The Effect of Job Burnout on Generating Organizational Silence - an
Analytical Study in the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs
QASIM ALI MOHAMMED
Imam Ja'afar Al-Sadiq University,
Qahira, Baghdad,
IRAQ
Abstract: - Diagnosing the nature of the correct relationship between the variables studied (functional burnout,
organizational silence) for their expected relationships after testing them empirically at the level of the sample
studied within the research community. The research was conducted in the Iraqi Ministry of Labor and Social
Affairs, and (100) questionnaires were distributed to employees working in the ministry. At the middle and
lower organizational levels, the questionnaires were collected and analyzed statistically by adopting the ready-
made data package (SPSS V26), using several statistical tools, including the arithmetic mean, median, standard
deviation, and confirmatory factor analysis. And social affairs, they feel satisfied with their job, self-
confidence, high morale, and willingness to work with vigor and activity. Accordingly, the researcher
recommends the ministry continue on the same path of interest in providing a work environment based on
cooperation and good communication between it and the workers.
Key-Words: - job burnout, organizational silence, work environment, cooperation, good communication,
Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.
Received: April 23, 2023. Revised: November 12, 2023. Accepted: November 25, 2023. Published: December 8, 2023.
1 Introduction
Job burnout is one of the phenomena that has
received extensive attention and approval from
researchers in the last thirty years, and that interest
was reflected through research and studies that dealt
with that topic, as the discussion about the concept
of job burnout took a large space and space in all
levels and professions, and the American
psychologist and researcher was (Frudenberger) or
who used this term in the academic field in (1974)
to express the physical and emotional responses to
work pressures among workers in professional
organizations, who exhaust themselves to achieve
the organization's difficult goals, and who face
obstacles that prevent them from carrying out their
professional tasks to the fullest, causing This causes
them to fail and inability to perform the work at the
level required of them, and this situation often
results in the occurrence of psychological pressure
and a feeling of dissatisfaction and the dry
relationship that binds him with his colleagues, and
this is called job burnout, and job burnout results in
a state of emotional and physical exhaustion as a
result of the pressures that the employee was
exposed to As well as the inability to meet
professional requirements.
Job burnout has a variety of negative effects on
the employee. On the physical side, it increases the
feeling of illness, tension, high blood pressure,
constant headaches, nausea, sleep disturbances, and
many health problems. On the psychological side,
job burnout leads to a low self-concept, a feeling of
misery and unhappiness, and low levels of
confidence., depression, and resentment
continuously in and outside the workplace, in
addition to feeling quickly angry, losing a sense of
humor, and looking at everything with a kind of
resentment and frustration, in addition to the
individual’s tendency to isolate, withdraw, and not
interact socially, leading to an imbalance in the
behavioral field, either from a functional point of
view. It often leads to the generation of
organizational silence, as organizational silence is
the psychology of the workplace and not the
psychology of the working individual, so it appeared
in the first definitions as an expression of loyalty,
and then it was later described as a motive for
blocking ideas, information and opinions about
improvements that relate to work, and has been
described as a collective phenomenon whereby
workers in the organization withhold their opinions
and concerns about potential organizational
problems as a result of the belief that Their opinions
are of no value in their organizations, and their fear
of negative outcomes.
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To provide a comprehensive and detailed
understanding of the current research, it has been
organized into four main sections. The first section
focuses on the research methodology, the second
section delves into two key theoretical aspects, the
third section explores the practical dimensions, and
the fourth section presents the conclusions and
recommendations.
2 Problem Formulation
The current research problem requires an
intellectual, practical, and scientific diagnosis based
on the conceptual perspectives of the research
variables and the interrelationships between them.
Career is a social and psychological phenomenon
that has attracted the attention of researchers and
scholars, and has been dealt with in many studies.
This is primarily due to work pressures and the
continuous increase in the burdens and requirements
on his shoulders and his inability to bear them,
especially when aspirations do not match reality,
which results in negative effects represented in
attrition. Emotional, physical, behavioral, and poor
compatibility and the phenomenon of job burnout
lead to growing levels of organizational silence
among workers, especially in service organizations
where work pressures are relatively high, which
causes workers in those organizations to feel fear of
the penalties imposed by management on them, so
their level of silence increases. Organizational
silence makes organizational silence results from the
tendency of workers to believe that they will
confront They have negative consequences as a
result of their words, so they only transfer positive
information and withhold negative information from
the administration, and this, in turn, leads to a
decline in the performance levels of the
organization, which reflects negative effects on the
morale of workers towards their organizations, and
that the employees feel that they are unable to
express their opinions and interests makes them lose
control themselves and thus prefer to withdraw and
withdraw into themselves, and to express the
research problem more accurately, the following
question can be formulated:
Does burnout of workers in the Ministry of Labor
and Social Affairs play a role in generating
organizational silence?
