Measure provides representation for burnout

By CAROLINE COLLINS news writer

There are visual measures to quantify job satisfaction and measure pain, such as the wongbaker Faces pain rating scale posted in doctors’ offices and hospitals.

however, there were no visual measures to track job burnout, so notre dame professor cindy muir (Zapata) set out to create a short-term measure to assess employees’ feelings about burnout.

The muir matches measure is a validated visual measure of job burnout created by muir and published with charles calderwood, a psychology professor at virginia Tech, and dorian boncoeur, an assistant professor for the mendoza college of business. according to muir, visual measures are powerful because they allow people to quickly assess their feelings. long surveys are time-consuming, especially for those experiencing job burnout, so muir wanted to create a quick and regular way to assess burnout by using a visual that is easily recognizable: burning matches. The scale of matches burning down allows people to pinpoint how they are feeling. calderwood explained that job burnout is a challenge that arises from insufficient recovery. “recovery is how people keep themselves replenished and occupationally healthy over time,” he said. within burnout literature, the time scale of burnout has progressed to include both feelings over a long time and daily fluctuations.

“The idea for [the measure] hit me as i stared at an image of matches burned at different levels during a presentation,” she said.

“you have burnout that is a chronic strain reaction or a longer-term syndrome, but you also see the symptoms of burnout vary from day-to-day in terms of how exhausted you feel or how disconnected from your work you feel,” calderwood explained.

The paper published by muir and her coauthors confirmed that the visual scale of the matches burning down corresponds with existing measures of job burnout. They validated the scale by looking at different instruction sets and ways of defining burnout. calderwood said that, when launching the tool, the group had to grapple with the misalignment between how people refer to burnout in everyday language in comparison to how burnout may be referred to by an academic or defined in a dictionary.

“‘burnout’ is something that’s become a term in our everyday language. people say that they’re ‘burned out,’ but they can mean different things by that,” calderwood said. “The disconnect between the everyday

Ph: (574) 631-7471 Fax: (574) 631-6927

Advertising (574) 631-6900 advertising@ndsmcobserver.com

Editor-in-Chief (574) 631-4542 aguffey@nd.edu

Managing Editor (574) 631-4542 aomalle2@nd.edu

Assistant Managing Editors (574) 631-4541 mmcginl3@nd.edu, gcoleman01@saintmarys.edu, meastlan@nd.edu

Business Office (574) 631-5313

Notre Dame News Desk (574) 631-5323 news@ndsmcobserver.com

Saint Mary’s News Desk (574) 631-5323 smcnews@ndsmcobserver.com

Viewpoint Desk (574) 631-5303 viewpoint@ndsmcobserver.om

Sports Desk (574) 631-4543 sports@ndsmcobserver.com

Scene Desk (574) 631-4540 scene@ndsmcobserver.com

Photo Desk (574) 631-8767 photo@ndsmcobserver.com

Systems & Web Administrators webmaster@ndsmcobserver.com Policies The recruit.’”

“‘Love is blind.’”

Corrections

The observer regards itself as a professional publication and strives for the highest standards of journalism at all times. We do, however, recognize that we will make mistakes. If we have made a mistake, please contact us at editor@ndsmcobserver.com so we can correct our error.

Wednesday

“The War in Ukraine: Reassessing the Russian Invasion” online

12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Nanovic Inst. panel.

Holy Cross men’s basketball Pfeil Center 7:30 p.m.

Holy Cross faces Roosevelt University.

Thursday

Celebrating Black Excellence Dinner

Morris Inn 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. NAACP president will speak. RSVP required.

Notre Dame women’s basketball Joyce Center 8 p.m. No. 7 Notre Dame plays Florida State.

Friday

“Is Globalism Dead?”

Jordan Auditorium 10:40 a.m.- noon Lecture by founder of the Reshoring Initiative Harry Moser.

Notre Dame hockey Compton Family Ice Arena 7:30 p.m. The Irish take on Wisconsin.

Saturday

Holy Cross men’s tennis Pfeil Center 1 p.m. Holy Cross takes on University of Chicago.

PAWS Days East duty desk 9 p.m. Part of Holy Cross College spirit week. Come get a treat.

Sunday

Organ Recital Basilica of the Sacred Heart 8 p.m. - 9 p.m. Amanda Mole performs on campus.

Explore the Bend: Winter Intertubing St. Patrick’s Park 8 p.m. - 10 p.m. For SMC students. No experience necessary.