Workplace Incivility and Burnout Among Professional Firefighters

The relationship between Workplace Incivility and Burnout was examined in a sample of 122 Professional Firefighters in Midwestern United States of America. Inconsistent with previous literature, there was not a statistically significant relationship found between the primary variables despite low to moderate levels of Workplace Incivility and high levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. These results may indicate that while professional firefighters experience Burnout, it is not caused by Workplace Incivility but rather something else. We make the argument this is due to a unique culture where the traditional definition of uncivil behavior does not apply to professional firefighters. Consistent with the Burnout phenomenon a significant relationship was discovered between the three dimensions of Burnout including emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment. Although despite high levels of Burnout in the emotional exhaustion and depersonalization dimensions, the personal accomplishment dimension had low levels, indicating burned out employees still felt a personal sense of accomplishment.