Stress and burnout are both capable of having a detrimental impact on organizational productivity. In addition, they both pose serious health and safety hazards on the job. Stress occurs when an employee feels frustrated with his or her work. This frustration is usually due to an "internal sense of losing control, a mismatch between what we expect and what the environment actually can provide" (Rosenthal, 1991, p. 72). Work overload is another possible cause for stress on the job (Stachert, 1988, p. 61). Furthermore, such factors as personality conflict and fear of losing one's job can cause work-related stress (Lindberg, 1990, p. 82). Often, the organization itself is responsible for causing stress in its employees. This is particularly true when the organization either has high expectations of its employees or is vague about what the employees' roles are (Stachert, 1988, p. 60).
Although they are related, burnout is actually quite different from stress. Whereas stress causes sudden feelings of anxiety and loss of control, burnout is "a gradual process by which a once productive and committed worker loses all concern and interest in his or her job or profession" (Goliszek, 1988, p. 73). Generally, repetition is the source for most cases of job burnout. If an employee is required to do the same task over and over again, that employee will eventually become bored with the work. This loss of interest follows a progressive pattern. Thus, according to Mase (1989), burnout results in "tiredness with the same old routine, a feeling that you cannot do it anymore, a loss of enthusiasm, and ultimately, non-belief in your message" (p. 35). Employee burnout has a detrimental effect on the organization as a whole. In particular, loss of interest on the job results in a decline in organizational productivity. The cure for employee burnout is to increase variety and change on the job. Mase claims that, in fighting employee burno...