2.1 Importance of Research
Most of the studies and research derive their
importance from the importance of the topics they
address and the problems they seek to find solutions
to. Therefore, the importance of the current research
comes from the importance of studying two
different variables in the field of organizational
behavior and trying to combine them and clarify the
nature of the relationship between them. Job burnout
is a negative phenomenon that affects workers
directly and makes them feel increasingly
dissatisfied with their jobs and prefer complete
isolation and introversion from their colleagues, so
it was necessary to shed light on it in a ministry that
provides a service to the toiling class in Iraqi
society, in addition to that job burnout leads to the
generation of organizational silence The employees
have a sense of fear of disclosing any negative
information to the upper management, and they
prefer to disclose only positive information for fear
of punishment, whether material or moral, so the
importance of research is highlighted by delving
into the causes of organizational silence and limiting
and developing appropriate solutions for it, as well
as reducing burnout levels Employment among
workers in the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.
2.2 Research Objectives
The research aims to achieve the following:
1. Building a theoretical framework of an
intellectual nature that can be experimentally
tested in the field, combining both job burnout
and organizational silence within the framework
of the expected relationships between them.
2. Diagnosing the nature of the correct relationship
between the studied variables for their expected
relationships after testing them empirically at
the level of the sample studied within the
research community.
3. Identify the levels of organizational silence
among the workers in the ministry under study.
4. Statement of the nature of the relationship and
the impact between the two research variables
(functional burnout, organizational silence).
2.3 Hypothetical Scheme of the Research
1. Burnout is an independent variable whose
dimensions are represented by (emotional
exhaustion, personal achievement, and
depersonalization) based on, [1], scale as a
measure of dimensions.
2. Organizational silence as a dependent variable
whose dimensions are represented by
(acceptance silence, defensive silence, and
positive social silence) based on, [2], as a
measure of dimensions.
Figure 1 shows the hypothetical scheme of the
research.
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Fig. 1: The hypothetical scheme of the research
2.4 Research Hypotheses
The hypotheses of the study represent possibilities
expected by the researcher that are consistent with
the current study in terms of its problem and the
researcher's perception of its dimensions and the
reality of work in the banks under study. The
hypotheses of the study can be expressed as follows:
The first main hypothesis: "There is a statistically
significant correlation between job burnout and
organizational silence," and the following sub-
hypotheses emerge from it:
The first sub-hypothesis: There is a statistically
significant correlation between emotional
exhaustion and organizational silence.
The second sub-hypothesis: There is a statistically
significant correlation between the dimension of
depersonalization and organizational silence.
The third sub-hypothesis: There is a statistically
significant correlation between the dimension of
personal achievement and organizational silence.
The second main hypothesis: There is a statistically
significant effect between job burnout and
organizational silence, and the following sub-
hypotheses emerge from it:
The first sub-hypothesis: There is a statistically
significant effect between job exhaustion and
organizational silence.
The second sub-hypothesis: There is a statistically
significant effect between the dimension of
depersonalization and organizational silence.
The third sub-hypothesis: There is a statistically
significant effect between the dimension of personal
achievement and organizational silence.
Methods and methods of data collection and
analysis
A. Theoretical
The researcher utilized various sources, including
books, periodicals, and scholarly research that are
relevant to the research variables. These resources
were accessible in libraries or through online
platforms.
B. Practical
The primary instrument employed for assessing the
research variables is the questionnaire. The
researcher will structure the questionnaire items
based on established Arabic and international
standards pertinent to the research topic, as outlined
in Table 1. Essential modifications will be
incorporated with the assistance of expert evaluators
to align the questionnaire with the actual research
context before distribution. The questionnaire has
been designed using a five-point Likert scale,
offering a response range between (1-5).
2.5 Job Burnout
The concept of burnout:
Burnout, according to Webster's Dictionary, is the
depletion of physical or emotional strength as a
result of prolonged stress or frustration, [3]. [4],
indicates that job burnout is a state of fatigue and
depletion of physical and mental strength and
exhaustion as a result of the excessive desire to
reach unrealistic goals set by the individual. Job
burnout is a response and reflection of chronic
emotional and personal pressures in the workplace
and has a negative impact on physical and
psychological health. It is associated with various
forms of negative feedback and withdrawal from the
job and contributes to higher health costs for
workers. Previous studies have found that individual
characteristics (such as age, gender, and personality)
It is directly related to job burnout, and studies have
shown that social support reduces levels of job
burnout. Social support balances the relationship
between stress in the workplace and job burnout,
[5]. In a related context, [6], discusses that job
burnout has long-term consequences that affect the
individual's ability to work in addition to his health
and personal relationships. Despite the well-
documented effects of job burnout on mental health
and work performance, in addition to, job burnout
also results in turmoil in the workplace as a result of
the individual having chronic fatigue syndrome, of
which depression may be one of the results.
