The role of employee attributions in burnout of “talented” employees
| Date | 23 September 2019 |
| Published date | 23 September 2019 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-02-2018-0064 |
| Pages | 19-42 |
| Author | Amina Raza Malik,Parbudyal Singh |
| Subject Matter | Hr & organizational behaviour,Global hrm |
Theroleofemployeeattributions
in burnout of “talented”employees
Amina Raza Malik
School of Business, Trent University, Oshawa, Canada, and
Parbudyal Singh
School of Human Resource Management, York University, Toronto, Canada
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to examine a process through which perceived talent identification
affects employee burnout.
Design/methodology/approach –Data for the study were collected from 242 employees using a cross-
sectional survey design.
Findings –The findings supported the mediating role of work effort in the relationship between perceived
talent identification and burnout. Furthermore, the results highlighted the moderating role of employee
well-being attributions in the relationship between perceived talent identification and employee work effort.
The moderated–mediated relationship for burnout was also supported.
Research limitations/implications –Using insights from conservation of resources and attribution
theories, this study not only examined the direct relationship between perceived talent identification and
feelings of burnout but also provided insights into why perceived talent identification leads to different
employee outcomes.
Practical implications –Management should pay attention to the communication processes related to
talent identification because employees’interpretation of the underlying motives of this identification impacts
their well-being (i.e. feelings of burnout).
Originality/value –This study examines employees’attributions in the context of talent management and
demonstrates that these interpretations play an important role in shaping their behaviours.
Keywords Quantitative, Talent, Burnout, Attributions, Talent management, Work effort
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Over the past two decades, there has been a growing interest amongst scholars and
practitioners in examining the effects of talent management (TM) policies and practices on
organisations. TM strategies are generally adopted to improve organisational outcomes, as
well as to catalyse employee development. Whereas the mainstream “optimistic”perspective
suggests that talent identification has a positive effect on employee outcomes, an alternative
“critical perspective”contends that TM practices and talent identification could lead to
adverse impacts on employees identified as “talent”(De Boeck et al., 2018). As such, there
have been calls for more research on the “humanistic”side of TM (Huselid and Becker, 2011;
Garavan et al., 2012). The key to the success of TM programmes is the way organisations
attract, develop and retain “talented”employees, not only to improve employee and
organisational performance but to create a sustainable competitive advantage for the
organisations. Given this focus on performance, some scholars have examined the effects of
TM on organisational outcomes (Bethke-Langenegger et al., 2011); however, others
emphasise that a more “pluralist”view of TM is required that should pay attention to
include, among other things, employee well-being (Guest, 2017; Thunnissen et al., 2013).
Employee well-being is a broad term that includes several dimensions, i.e., happiness
related, health related and social (Van de Voorde et al., 2012). In the TM literature,
Personnel Review
Vol. 49 No. 1, 2020
pp. 19-42
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0048-3486
DOI 10.1108/PR-02-2018-0064
Received 20 February 2018
Revised 14 June 2018
7 September 2018
Accepted 15 October 2018
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0048-3486.htm
This research is partially supported by ASAC-CJAS PhD Research Grant. The authors would like to
thank the editor, two anonymous reviewers and Dr Amanda Shantz for their constructive feedback on
the earlier version of this paper.
19
Role of
employee
attributions
happiness-related outcomes (such as commitment, satisfaction, retention, etc.) have been
examined (Gelens et al., 2014, 2015; Marescaux et al., 2013; Malik et al., 2017); however,
researchers have not paid much attention to employees’negative reactions to TM or health-
related outcomes (De Boeck et al., 2018). In this paper, we define well-being in terms of
employee feelings of burnout, which is an important health-related outcome and found to
have serious consequences for employees and organisations (such as reduced performance,
low commitment, higher turnover intentions, increased absenteeism, low productivity, etc.)
(Baruch-Feldman et al., 2002; Demerouti et al., 2014; Gil-Monte, 2008; Jourdain and
Chênevert, 2015; Spence Laschinger et al., 2009; Taris, 2006). Scholars are concerned about
an increased risk of burnout of high potential (HiPo) employees, which could have serious
consequences for employees and organisations (De Boeck et al., 2018). However, it is
surprising that this “dark side”of TM is rarely examined, given the fact that organisations
continuously monitor and demand improved performance from “talented”employees
(Dries and Pepermans, 2008; Tansley and Tietze, 2013).
Employees’perceptions of TM help shape their attitudes and behaviours (Malik et al.,
2017). For example, studies have shown that employees who perceived themselves as
“talent”were likely to possess more organisationally beneficial attitudes (Björkman et al.,
2013), were more confident about their career progression (Swailes and Blackburn, 2016),
had higher job satisfaction, had higher justice perceptions, exerted more work effort
(Gelens et al., 2014) and had higher perceptions of organisational support and affective
commitment (Gelens et al., 2015). Others have found that the greater use of TM practices
resulted in higher perceptions of psychological contract fulfilment (Sonnenberg et al., 2014),
and more leadership competence development (Khoreva et al., 2017). However, the literature
on the effects of the perceptions of TM on employee well-being has been sparse. By paying
attention to employee well-being concerning health-related outcomes (such as feelings of
burnout), mutual gains can be achieved for both employees and employers, resulting in a
productive and healthier workforce (Guest, 2017).
In addition to the effects identified above, the strategic human resource management
literature demonstrates that HRM practices affect employee well-being (Veld and Alfes,
2017), and that meanings employees attribute to the implementation of HR practices
influence employee outcomes (Nishii et al., 2008; De Boeck et al., 2018; Russell et al., 2018).
This research stream suggests that intentions attributed by employees as to why
organisations implement HR practices help shape employee attitudes and behaviours
(Shantz et al., 2016; Van de Voorde and Beijer, 2015). In the context of TM, only one empirical
study, to the best of our knowledge, has examined employees’attributions (Malik et al.,
2017). Malik et al.’s (2017) study showed that employees’attributions about their inclusion in
or exclusion from HiPo programmes play an essential role in shaping their subsequent
attitudes and behaviours. A more recent review by De Boeck et al. (2018) also considers HR
attributions as an important moderator for research on employee reactions to TM practices.
In the current study, we build on the existing literature by examining employees’feelings
of burnout given the pressing need to examine the impact of perceived talent identification
on employee well-being (cf. Guest, 2017; Swailes, 2013). Burnout refers to an individual’s
feelings of physical, emotional and cognitive exhaustion. It is linked to the continuous
depletion of the individual’s energetic coping resources, resulting from experiences of
occupational stress (Shirom, 1989, 2003). The job, in itself, can be a source of burnout;
however, management practices could also result in such feelings (Maslach et al., 2001).
We also examine employees’attributions, and their role in the talent identification
process for TM programmes, also known as “HiPo”programms. This study examines two
types of attributions. First, well-being attributions are defined as employees’perceptions
that they are identified as “talent”because organisations value their contributions and are
concerned about their well-being, and second, performance attributions are defined as
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