The effect of occupational burnout on cognitive failure and general health in industrial workers (case study: Iran Tire Factory)

Abstract

Background Human resources are the most important organizational resources and play the most important role in the production and productivity cycle. Considering the importance of people’s health and the study of their burnout as a possible cause of occupational cognitive failures, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between burnout, cognitive failure, and general health. Participants and procedure A cross-sectional-analytical study was conducted in Iran Tire Factory. The statistical population of this study was 302 per-sonnel who were randomly selected. Data were collected by four valid questionnaires (demographic information, Maslach burnout, cognitive failure, and general health questionnaire). Then data were analyzed using SPSS software. Results The results of the analysis revealed a significant and direct relationship between burnout and cognitive failure (p < .001), and a significant inverse relationship was found between cognitive failure and physical health (p = .022). The other results showed that emotional exhaustion and depersonalization dimensions are significantly associated with cognitive failure (p < .001, p = .016). Conclusions According to the results of this study, burnout causes cognitive failures among factory personnel and on the other hand, cognitive failures affect the physical health of individuals and lead to deterioration of physical health, which in turn can reduce a person’s performance and reduce work efficiency.

Keywords

• emotional exhaustion
• cognitive failure
• general health
• job burnout