Employees who suffer from chronic fatigue and
have a negative and cynical attitude towards work,
exhibit functional impairment in every form and
may experience serious health problems over time,
[7]. There are many definitions of job burnout
according to the intellectual orientations on which it
was based. [3], indicate that job burnout is a long-
term process that develops as a result of prolonged
exposure to chronic, acute, and excessive stress in
the workplace. Either, [8], as emotional and physical
exhaustion that includes reducing interpersonal
skills, negative attitudes towards work, and loss of
interest in the job and the tasks assigned to them.
[9], refers to it as a work-related syndrome
characterized by chronic fatigue, cynicism,
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decreased professional competence leading to
depletion of energy resources, a consistent feeling of
tiredness, and chronic fatigue, [10]. The researcher
defines it as a set of symptoms experienced by the
employee, which is represented by a decrease in his
job activity, his feeling of discomfort, a decrease in
motivation, a desire to work, and a lack of interest
or sympathy for others as a result of work pressures,
burdens, and increasing and continuous
requirements.
2.5.1 Dimensions of Burnout
1. Emotional exhaustion:
Emotional exhaustion is typified by an enduring
sense of physical and emotional fatigue, which is
reflected in physical tiredness and a sensation of
emotional depletion. Predominant indicators of
emotional exhaustion encompass diminished
motivation, heightened irritability, pervasive
feelings of despondency, and heightened
nervousness, [11]. Emotional fatigue is one of the
main factors in understanding both the performance
and the quality of service provided by employees in
the organization to customers, and the level of that
service, [12]. Emotional exhaustion is the reflection
of job burnout and the best indicator of the existence
of job burnout in the organization, and it is not
surprising that some researchers measure emotional
exhaustion individually, as emotional exhaustion is
a condition that results from excessive work and its
reflection on personal demands. They refer to
emotional burnout as the feeling of mental
exhaustion due to one's interactions with others,
while Donahue sees emotional burnout as the
feeling of emotional exhaustion and feelings of
extreme fatigue resulting from the chronic
overburdening of individuals, [13].
2. Depersonalization:
Depersonalization, [14], defines depersonalization
as persistent or recurring episodes of feeling
disconnected or alienated from a sense of self and
the world. Depersonalization may cause significant
distress. Symptoms may be transient, persistent, or
recurrent, and are often difficult to treat effectively.
Complete, according to the diagnostic criteria
(DSM-5*), individuals with depersonalization
disorder experience feelings of unreality,
detachment, and being an outside observer of their
feelings, thoughts, sensations, [15], and perceptions,
even though the test of reality remains intact. Time
and surroundings are distorted and often the
individual experiences sensations such as emotional
or physical numbness, fog, dreaminess, or
lifelessness. A feeling of alienation from oneself and
the world is often the hallmark of this disorder.
Symptoms of depersonalization may affect
individuals and appear in the form of a continuous
series of conditions, affecting healthy individuals in
certain circumstances, and these symptoms may
reach psychological and neurological disorders, as
studies conducted on depersonalization indicated
that it is a common phenomenon in light of stress
that threatens the balance of the individual, [16].
Also, the feeling of depersonalization may cause
discomfort and internal states of tension such as
tension, depression, cynicism, as well as emotional,
and previous experimental studies have shown a
positive correlation between the nature of work and
depersonalization, and these studies have revealed
in general that the effect may be harmful to the
emotional or psychological state For individuals,
leading to depersonalization, this may cause a state
of discrepancy between the feelings felt and the
emotion displayed and in turn this leads to an
increase in the emotional stress of the individuals in
the organization, [17].
3. Personal Achievement
Reduced personal achievement arises when
individuals perceive an incapacity to excel in their
roles or to foster positive interpersonal relationships.
