Job Decision Latitude and Job Burnout: A Moderated Mediation Model of Work Ability and Job Crafting

Abstract

Job burnout is an occupational syndrome that has been widely researched; however, research considering employees’ varied work ability levels is sparse (Bakker & Demerouti, 2017). Job demands-resources (JD-R) theory (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007) was used as a framework to evaluate whether work ability moderated the mediating effect of job crafting on the relationship between job decision latitude and job burnout among a sample of working U.S. adults with varied levels of work ability. A convenience sample of 2,056 adults who responded to a recruitment message participated in this study. Participants completed an online survey that included sociodemographic and job-related items, as well as measures to evaluate levels of job decision latitude, work ability, job crafting, and job burnout. Results showed that job decision latitude had a significant predictive effect on job crafting and job burnout; job crafting played a mediating role in the relationship between job decision latitude and job burnout; work ability played a moderating role in the relationship between job decision latitude and job crafting, as well as the relationship between job decision latitude and job burnout. These findings add to research on the relationship between job decision latitude and job burnout and provide ideas for organizational members to better support employees with lowered work ability due to chronic disease and health conditions to reduce job burnout.