyard
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/18/6905

<i>Background:</i> The aim of the research was to investigate the association between time perspective in relation to burnout and successful ageing of blue-collar workers with physically highly demanding work and low autonomy. Shipyard blue-collar workers usually do predominantly manual labor versus white-collar workers, whose jobs do not usually involve physical work. <i>Methods:</i> 497 participants workers in a shipyard in the north of Spain. Ages were between 20 and 69 (M = 46.62, SD = 10.79). We used the Zimbardo Time Perspective Instrument (ZTPI), Spanish version, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory–General Survey (MBI-GS). <i>Results:</i> Emotional exhaustion factor obtained a coefficient of 0.97; cynicism factor of 0.83; and professional efficacy factor of <i>p</i> = 0.86. The mean of the three reliability coefficients was 0.887. With respect to the five factors of the ZTPI questionnaire: the negative past factor obtained a coefficient of <i>p</i> = 0.91; that of positive past <i>p</i> = 0.81; the present hedonistic of 0.878; the future of <i>p</i> = 0.83; and the fatalistic present of <i>p</i> = 0.90. The mean of the five coefficients, was <i>p</i> = 0.86. <i>Conclusions:</i> Within shipyard workers, burnout is associated with a negative past and negative future time perspective. This makes shipyard workers at a higher risk of developing burnout and this can have serious consequences for the sustainable employability of these blue-collar workers.