This is often coupled with diminished professional
self-esteem and a propensity to evaluate one's work
negatively, deeming it inadequate in terms of job
performance. ([11], Personal achievement has been
defined as the negative self-evaluation of the work
of individuals, in other words, the feeling of
inadequacy and lack of success in the performance
of the work, where the individual feels that he
cannot make any progress in his skills and work, the
employee with diminished personal achievement
realizes that he cannot perform his job as before It
also refers to the individual's feeling of
incompetence, lack of achievement and productivity
at work. In addition, deficiencies in self-perception,
feelings of failure in interpersonal relationships in
the workplace, and feelings of guilt reduce
employee motivation and prevent success. In this
case, individuals tend to evaluate themselves.
negatively, and they feel dissatisfied and dissatisfied
with their accomplishments, [18]. Employees'
perceptions of personal achievement are related to
the fact that it contributes to the social structure of
the management's role in arranging workflows in an
unlimited context, and this is reflected in the
employee's ability to move between the levels of the
environment surrounding the organization, [19]. The
evaluation of personal achievement plays a role in
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increasing the feeling of workers in the organization
with high creative self-efficacy that they are more
able to perform their job through their self-judgment
on their achievements, and it is one of the four
factors represented in personal achievement,
supervisory support, self-efficacy, and verbal
persuasion in raising the creative efficiency of
workers, [20].
2.6 Organizational Silence
The concept of organizational silence:
The concept of organizational silence was
introduced by, [21], who defined organizational
silence as a personal or group effort to call on top
management to force managers to make changes,
[22]. Then, between the years (1790-2000), many
researchers studied the issue of organizational
silence, as Pinder & Harlos explain organizational
silence is a collective phenomenon based on which
employees withhold their opinions and concerns
about potential organizational problems, [23].
Organizational silence in recent years has attracted
the attention of many researchers in the
organizational context. [24], indicates that
organizational silence is an undesirable
phenomenon in organizations, and if there is any
organizational silence in the organization, it may
have negative effects on employee motivation and
attitudes organizational silence may affect the
Overall performance and commitment of staff.
Organizational silence is defined by (Cetin, 2020: 2)
as the avoidance of employees from consciously
sharing their concerns and thoughts about
organizational problems with management and
keeping the ideas to themselves. In a related context,
organizational silence is attributed to the reason for
limiting organizational change and development, as
because of organizational silence, organizations
cannot be aware of the innovative ideas of their
employees and thus miss an important opportunity
for development, especially in organizations that do
not have the privacy of feedback, [25].
Organizational silence also weakens work attitudes
and limits the organization's ability to exploit
available opportunities, and thus lowers workers'
perceptions of psychological safety, [26]. The
researcher refers to organizational silence as the
situation in which employees maintain awareness of
their actions, ideas, knowledge, and ideas in relation
to their organizational development.
2.6.1 Dimensions of Organizational Silence
1. Acquiescent Silence
According to, [27]. Silence of acquiescence is a
paradoxical phenomenon where individuals within a
group tend to collectively accept certain ideas or
decisions, even when these ideas run contrary to
their individual beliefs or opinions. [28], indicate
that silence of acquiescence means refraining from
sharing knowledge, feelings, and opinions about the
current situation due to the fear of being left out of
individuals. These individuals usually become
uninterested or unconnected with the current
situation of the organization. Silence of submission
is also referred to as the refusal to provide relevant
ideas, information, or opinions based on submission
to any condition, [29]. He also looks at the silence
of acquiescence in accredited silence, that is, silence
deliberately and consciously. The silence of
acquiescence also refers to the evasion of
individuals from speaking based on a prevailing
belief that the idea of speech is meaningless and will
not make a difference, [30].
Hence, the researcher posits that this particular
form of silence can be perceived as a manifestation
of passivity. It tends to carry a predominantly
negative connotation since individuals opting for it
tend to adapt to their current environment without a
willingness to exert themselves in expressing their
opinions or making efforts to instigate change for
the benefit of the organization.
2. Defensive silence
Defensive silence suggests that individuals possess
full awareness of available alternatives, yet they opt
to refrain from sharing their ideas, information, and
opinions. This choice is driven by their desire to
safeguard their psychological well-being, rather than
a conscious decision, [31]. Defensive silence refers
to the act of concealing information, ideas, and
opinions due to fear and a need for self-
preservation. Employees may resort to this behavior
when they have experienced unfair treatment or
discouragement from unsupportive supervisors.
Such negative experiences lead individuals to
conclude that speaking up for change within the
organization is futile. As a result, they opt for
silence as a defensive strategy when dealing with
such supervisors, [32]. Although employees are
aware of the alternatives, they withhold information
communication to maintain psychological integrity.
Defensive silence is harmful from an individual as
well as an organizational perspective. It also affects
the employee's faith, confidence, and motivation,
and ultimately leads to a decline in employee
creativity, [33].
3. silence social positive
Social silence refers to a conscious and deliberate
behavior in which individuals choose to withhold
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work-related information and ideas, primarily for
collaborative reasons rather than out of fear of
adverse personal consequences that may arise from
speaking out, [2]. [27], this form of silence, referred
to as social silence, distinguishes itself from
defensive silence. It is marked by a consideration
for others' welfare rather than a fear of potential
negative personal consequences associated with
voicing one's thoughts and opinions. In social
silence, priority is given to the benefit of others and
self-sacrifice for others, and the dimension of social
silence is a positive type of silence that contrasts
with applied silence and defensive silence, [34].
