Analysis of Occupational Burnout, Personality and Employee Engagement at Selected University Libraries in Coast Region in Kenya

Abstract

Burnout is a result of the vulnerability of workers in developing nations to occupational stressors in their specific institutions. Emotional exhaustion is a common side effect of workplace stress that inhibits employees from fully enjoying their work. Personality issues provide viewpoints on burnout and employee engagement. Due to their incorrect working hours, this scenario is hurting the type of information services provided by university librarians. As a result, the quality of information services has decreased, particularly at libraries at higher education institutions in Kenya's coastal region. The aim of this study was to determine and illustrate to what degree occupational burnout predicts library staff work engagement in 4 selected University Libraries in the Coast Region in Kenya. The objectives of this research were to explore the relation between occupational burnout and engagement, occupational burnout and personality, and personality and engagement of library staff at selected Universities in the Coast Region. An assessment of the mediating role of personalities in this identified hypothesized relationship was also covered. The J- DR model and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) are both used in this study. It was conducted in the Coast Region of Kenya. The researcher collected data from a target population of sample size of 54 library staff from 4 Universities. The research employed census method sampling technique. Semi-structured interviews and questionnaires were used to obtain both qualitative and quantitative data. Thematic analysis was utilized with qualitative data, whilst regression analysis and descriptive statistics were used with quantitative data. The study findings indicated that occupational burnout had a negative and substantial connection with employee engagement; occupational burnout had a negative but insignificant relationship with personality; personality had a positive and substantial connection with staff engagement; and personality did not mediate the relationship between burnout and librarian engagement. The study concluded that occupational burnout contributes significantly to negative employee engagement. The study also concluded that occupational burnout contributes minimally to negative personality. Further, the study concludes that personality contributes significantly to positive employee engagement. Additionally, the study concluded that the ability of occupational burnout to predict employee engagement is not affected by personality.The study recommended the need for university library management to support employees in managing burnout. The university library management should support staff in strengthening their personalities. The field of information science will benefit greatly from this study's impact on theory, practice, and policy.