Working Hours, Burnout and Musculoskeletal Discomfort in Middle and Senior Management of Mexican Industrial Sector

Abstract

Work-related stress is one of the ten most frequent occupational health problems worldwide and precedes a variety of serious mental disorders. It occurs when employees' capabilities fail to meet job demands or when their knowledge and skills are insufficient to comply with company expectations. The aim of this research was to evaluate the impact of working hours and burnout syndrome (BS) on the appearance of musculoskeletal discomfort (MSD) through three dimensions. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 472 middle and senior management staff in the industrial sector in Mexico. Structural Equation Modeling was used to evaluate the relationship between variables. The results showed that 54% of participants reported to be working a maximum of 48 hours a week, the four most frequent MSD occurring in the low back, upper back, neck and eyes. Regarding BS, 59.6% of the participants experienced it at levels ranging from medium to extreme. These findings showed that working hours have a direct impact on emotional exhaustion and indirectly affect MSD and the dimensions of professional efficacy and cynicism. In addition, discomfort in the upper back is directly associated to ailments in the low back and neck and indirectly, to discomfort in the eyes. This points to the need for a greater focus on developing specific measures to reduce or prevent musculoskeletal discomfort symptoms which result from employees' long working hours and emotional exhaustion.