2.7 Relationship between Job Burnout and
Organizational Silence
Management in any organization plays a huge role
in creating spaces for expression and, at the same
time, creating cultures of silence within the
workplace. For example, organizations can
deliberately silence employees by setting the agenda
and arranging organizational structures, [35].
From an individual perspective, organizational
silence negatively affects employee confidence,
morale, and motivation and ultimately leads to
emotional burnout, [36]. Many studies have shown
that job burnout not only generates organizational
silence, but also leads to diminished organizational
commitment, psychological well-being, and work-
life satisfaction, and generates harmful behaviors at
the personal and organizational levels, [37].
[38], indicates that employee burnout behaviors
and organizational silence are related to the
adequacy of the organization, and it is expected that
the level of job burnout will rise and in turn, lead to
a higher level of organizational silence among
individuals, so senior management and stakeholders
in the organization must promote organizational
values to raise the level of Job satisfaction and
organizational commitment that reduce both burnout
and organizational silence.
3 Practical Pleurisy
3.1 Conformance Quality Test
The quality conformity test serves as the
measurement instrument for any research, preceding
the essential statistical analysis to assess the
prevalence of variables. The following section
provides a detailed explanation of this test.
1. The sincerity of the construction
To validate the construction of scales for the
research variables and assess the alignment of scale
items with their theoretical foundations, structural
equation modeling, specifically confirmatory factor
analysis, was employed. The evaluation of scale
items' conformity with the scale variables relies on
specific measurement criteria, as outlined in Table
1.
Table 1. Indicators of good conformity to the
variable under study
Pointer
General Rule or
Standard
Goodness of Fit Indicators
Values X2
---
Degree of Freedom (df)
---
Ratio between X2 and (df)
Less than 5
Approximate Root Mean
Square Error (RMSEA) Index
Between 0.05 – 0.08
Comparative Fit Index (CFI)
Greater than 0.90
Tucker Lewis Index (TLI)
Greater than 0.90
A. Confirmative factor analysis of the burnout
variable
Figure 2 presents the results of the confirmatory
factor analysis for the burnout model, encompassing
three core dimensions, each comprising (15) items,
as illustrated in Figure 2.
Fig. 2: Job burnout model
We note from the above results that:
1. The value of (TLI = 0.780) indicates a weak fit,
falling short of the desired range, which should be
greater than 0.90 to demonstrate model identity.
2. The value of (CFI = 0.817) is also weak and
should ideally exceed 0.900 to signify model
conformity.
3. The (RMSEA) value of 0.127 is not favorable.
The preferred range is between 0.05-0.08, indicating
model compatibility. When it is less than 0.05, the
model is deemed suitable and matches better.
To enhance the model, adjustments are needed
based on recommendations from the Modification
Indices. Researchers typically formulate a model
based on existing literature or research theory and
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then test its fit with empirical data. If the fit is
insufficient, the common practice involves
modifying the model by either removing paragraphs
with the highest covariance or adjusting them by
introducing links between errors exhibiting high
covariance. Following these adjustments, the final
modified model is presented in Figure 3.
Fig. 3: Job burnout model after modification
Furthermore, the RMSEA value, which is
(0.072), serves as strong evidence of the model's
fitness.
3.2 Confirmative Factor Analysis of the
Organizational Silence Variable
In Figure 4, you can see the confirmatory factor
analysis of the organizational silence variable,
which includes a set of indicators and the degree of
correlation for each item. Here is the revised content
for this section:
Fig. 4: The organizational silence model
We note from the above results that :
1. The value of (TLI = 0.920) is a good value,
which indicates that the model matches.
2. The values of (CFI = 0.938) are good, and this
indicates that the model matches.
3. Additionally, the RMSEA value of 0.078 is
within an acceptable range, indicating model
compatibility. Typically, when RMSEA is less
than 0.05, it suggests an even better fit.
Thus, the model appears to be compatible and
reasonably aligns with the research data.
This is evidence of a good fit of the model of
organizational silence.
3.3 Scale Stability
To ensure the internal consistency of the scale
items, Cronbach's Alpha was employed. It helps
assess the stability and reliability of each item
within the scale. The results of the internal
consistency test for the research variables are
presented in Table 2.
Table 2. Cronbach Alpha test for research variables
Variants
Dimensions
Paragraphs
Cronbach
Alpha
Job
burnout
Emotional
exhaustion
5
0.795
Depersonalization
5
0.526
Personal
achievement
5
0.755
Organizati
onal
silence
Acquiescent
silence
4
0.812
Defensive silence
4
0.743
Silence social
positive
4
0.723
Source: prepared by the researcher based on the results
of the SPSS V26 program
The results presented in the Table 2 above
demonstrate that Cronbach's Alpha coefficient for
the research variables exceeds 0.70. This indicates
the presence of strong internal consistency among
the research items and variables, validating their
suitability for statistical analysis.
3.4 The Descriptive Analysis of the Research
Variables
To assess the level of the dimensions within the
Ministry under study, responses from the
participants were analyzed and interpreted through a
series of questions related to these dimensions.
Table 3 provides the mean values, standard
deviations, and the strength of response to the
paragraphs. The following observations can be
made:
1. Emotional exhaustion: In this sub-dimension, five
questions were asked to the respondents. Table 4
shows the arithmetic means, standard deviations,
coefficient of variation, response intensity, and the
relative importance of the reflection items. It is
noted in this table that the arithmetic mean of all the
paragraphs was uneven, as paragraph (2) got the
highest arithmetic average, reaching (2.26), the
response intensity was (45.2%), with a standard
deviation (0.94), and a coefficient of difference
(0.42), while paragraph (3) got The lowest
arithmetic mean was (2.91), and the response
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intensity was (58.2%), with a standard deviation of
(1.01). As for the general rate of emotional
exhaustion, it amounted to (2.09), the intensity of
the response was (41.8%), with a general standard
deviation of (1.02), and a coefficient of difference
(0.49), which indicates the weak suffering of
workers in the Ministry of Labor from remote job
burnout. About their job, self-confidence, high
morale, and willingness to work with vigor and
activity. The researcher believes that this result
reflects the interest of the Ministry's administration
in providing a work environment based on
cooperation and good communication between it
and the workers, and the exchange of opinions and
ideas among them during the preparation of plans to
confront potential problems at work, as well as
providing emotional and social support to workers
and providing an atmosphere of interest, mutual
respect, and good treatment, which helped workers
overcome stress, work pressure and emotional
exhaustion.
2. Personal Achievement: In this sub-dimension,
five questions were asked to the respondents. Table
4 shows the arithmetic mean, standard deviations,
coefficient of difference, intensity of responses, and
relative importance of items of personal
achievement. It is noted in this table that the
arithmetic mean of all items was uneven, as item (
9) has the highest arithmetic mean, as it reached
(2.95), and the response intensity was (59.0%), with
a general standard deviation of (0.94), and the
coefficient of difference (0.32), while paragraph (6)
got the lowest arithmetic average, amounting to
(2.03), and the response intensity was (40.6%). With
a standard deviation of (0.88) and a coefficient of
difference (0.43), the general rate of personal
achievement was (2.95), and this indicates that
workers in the Ministry of Labor suffer from
burnout after personal achievement, and this
indicates a clear positive feeling among workers of
efficiency and high achievement. And comfort at
work and that they give work their best because the
job tasks are clear and understood by the workers
and do not constitute a heavy burden on them to the
extent that they feel tired with it, and their
evaluation is positive for their performance,
capabilities and capabilities, and the researcher
believes that the more they are The work
environment is good and comfortable, in which
harmony, integration and team spirit prevail,
whenever this is an incentive for workers towards
creativity and motivation to exert more effort at
work and attach to it, which is positively reflected
on the success and development of the Ministry.
3. Depersonalization: In this sub-dimension, five
questions were asked to the respondents. Table 3
shows the arithmetic means, standard deviations,
coefficient of difference, intensity of responses, and
relative importance of the depersonalization
paragraphs, it is noted in this table that the
arithmetic mean of all the paragraphs was uneven,
as paragraph (14) got the highest arithmetic average,
reaching (2.85) and the intensity of the response
(57.0). %) with a standard deviation of (0.91), while
paragraph (13) obtained the lowest arithmetic mean
of (2.52), an answer intensity of (50.4%), a standard
deviation of (1.07), and a coefficient of difference
(0.42). As for the general rate of depersonalization,
it reached (2.11), the response intensity was
(42.2%), with a general standard deviation of (0.98),
and a coefficient of difference (0.46). For their work
in the ministry, the ministry also works to create a
comfortable and appropriate atmosphere to perform
their work to the fullest.
4. Acquiescent Silence Dimension: This dimension
attained an arithmetic mean of 2.10, which is below
the hypothetical mean of 3. The standard deviation
for this dimension is 0.75. The importance of this
dimension was 42%, and these results indicate that
employees are ready to make any positive
suggestions because they are engaged Work as well
as employees put forward ideas on how to improve
the work environment because they would like to
participate in the Ministry's activities.
5. Defensive Silence: The general arithmetic mean
for this dimension was (3.96), which is higher than
the hypothetical arithmetic mean of (3), with a
dispersion coefficient of (0.71). The importance of
this dimension was 79.2%, and this is evidence that
employees ignore the relevant facts to protect
themselves. In addition, some employees avoid
discussions with others to protect themselves from
accountability.
6. Regarding the dimension of Positive Social
Silence, it obtained an arithmetic mean of 3.08,
which is higher than the hypothetical mean of 3,
with a standard deviation of 0.67. The significance
of this dimension was 61.6%. These results indicate
that employees tend to withhold information that
could potentially harm the Ministry's reputation and
are willing to endure external pressure as a result of
keeping work-related secrets.
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DOI: 10.37394/23207.2023.20.230
Qasim Ali Mohammed
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Table 3. the descriptive analysis of the research
variables
Relative
importance
standard
deviation
Arithmetic
mean
Dimensions
41.8%
1.02
2.09
Emotional
exhaustion
59%
1.12
2.95
depersonalization
42.2%
0.98
2.11
personal
achievement
42%
0.75
2.10
Acquiescent
Silence
79.2%
0.71
3.96
Defensive silence
61.6%
0.67
3.08
silence social
positive
Source: prepared by the researcher based on the outputs
of the SPSS V26 program
3.5 Testing Research Hypotheses
1- The first main hypothesis
This hypothesis was confirmed through a correlation
test, which aimed to examine the relationships
between the main variables by assessing the
correlations among the sub-variables of the research
constructs. The results are presented in Table 4:
Table 4. Correlations
Job
burnout
organization
al silence
Job
burnout
Pearson
Correlation
1
.867**
Sig. (2-tailed)
.000
N
75
75
organizatio
nal silence
Pearson
Correlation
.867**
1
Sig. (2-tailed)
.000
N
75
75
**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).
Source: prepared by the researcher based on the outputs
of the SPSS V26 program
The analysis in Table 5 reveals a statistically
significant positive correlation at a significance
level of 0.01, indicating a strong relationship
between the research variables. Based on this
outcome, the first primary hypothesis is accepted,
which posits that there is a statistically significant
positive correlation between burnout and
organizational silence.
Testing the sub-hypotheses of the first main
hypothesis
The data presented in Table 5 reveal that all the
correlations between the sub-dimensions of the
burnout variable (emotional exhaustion, personal
achievement, depersonalization) and the sub-
dimensions of the organizational silence variable
(acquiescent silence, defensive silence, positive
social silence) were found to be statistically
significant. Therefore, all the sub-hypotheses
derived from the first primary hypothesis, which
posits that there is a statistically significant positive
correlation between the dimensions of job burnout
and the dimensions of organizational silence, have
been supported, resulting in an overall success rate
of 100%.
Table 5. Correlations between the sub-
dimensions
Emotional
exhaustion
personal
achievement
depersonalization
Acquiescen
t Silence
Pearson
Correlatio
n
.748**
.701**
.925**
Sig. (2-
tailed)
.000
.000
.000
N
75
75
75
Defensive
silence
Pearson
Correlatio
n
.799**
.847**
.740**
Sig. (2-
tailed)
.000
.000
.000
N
75
75
75
silence
social
positive
Pearson
Correlatio
n
.781**
.868**
.657**
Sig. (2-
tailed)
.000
.000
.000
N
75
75
75
Source: Prepared by the researcher based on the outputs
of the SPSS V26 program.
** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).
2- Test the second main hypothesis
To validate the research hypotheses related to the
nature of the relationship between job burnout and
organizational silence, a model was developed. The
main second hypothesis posits that there is a
statistically significant effect between job burnout
and organizational silence. The following test form
in Figure 5 outlines the hypotheses for examination.
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Fig. 5: Standard estimates of the simple regression
model
The model presented above displays the
standard estimates of a simple regression model. In
this model, the independent variable is job burnout
(X), and the dependent variable is organizational
silence (Y). The Squared Multiple Correlations
value is 0.94, signifying that 94% of the variance in
the dependent variable (organizational silence) can
be attributed to the influence of the independent
variable (job burnout). The remaining 6% of the
variance is likely explained by other external factors
and causes. Furthermore, the correlation coefficient
between these variables is 0.867, indicating a strong
and direct correlation.
As for the non-standard estimates, they are
shown in the form Figure 6 below.
Fig. 6: Nonparametric estimates of the simple linear
regression model
This model shows the non-parametric estimates
of the simple linear regression model, where (0.98)
represents the value of the marginal slope, while the
value of the fixed limit was (0.45) and the error
value (0.03). This is evidence of the significance of
the model and the regression equation is as follows:
organizational silence = 0.45+0.98 job burnout
Testing the sub-hypotheses of the second
main hypothesis
The above model was constructed to validate the
research hypotheses regarding the nature of the
relationship, specifically the sub-hypotheses of the
second main hypothesis, which posits that there is a
statistically significant effect between the combined
dimensions of job burnout and organizational
silence. The test form presented in Figure 7
illustrates how these hypotheses can be evaluated.
Fig. 7: Standard estimates of the simple regression
model
The model provided above displays the standard
estimates of a simple regression model. In this
model, the dimensions of job burnout (X3, X2, X1)
correspond to the independent variables, with each
dimension representing emotional exhaustion,
personal achievement, and depersonalization,
respectively. The dependent variable in this model is
organizational silence (Y).
The standard estimated values for these variables
are as follows:
Emotional Exhaustion (X3): Beta = -0.05
Personal Achievement (X2): Beta = 0.51
Depersonalization (X1): Beta = 0.33
The model also provides the value of Squared
Multiple Correlations, which amounts to 0.51. This
percentage explains 51% of the variance in the
dependent variable (organizational silence) due to
the influence of the independent variables
(emotional exhaustion, personal achievement, and
depersonalization). The remaining 49% of the
variance can be attributed to external factors and
causes.
This is evidence of the significance of the model
and the regression equation is as follows:
Organizational silence = -0.05 emotional exhaustion
+ 0.51 personal achievement + 0.33
depersonalization.
4 Conclusions
1. It became clear from the results that the workers
in the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs feel
satisfied with their jobs, self-confidence, high
morale, and willingness to work with vigor and
activity.
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2. There was a clear positive feeling among the
employees of efficiency, high achievement, and
comfort at work, and that they give the work their
best since the job tasks are clear and understood by
the employees and do not constitute a heavy burden
on them to the extent that they feel tired.
3. The Ministry grants its employees appreciation
books for their outstanding performance, and thus
this leads to employees feeling happy and satisfied
while performing their work in the Ministry.
4. The employees are ready to make any positive
suggestions because they are engaged in the work,
and the employees are also putting forward ideas on
how to improve the work environment because they
would like to participate in the activities of the
Ministry.
5. The employees ignore the relevant facts to protect
themselves, in addition to that there are employees
who avoid discussion with others to protect
themselves from accountability.
6. The employees of the Ministry of Labor, Social
Affairs, and Social Affairs do not disclose
information that may harm the reputation of the
Ministry, and they bear pressure from others as a
result of keeping secrets pertaining to work.
5 Recommendations
1. The ministry in question should continue on the
same path of interest in providing a work
environment based on cooperation and good
communication between it and the employees,
through:
a. Exchange opinions and ideas between themselves
and the workers while preparing plans to confront
potential problems at work.
b. Provide emotional and social support to workers
and provide an atmosphere of interest, mutual
respect, and good treatment.
2. The ministry should take into account the work
environment and its compatibility with the internal
and external requirements of the ministry because
this motivates the workers towards creativity and
motivation to exert more effort in work and
attachment to it, which reflects positively on the
success and development of the ministry.
3. The researcher recommends to the ministry the
need to create a comfortable and appropriate
atmosphere to perform their work to the fullest
extent, in addition to that, it must work continuously
to enhance the personality of its employees and
make them feel confident continuously through
letters of thanks and praise and financial and moral
rewards.
4. The Ministry must have the necessary flexibility
to accept any suggestions or opinions from the
employees and consider these suggestions to break
the barrier of fear between employees and
supervisors.
5. The Ministry should strive to break the defensive
silence between employees, through:
a. Conducting discussion sessions between
employees and supervisors.
b. Reducing punishment procedures for employees
who make mistakes without intention, because the
goal is not to punish the wrongdoer with severe
penalties, but to urge him not to repeat the mistake.
c. Enhancing social ties such as friendship and
cooperation between employees and supervisors by
conducting recreational activities to break the
barrier of fear among employees.
6. The researcher recommends the Ministry of
Labor to reduce the levels of pressure on workers by
granting them leaves according to actual need,
especially those with decision-making in the upper,
middle, and lower administrative levels, since these
pressures may reduce levels of job satisfaction, and
thus make them disclose information that harms the
reputation of the Ministry.
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Contribution of Individual Authors to the
Creation of a Scientific Article (Ghostwriting
Policy)
The author contributed in the present research, at all
stages from the formulation of the problem to the
final findings and solution.
Sources of Funding for Research Presented in a
Scientific Article or Scientific Article Itself
No funding was received for conducting this study.
Conflict of Interest
The author has no conflicts of interest to declare.
Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0
(Attribution 4.0 International, CC BY 4.0)
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